OverlandSphere
Overland Travel, Expedition & Adventure Information for 4x4, motorcycle and truck overlanders
Trip Start: 2010-06-04 Trip End: 2015-08-31 .
22nd November Carnarvon Gorge We leave Emerald and make the drive to Carnarvon Gorge driving along the A7 65km south to Springsure then another 70 km east to Rolleston along the Great Inland Way. From here it is a further 61km south to the Carnarvon turnoff. Plumes of smoke from bush fires appear on the horizon and we hope it…
9th November Wanting to explore historic Cooktown to the north of Cairns, we drive via the scenic 33km off-road Bloomfield Track through the pristine Daintree forest. The track was the scene of major confrontation with conservationists in the 1980’s who opposed the development, however the track was completed within three weeks. We had hoped to turn off onto the Crebb…
10th -15th October Sydney Flying from Cairns to Sydney we have a five day whistle stop tour of the clean and compact city, the capital in terms of culture and finance. We manage to find an amazing deal at a 5 star hotel in Circular Quay at half the price of a hostel! Luxurious, complete with a huge balcony and…
26th September The Savannah Way The epic Savannah Way stretches from coast to coast, from Broome in Western Australia to Cairns in Queensland through the heart of the outback. The rugged outback adventure takes us from Darwin to Cairns, driving 2700kms, and takes just over four days. A month on, given the torrential rain, it is likely some of these…
24th September Katherine We finally leave Darwin and drive the 350kms south to Katherine along fast and barren highways arriving four hours later. The temperature hits 39C. The road trains that share the highways are humongous, each time they come past, the car is sucked towards them. We see one ahead of us snaking dangerously on the road, so much…
One flat tyre, a new radiator, two gear box solenoids, a new brake master cylinder, around 100 tanks of fuel, 1000s of hours driving, 36,000 miles (58,000km), 31 countries and 461 days on the road later, we have made it to Australia! We have now joined the small club of people who have successfully driven from the UK to Oz…
29th August Timor Leste History The Portuguese first arrived in Timor in the 16th century, with the Dutch following 50 years later, both with a vested interest in the trade of sandalwood and timber. The two powers were to compete for Timor over the next three centuries. After various conflicts for control, by the mid 19th century, Timor was split…
West Timor 27th August Kupang Arriving in West Timor 16 hours later at 7am in the early morning haze, a search for a hotel begins in the capital, Kupang. We were befriended by an Indonesian man the previous day who we had met at the port. He had been living in Europe for a number of years, and also had…
Flores 21st August We relax in Labuanbajo, in a modern cafe overlooking the bay, with a delicious vegetable pizza and some iced tea. Located on the far west coast line, it’s billed as Flores’ next big tourist destination, probably a result of its setting within a stunning bay and also with the proximity of Komodo and Rinca, it has great…
2nd August We leave Manado early and head to Gorontalo, to catch the ferry to the Togean Islands. We had two choices for our return journey, drive 750miles all the way back round, or pay for the car ferry which would firstly drop us in Wakai on the Togeans and then another ferry on to Ampana on the mainland. There…
Northern Sulawesi 22nd July We decide to drive to the top of Sulawesi, Manado and visit the Togean Islands on the way back down. It is a mammoth 750 miles from Ampana to Manado. On route we stop at a Toyota garage in Poso, where we have the tracking realigned. It was probably knocked out around 600miles ago and so…
15th July Pantai Bira As soon as we leave the port, there are numerous calls of ‘Hello Mister!’ as we pass people on the roadside, and we wonder if we will be given even more attention here than everywhere else. We pay a 5000Rp fee at the toll booth before being allowed into town. A lot of places are full…
Lombok Part 2 5-6th July Senggigi We say goodbye to the tranquil Gili islands, speeding past all three on the way back to Lombok and make the short drive to Sengiggi. We go to Windy Cottages, but arrive to find they are full, so head into town instead. Later we take a walk to the beach just in time for…
Lombok 21st June The ferry docks at Lembar in the south west of the island. We immediately drive north to Bangsal, the jumping off point for the Gili Islands via Matram, the capital; the drive is under an hour taking us up over monkey lined mountain roads. Around every corner there’s a troop of monkeys just waiting for their opportunity…
Bali We arrive in Bali, also known as the “Island of the Gods”, due to the 20,000 Hindu temples that are scattered around the island. The island is small in comparison to Sumatra and Java, a mere 95 miles wide and 69 miles north to south, which allows us to visit its many sights at a leisurely pace. Bali’s population…
