Ian Wright’s antipodean adventure begins at the huge international Country and Western festival in Tamworth, New South Wales. After sampling the music, dancing and rodeos, he hitches to Byron Bay on the North coast of the province, where he hang-glides high above the miles of golden beaches. He also runs into some bikers and comes away with the ultimate souvenir of his trip – a tattoo.
Ian heads south, via Sydney to Albury and the vast Mount Buffalo National Park. His riding skills are put to the test as he embarks on a horse trek through the High Plains. He views of the blue mountain ranges ate breath-taking, and it is the perfect setting for bush camping and sleeping out under the stars.
Ian hops on a train to Melbourne, where he finds work in a coffee bar. After a few altercations with the cappuccino machine he saves enough to invest in an old car, with which he hopes to explore Victoria. Things don’t quite go according to plan, however, as the car breaks down and he’s forced to go on alone.
After going rock climbing in the Grampian Mountains, Ian takes a flight to Tasmania. The Asbestos National Park in the north of this island is home to large communities of Australia’s national animal, the kangaroo. Ian also comes face to face with wallabies and wombats. Mountain bike is his preferred mode of transport, and he starts on a tour all around the island. Near Bicheno he stays with a farmer in Tasmanian Devil country.
Ian journeys to the South West Wilderness National Park, where he is taken on a tour through the mysterious black lagoons and estuaries teeming with local wildlife. His journey ends on a more sombre note, with a visit to Port Arthur, the prison in which Australia’s first white settlers, the British convicts were incarcerated.
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