Postcards Home with Emily Darlow

When Boni Maywald was thinking about how to celebrate her husband Peter’s 70th birthday, she decided a dinner or party simply wouldn’t do.

Instead, the Queanbeyan couple set off on an ambitious 30-day journey that would take them across the breadth of Australia, travelling by car, train, plane and bus, and revealing just how vast and diverse the country really is.

Looking back, nearly a decade later, it remains one of Boni’s favourite travel memories.

“In 2017, for my husband’s 70th birthday, I took him on a 30-day criss-cross Oz holiday,” she said.

What followed was a carefully planned itinerary that managed to cover Australia from east to west and north to south, while still leaving room for spontaneity along the way.

The adventure began with a drive from Queanbeyan to Adelaide before the couple boarded the Trans-Australian railway for the journey across the Nullarbor to Perth.

From there, they explored Western Australia, including a day trip to New Norcia, before flying north to Broome. Another highlight followed when they travelled up the Dampier Peninsula aboard a four-wheel-drive bus, taking in one of the country’s most rugged and remote regions.

Their route then continued to Darwin via Kununurra before they boarded The Ghan Expedition for the iconic rail journey south. Along the way they stopped at Kakadu, Alice Springs and Coober Pedy, experiencing some of Australia’s most famous outback landscapes.

The final leg of the trip saw them return to Adelaide before driving through the Coorong and Mount Gambier, where they explored family history connections, then across parts of Victoria including the Great Ocean Road and Tower Hill before eventually returning home.

For Boni, the trip wasn’t defined by a single destination but by a series of discoveries.

“The 30-day holiday was a series of journeys, so there was no one day of arrival, but a series of arrivals at places we’d never seen,” she said.

“The main impression throughout was the great diversity of the land we call Oz.”

That sense of scale remained one of the strongest memories of the trip.

“What surprised us most was the size of the country and its diverse nature, people and landscapes.”

Despite covering thousands of kilometres, Boni and Peter deliberately avoided rushing.

“We relaxed our way through the different places — no hard-coded timeframes. Just did what we wanted when it was available.”

The slower pace gave them the opportunity to enjoy unexpected moments, many of which came from the people they met along the way.

“We had some great unscripted conversations with people we met as we travelled,” Boni recalled.

One encounter was particularly memorable. During the train journey to Perth, the couple unexpectedly crossed paths with one of Peter’s old school friends.
“It was unplanned and a pleasant addition to our journey.”

Travel often delivers surprises, but some stand out more than others. For Boni, one of the most vivid memories remains the journey up the Dampier Peninsula.

“The four-wheel drive and its driver travelling up Dampier Peninsula,” she said. “It was rugged, hard driving managed well by him.”

The couple also found themselves reflecting on how connected Australians can be, even across enormous distances. Travelling during the same year as the Marriage Equality postal survey, they had packed a handful of badges supporting the Yes campaign.

Looking back, Boni wishes they had packed more.

“So many people in remote parts were keen to see them and to vote for this.”

While every stop offered something worthwhile, one destination left a particularly lasting impression.

“If I could relive one exact moment, it would be Tower Hill in Victoria,” Boni said.

The volcanic landscape and its stories proved unexpectedly moving.

“It was completely unknown to us previously and was a revelation to us on Indigenous history and their colonial-era experience.”

Food also played an important role throughout the trip, particularly on Australia’s famous rail journeys.

“The meals on the two train journeys were exceptional,” Boni said.

Yet it wasn’t any one meal, attraction or destination that defined the holiday. Rather, it was the overall experience of travelling through Australia’s varied landscapes and communities.

Asked whether there was a moment when she thought, “This is exactly why I came here,” Boni’s answer was simple.
“Through the whole trip we felt this way.”

For other Starts at 60 readers considering a big Australian adventure of their own, her advice is straightforward.

“Just relax and enjoy the travel experience – don’t sweat the small stuff.”

She also recommends packing light and bringing comfortable layers suitable for Australia’s ever-changing climates.

Nearly a decade on, the memories remain vivid. From crossing the Nullarbor by rail to exploring remote corners of the Kimberley and discovering unexpected stories in regional Victoria, the journey gave Boni and Peter a deeper appreciation for their own country.

Their next trip won’t be quite as ambitious, with plans to return to South Australia later this year for extended family events, but after seeing Australia from so many different angles, they know some of the best adventures can still be found close to home.