Did you know that not all kookaburras laugh? That the ‘dingo fence’ in Australia is the longest fence in the world? That saltwater crocodiles sleep with their mouths open so their brains don’t overheat?
This time last year, I didn’t know any of that. And nor did my kids. After all, it’s not typical classroom fodder. And that’s precisely why a family road trip is such an invaluable experience.
The vastness and diversity of Australia is best appreciated not by plane-hopping between cities and popular beach destinations, but by driving… and driving… and driving. And, of course, making plenty of stops on the way!
We took our three kids, aged 9, 7, and 5, out of school for a term, hitched a camper trailer to our car, and hit the road with only a rough plan of where we were heading. For three months, we averaged 200km per day (though this tended to be a big hop of 600km every three… Read the rest