“Do you have a favourite holiday destination?” Fellow travellers often ask us this question.
I’ve been writing travel stories for caravan publications for 14 years now, and I am in my eleventh year of writing exclusively for Caravan World. Every year, Denyse and I travel to different parts of the country. Prior to that I wrote for boating mags, where we sailed up the east coast as far as the Torres Strait Islands and around Cape York. We’ve definitely been lucky enough to visit some amazing places in Australia, both on land and by sea.
As I said, we’re frequently asked about our favourite place. And, wow, what a big question that is.
Three years ago, Caravan World celebrated its 40th anniversary with a series on reader’s favourite destinations, and Denyse and I were part of the judging panel. 40 destinations were listed and all of them received some votes, so you can see what a hard job it is to pick just one place.
But if I had to start somewhere, I’d begin with the fact that we both prefer the warmth to the cold, so our favourite place(s) would be in the north of the country.
We both love Broome — our first trip there was in 1974 when the Cable Beach Caravan Park was actually on the beach. The stunning turquoise, rust red and white scenery of Cape Leveque is a must-see.
Another great place is Darwin in the winter, and we try to get there every few years.
But closer to home is the Daintree and Cooktown area. When I first met Denyse in Cairns in 1973, we spent a lot of time in this area. We even bought a house block in Cooktown and we still get back there every year.
Some of our fondest memories are of staying at the beachfront Pinnacle Village Holiday Park, with its friendly owners and staff. We look forward to waking up to the melodic call of the orioles along with the sights of tropical vegetation and exotic flowers. We love our daily morning walks along the beach and visits to, and walking in, the cool rainforest of Cape Tribulation. We also enjoy visiting Mossman Gorge and Port Douglas, returning for a swim in the two pools at Pinnacle Village. The whole holiday atmosphere in a warm climate really makes the Daintree our favourite place.
And what about you? Where’s that special place that really stands out for you? What makes it so special to you? Tell us about it here.