Our second stop in St Lawrence, the quiet town between Mackay and Rockhampton: two nights at the community rec ground, Friday lasagne night, a local’s tour with a mate, and the old meatworks boilers in the bush.

North of Townsville, two faces of the wet tropics: Big Crystal Creek, a clear rainforest swimming hole, and Wallaman Falls, Australia’s tallest single-drop waterfall, plunging 269 metres into a misty gorge.

We drove to Fogg Dam near Darwin expecting a few ducks and found hundreds of birds, three crocodiles, and two tourists we probably saved from becoming breakfast on the closed, croc-lined dam wall.

We broke the curse the only way we could, by cheating and flying. A doorless chopper, sandstone towers older than almost anything on earth, and a walk through a Lost City with no one else in sight.

Every expedition needs a curse, and ours began the moment we left Mount Isa chasing the Lost Cities. Plagues of bugs, biblical rain, a brutal road, and a mysterious rash.

Three days out to Boulia via Poddy Creek and the Middleton Hotel, the Min Min Encounter, outback sunsets and no actual Min Min sightings. Then north to a spectacular free camp at Dajarra Dam on the way to Mount Isa.

After three visits, here's what we'd actually send a friend to do in Longreach! Qantas history, outback rail and river tours, and a stockman's show. Not everything, just our favourites.

Tambo delivers more than it advertises — Tambo Teddies and a station side quest, chicken races that got out of hand, and the site of Qantas’s first fatal crash in 1927. A small town with a lot going on.

Four visits to Charleville and still finding new things — the Angellala Creek explosion site, the Airfield Museum, the Bureau of Meteorology weather balloon and the WWII quarry that built the airport runways.

From the Cosmos Centre and Bilby Experience to the Airfield Museum, WWII Secret Base, Outback Date Farm, and the Angellala Creek explosion site. There’s a lot going on!

Halfway between Cunnamulla and Charleville, Wyandra is a quiet railway town on the Warrego River with a sandy beach, outback burgers, a peaceful camp and sunsets good enough for a calendar cover.

A slow morning in the mist at Warrnambool's historic Botanic Gardens, a drive out to Hopkins Falls running at full strength, and an afternoon browsing Fletcher Jones Market.

Two nights on the Barwon River at Winchelsea’s free camp, and a guided tour of Barwon Park Mansion, the bluestone homestead built to impress a duke, by the man who gave Australia its rabbit problem.

First visits feel longer because novelty stretches time. Returning compresses it. This reflection explores how attention shapes memory, and how slow travel allows familiar places to feel deeper rather than shorter.

Aradale in Ararat is one of Australia’s largest former psychiatric hospitals. A guided history tour reveals confronting stories, evolving mental health care, and the complex legacy of an institution that operated for more than a century.

A relaxed Barossa morning at Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop gave us scones, lake views and a visit to the kitchen from The Cook and the Chef. Peaceful, friendly and a must-stop for Maggie fans.

Waikerie gave us ferry rides, silo art, bakery stops and an easy riverfront stay. A bright Riverland town with good food, calm paths and a few rituals we return to every time we pass through.

Renmark sits on the Murray with sandstone cliffs, impressive silo art and a historic lifting bridge. We came for a day trip from Barmera and found more than expected. A relaxed Riverland stop worth slowing down for.

From rainforest pools to outback springs and shaded rockholes, these are the waterfalls and swimming spots that shaped our journey across Australia. Cool water, easy tracks, and quiet corners worth slowing down for.

From Nyngan’s riverside calm to Cobar’s quiet bush camp and the long road to Broken Hill, this stretch of outback NSW is a reminder that sometimes, the in-between days are the best ones.