Corners of the World
Going Deeper,
Down Under
Somewhere amidst our coffee cups in cubicles, busy schedules and routine life shenanigans, we often find ourselves fantasizing about virgin islands, endless road trips and exhilarating adventures. It’ s the need to feed the ever-growing wanderlust of exploring this magnificent, inexhaustible world of wonders. But the question is – how do we get there?
Australia is one such destination that’ s bucket-listed by most travel enthusiasts, and indeed for long has been at the very top of mine. Known for its vast wilderness, unique wildlife, sun-kissed golden and snowy white beaches and an entire world of marine life and underwater topography that is unique to the Great Barrier reef, the natural heritage of the country, is accompanied by a few hustling metropolis cities along the coastline, with influences of
Rituparna Ghosh
some very distinctive and diverse indigenous cultures that trace back to thousands of years ago, and are still thriving in parts of the region.
After 25 years of living within the cemented jungles of an urban Indian metropolitan, a life predisposed to societal norms and family expectations, I was lucky to get the opportunity to make my way down to the hip‘ n’ happy city of Melbourne. Ready to immerse myself in the supremely diverse ecosystem and the multifaceted life on the island continent, I was quick to learn how big Australia is, and realised that the most ideal way of exploring and experiencing the marvels of the country is by renting / buying an RV and driving along the coastline. With caravan parks in every nook and corner, motor homes make for far more flexible travels, and turn out to be quite economical when the costs are shared. The drive from Melbourne to Cairns covers approximately 3500 km and requires a minimum of one month to travel. This route is extremely popular among travellers who come to Australia on a one year working holiday visa( Indians of course aren’ t for it), making it a paradise for backpackers and road trippers from all
18 destination exotica | february 2017