This is one of those rare drives where getting from A to B is very much part of the adventure.

Wild coastline. Surf beaches. Eucalyptus forest. Koalas. Rainforest. And eventually the Twelve Apostles rising out of the Southern Ocean.

There are quicker ways to travel around Australia.

But that rather misses the point.

Adelaide – and then we let someone else drive

Eventually we reached Adelaide, where there was more exploring and, unsurprisingly, more eating.

And then it was time for something completely different.

The Ghan.

One of the world’s great train journeys, travelling north through the heart of Australia.

There’s something rather wonderful about travelling by train.

Nobody has to navigate.

Nobody has to find somewhere to park.

And nobody has to listen to me telling them they’re going the wrong way.

Instead, you sit back with a glass of wine, eat extremely well and watch Australia gradually change outside the window.

Green disappears.

Red takes over.

And you begin to appreciate just how ridiculously big this country is.

Into the Outback

The Red Centre was one of the parts of the trip I’d been particularly looking forward to.

But what makes this part of Australia special isn’t simply the scenery.

It’s beginning to understand a little of the extraordinary history, culture and connection to Country of Aboriginal Australians.

We walked. We explored. We learned.

And occasionally we simply stood there looking at the landscape.

You don’t always need to be doing something.

Sometimes being somewhere is enough.

From red earth to the Great Barrier Reef

One of the things I love about Australia is how quickly everything changes.

One minute you’re surrounded by red desert.

A flight later you’re pulling on a mask and snorkel and looking down at the Great Barrier Reef.

For many of the group, this was understandably one of the highlights.

Coral gardens. Tropical fish. Turtles. Warm water.

And that wonderful moment when everyone puts their face underwater and suddenly goes quiet.

A rare achievement with some of our groups.

And then there were the cities

Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney gave us another side of Australia entirely.

Sydney in particular is one of those places where you’ve seen the photographs so many times that the Opera House and Harbour Bridge almost feel familiar before you arrive.

Then you see them properly.

And they’re every bit as impressive as they’re supposed to be.

But, as is so often the case on our trips, some of the things everyone talked about afterwards weren’t necessarily the famous landmarks.

They were the meals.

The laughs.

The unexpected stops.

The people we met.

And apparently some of the best ice cream ever made.

Janice’s words, not mine.

Although I may have conducted sufficient independent research to support her findings.

The bits between the highlights

Perhaps that’s what I’ll remember most about this trip.

It’s easy to build an itinerary around Australia’s famous sights.

The Great Ocean Road.

The Outback.

The Ghan.

The Great Barrier Reef.

Sydney Harbour.

But after more than 30 years of running adventures, I’ve realised that you can’t actually manufacture the best moments.

They’re usually the bits between the things you’ve planned.

Someone says something ridiculous over dinner.

You find a brilliant little café.

Everyone decides they want to stay somewhere another hour.

Or a group of people who’ve travelled together several times before are still laughing at each other after spending nearly a month together.

That’s travel.

So we’re doing it again…