Java Landing in Java, the most developed island in Indonesia, the country’s political and economical powerhouse, and the core of the colonial Dutch East Indies, we will spend a couple of days in Jakarta before heading east to Mount Bromo, one of the most active of the forty smoking volcanoes found in Java. Formed mostly by a series of volcanic…
9th May Bukittinggi Martin wakes up early and heads into town to try and find a guide. On route he stops at a mobile phone shop to pick up a 3G sim card; the shop owner kindly takes him to D&J’s cafe where he meets up with a guide. At 930 metres above sea level, Bukkitinggi is dominated by three…
We arrive in Sumatra, Indonesia, famed for its rainforests, wild orangutans, tigers, and rhino, in addition to its beautiful beaches, volcanoes, and lakes. Sumatra has an area of 163,557 square miles (423,611 km2) and is about 1,050 miles (1,690 km) long and up to 250 miles (400 km) wide. It is the sixth largest island in the world by area,…
Bangkok 7th -9th April Back in Thailand again, we intend to travel down the east coast after a stop in Bangkok, a three and a half hour drive from the Cambodian border. Or so we think…just three miles away from our hotel, we are stuck in a massive traffic jam, making the fatal mistake of going over the underpass instead…
1st April Cambodia, our 26th, is a country which conjures up conflicting images of magnificent wats, iconic Angkor Wat, Khmer Rouge atrocities, poverty and corruption, and with a history unlike any other, we can’t wait to explore. As Cambodia emerges from a long period of civil and political instability, it is beginning to heal from a devastating recent history; the…
LAOS 22nd March We wake in Laos, a country which is said to be one of the 20th poorest in the world, a stark contrast to Thailand just a few hundred metres across the river. Despite this, trade in recent years with China, and the influx of tourism, which accounts for a large proportion of revenue, is bringing change and…
18th March We wake to find the skies are still overcast, but decide to head out to the Sukhothai historical park, the walled old capital city of Siam. It is filled with ancient Wats dating back to the mid 13th century and remains of the old Kingdom. The dynasty lasted for 200 years and a great civilization was formed in…
Malaysia Kuala Lumpur 18th to 28th February Landing in KL International in the early morning, we are distinctly aware that we are not in India anymore. Everything seems new and modern, shops lined up in neat rows alongside an array of eateries, and we haven’t even left the airport yet! There is a coach leaving soon for Chinatown, which our…
India Part 6 Kerala & Tamil Nadu 1st February We have a day off and spend the day relaxing in the guest house, catching up on writing and organising our plans for the next couple of weeks. Our original plan was to drive south as far as the tip of India, Cape Comorin, from where we would drive up the…
24th January Southern Goa We re-start our Overland Adventure, leaving family behind and head to Goa’s southern beaches for a few days of rest and relaxation. The journey to Agonda beach does not take long. As we arrive we head straight to the camp we had found earlier at the end of the beach. Today there is no guard on…
India Part 4 GOA 2011 Family Visits and Weddings 1st January 2011 We wake up to 2011 on a serene Goan beach. Martin wakes up with a hangover and spends the day in bed! I decide to go out for a long walk along the beach towards the centre of town and go shopping, taking advantage of being on my…
India Part 3 GOA 2010 We arrive in Goa, and drive towards Baga, the party region of Goa, where we find a small guest house in secluded woods just back from the beach between Candolim and Calangute. We go to Brittos, a well known restaurant on Baga beach, where we have fresh fish and tandoori chicken. After dinner we…
INDIA Part 2 Rajasthan 10th December 2010 We leave Agra early to start our journey to Pushkar. The road is quiet and feels more like a country road in England, flanked by green fields and small villages. The road seems to be smaller than the national highway we were expecting but we are not too fussed even if we are…
INDIA Part 1 – The North Amritsar The road past the border is smooth and surprisingly quiet. We stop at the Grand Hotel, a basic but relatively cheap hotel. Since Martin had not had any beer since leaving China about a month ago, we decide to sit in the garden conservatory and have a small snack and a few Kingfisher…
Islamabad to Waga 22nd November It is a 70 mile journey from Abbottobad. In 1961 the capital was moved from Karachi to Islamabad. We arrive in Islamabad and on our way into town we stop at Toyota to book the car in for a service and to diagnose the intermittent gear box problems we are having. At first the service…