With 10 days to go before our flight back to Perth, I compile a to-do list.

• Transfer money to our Australian account
• Generate International Vaccine Certificates
• Complete DPDs – these are Digital Passenger Declarations, a new treat for travellers to and from Australia: complete within one week of travel
• Apply for our G2G passes – readers with good memories will recall these from our initial arrival into WA
• Check requirements for pre-departure and on arrival Covid testing
• Arrange with car and caravan storage for suitable pick up time
• Suspend NZ car rego and insurance
• Investigate travel insurance – more on this later
• Investigate reciprocal health care agreement NZ/Australia
• Advise social security we will be out of the country
• Change our NZ phones to pay-as-you-go – we will get Australian SIMs, but need active NZ numbers for bank transfer codes etc
• Arrange to shut off the power to the apartment
• Suspend my availability for good bitches baking
• Suspend my membership for shutupanddance
• Register on the Safe Travel website
• Get flu vaccinations
• Make an appointment with the doctor to stock up on 6 months worth of prescriptions drugs
• Make a list of what to take – more importantly, what not to forget

Scott’s list

• pack fishing gear

The joys of insurance. If you want to see Scott get fired up about a subject, ask how he likes insurance and insurance companies – then take cover. I’m not sure why it takes us until now to be more discerning about how the various insurances work. If you already have this figured, feel free to be smug: for the rest of you, here’s a heads up if planning a few months overseas now that you can, and actually want to.

We have Southern Cross medical and pay an exorbitant monthly fee, which increases progressively with our age and decrepitude: both happening more quickly than we would like. We wonder, why are we paying our medical insurance which we can’t use while overseas? Aren’t we paying for medical cover as part of travel insurance? Indeed, why are we paying any travel insurance?

A bit of detective work (a five minute internet search) informs me: You can put your Southern Cross membership on hold for overseas travel on 3 separate occasions over the lifetime of your policy, ……. Any single period of suspension must be for a minimum of 2 months, and for no more than 3 years (36 months). So, had we mused about this before our first trip four years ago, we would have saved between $7,000 and $8,000 in payments over the two trips already taken. ARRRGGHHH.

But wait, there’s more. I always take out travel insurance because, well, because. But now, two things: the Landcruiser and caravan are fully insured in Australia, so no need for third party liability etc. Ok, so only medical then. Hang on. What’s all this reciprocal health we hear about? Another intense internet search: If you are a New Zealander visiting Australia: You’re covered for medically necessary inpatient and outpatient care in a public hospital under the Reciprocal Health Care Agreement. Outpatient care doesn’t include visits to a medical practitioner.

So that’s that then.

Two days to go and everything is done except the final packing. Where are we going? Directly to Perth, as that’s where the Landcruiser and caravan are in storage. Assuming everything is in working order we will head south east to Esperance, and Lucky Bay in Cape Le Grand National Park. We are reliably informed it is even more beautiful than Coral Bay, which we find hard to believe, but are willing to investigate. From there it’s back north and west to Coral Bay for more swimming with humpbacks, manta ray, and, this time, whale sharks. Last year we were there too late in the season and the whale sharks had moved on. This year we’re there in late May through early June for three glorious weeks.

The in-between bits are subject to whim and random recommendations from other travellers. The overall plan from Coral Bay is across the top into the Northern Territory to revisit a couple of favourites, including Emma Gorge. It was our initial outback trip from Darwin to Broome (by car, no caravan) in August 2018 that drove our decision to buy a caravan and tour Australia; we were, and continue to be, transfixed by the Australian landscape.

Should you be so inclined you can read about that trip on my old blog here – part one , here – part two Kununurra to the Bungle Bungles, and here – part three Bungle Bungles to Broome and the final part, the amazing Horizontal falls.

While we won’t cover all the same ground, some is inevitable due to lack of alternative routes: we Will not be making the news by getting lost crossing the Great Sandy Desert, or any other desert for that matter. We do plan on travelling down through outback Queensland and NSW, assuming no floods, bush fires, plagues of mice, ant infestations or, less worryingly, Covid.

If we have failed to connect with you in person over the six months since we have been home – apologies. It isn’t personal – I just don’t know where the time goes.

In breaking news – as a big welcome to us, the West Australian Government has announced that from Friday 29th April there is no need for G2G passes, restrictions on gathering numbers have been lifted and there is no mask mandate. Seems they are going the full Boris.

So, bye for now.

sunset over the Indian Ocean