London to Sydney - Completed!!!!!!!
Posted by Kirsty on November 23rd 2007
Written on the 2007 London to Sydney expedition
We made it!!! We have completed an amazing journey from London to Sydney. This has truly been a trip-of-a-lifetime. We have experienced so many different landscapes and cultures along the way - it is a little awe-inspiring looking back at what we have done. We have also made life long friends that won’t be forgotten in a hurry. But more of that later, where were we??? That’s right, Adelaide…
Upon leaving Adelaide, we made a small detour for Hahndorf, a quaint little German village in the Adelaide Hills, then headed back to the coast and stopped off early at a viewpoint near Coorong for an afternoon of lamb spit roasting and Melbourne Cup (Australia’s biggest horse race) celebrations. With the lamb jam-packed with veges, it was roasted over coals for many hours and was succulently juicy – you’ve got to love the Australian lamb season.
The Great Ocean Road was a highlight for many with superb ocean views, Eucalypt forests and more wildlife sightings. We stopped off at The Twelve Apostles along the coast, and got very excited at seeing our first Koalas and Echidnas. A quick detour was made to Torquay and Bells Beach (home of the Australian Rip Curl Surfing Competition). Then it was into the cosmopolitan city of Melbourne early the next morning. Here we experienced the café culture and nightlife and yet more wildlife can you believe it – Blue Penguins on St. Kilda beach on Phillips Bay. A popular detour was made leaving Mebourne for all the Brits onboard – Ramsay Street of Neighbours fame.
Our last National Park was next on the itinerary; Wilson’s Promontory, characterised by eucalypt forests and coastal scrublands. Bushwalking and wildlife spotting were the order of the day. Sightings here included enormous wombats wandering around the camp, possums and colourful birds (that seemed to be very attracted by Steve’s red overalls).
Once into New South Wales, due to popular demand we made an unscheduled stop off at Eden, a tiny town situated on a very pretty bay that Humpback Whales use as a rest stop on their long journey down to Antarctica. Cruising out on a boat to do a spot of whale watching we saw many pods of mothers and calves (including a seal who thought it was a humpback) and dolphins.
Venturing inland again we visited the nation’s capital, Canberra. It is a very organised city in terms of the layout of the city and has some of the best museums in the country.
Heading north up the coastline we bushcamped along different rivers and enjoyed swimming and bathing in their warm waters. These bushcamps had entertainment galore - Louise wrote and performed a very clever poem that incorporated all EOEers (without offending anyone) and the next night we rolled out the red carpet and held the inaugural EOE Oscar Award Ceremony (thanks to Alex, Tom & Jock for all their hard work). Everyone was a winner and many laughs were had.
After a quick stop off at Mollymook Beach for a dip there no more putting it off – we headed for Sydney, our final destination. With the truck fully decked out in Aussie and English flags, streamers and balloons; driving into Sydney was surreal. Driving across the Sydney Harbour Bridge had everyone screaming with delight, so much so, we turned around and did it again. Then it was to the iconic Sydney Opera House, the ‘real’ finish to an amazing expedition.
32 people on a truck, from one hemisphere to the other, through some of the most visited and least visited countries, experiencing some of the most stunning landscapes and cultures in the world – we drove overland from London to Sydney. Congratulations and a big thank you to all involved…
Alrighty!!! We made it!!!
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