Moving On To The Land Down Under: Maiden Voyage To Australia

I’ve literally just landed in Melbourne, Australia, where I’ll begin my very first visit to the continent “down under.” This trip is an important personal milestone because I’ve now visited all six inhabited continents, which is especially cool when you consider I got my first passport just seven years ago and I’m not rich at all.

My maiden voyage to Australia has been literally decades in the making. I first became interested in travel to Australia in second grade (1992, for reference) as a student in Australia-obsessed Mrs. Fraley’s class. You read that right, Aussies: I was humming “Waltzing Matilda,” telling “Kookaburra” to save some gum for me and hankering for shrimp on the barbie long before most American children my age knew what or where Australia was.

My trip to Australia, which will last about six weeks, will take me to the large cities of Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Cairns; to famous attractions like Uluru and the Great Barrier Reef; and to coastal hotspots like Byron Bay and Port Douglas. After flying my way around the southeastern portion of the country for about 15 days, I’ll spend the last several weeks of my week traveling up the east coast of Australia by Greyhound bus — and maybe even hitchhiking?!

Now, about that shrimp on the barbie — I’m hungry!