Maryborough is full of surprises: the birthplace of Mary Poppins, a smugglers' bond store where opium was once legal, a lively arts scene, and the Cistern Chapel, public toilets complete with a golden throne.

Childers is a busy little heritage town on the Bruce Highway, known for its beautiful early-1900s main street and the deeply moving Palace Backpackers Memorial to the fifteen young travellers lost in the 2000 fire.

A slow guide to Townsville, North Queensland: Castle Hill views, the Strand, Queensland Museum Tropics, the RAAF Museum, and a dog-friendly wander at the Palmetum.

The heat sent Zoe (and us) east, and Hughenden was the perfect stop: a free RV camp, Hughie the Muttaburrasaurus, town street art, and a coolibah tree blazed by explorers hunting Burke and Wills.

Most people drive through Batchelor on the way to Litchfield. Stop, and you find a miniature Czech castle built by a homesick miner, a Cold War uranium mine, and a wartime airfield with a famous visitor.

A chain of World War Two airstrips lines the Stuart Highway on the run to Darwin. We stopped at Strauss and Gorrie, once the country's biggest airbase, and drove past the rest, each named for a lost pilot.

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.

Blackall’s Historical Woolscour is the only surviving steam-powered woolscour in Australia, operating since 1908. Add Jackie Howe’s unbroken shearing record and a free camp on the Barcoo River, and you have one of outback Queensland’s best stops.

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.

An overnight pub camp at Enngonia, then north to Cunnamulla; the Robbers Tree, the All Aboard rail show, a day at the races for Neil and artesian hot springs for Cameron. A weekend well spent.

Five rain-soaked days at Nyngan Weir and then north to Bourke, the Darling River’s great port, Fred Hollows’ resting place, an Afghan mosque in the outback, and a town that rewards anyone who slows down.

From Melbourne via Warrnambool and St Arnaud to Hay, a town that keeps earning return visits. Free camping on the Murrumbidgee, a gaol with many lives, and one of regional NSW’s most joyful festivals.

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.

Our favourite way to experience Melbourne is on foot, looping between the State Library, NGV, laneways, arcades, gardens and the Yarra, with a tram ride to St Kilda and the occasional MSO concert.

J Ward in Ararat began as a gold rush gaol before becoming Victoria’s Criminally Insane Division. A guided tour reveals bluestone cells, preserved gallows, and a confronting chapter in Australia’s justice and mental health history.

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.

Werribee Open Range Zoo offers a surprisingly immersive safari experience just outside Melbourne. With open savannahs, accessible paths, and thoughtful design, it feels far removed from the city while remaining easy to navigate.

The Holden Museum in Echuca has since closed, but we’re glad we visited when it was still open. A quiet retrospective on everyday Australian cars, regional passion projects, and noticing things before they disappear.

Just offshore from Warrnambool, guardian dogs quietly protect a colony of little penguins. The Middle Island Maremma Project is a thoughtful conservation success, best understood from the mainland, where learning matters more than access.

With just one day in Adelaide, we crammed in all our favourites! Art, museums, botanic gardens and a market dash. North Terrace delivered its usual magic, reminding us why this city always feels good to return to.