We were a crew of four, with our son Richard in charge with his wife Linda navigating. Pat and I were very definitely unqualified crew members. We carried three sails, all of which were used at different times but never on passage. Our prime means of propulsion was a 6 cylinder, 4∙2 litre, diesel. We carried 135 litres of fuel and 35 litres of water, and topped up our tanks whenever opportunities arose. In the same way, we were limited on the quantity of stores we could stow and replenished at various stopovers. In addition we carried two tents, one large and one small (the larger of the two reserved for the senior members of the crew), four folding armchairs, two folding tables, a single burner methylated spirits stove, a 12 volt refrigerator, GPS, a seriously large shovel, a very substantial jack, a sailboard and the three sails (kites) mentioned above. With all our personal kit, sleeping bags, mattresses and warm clothes we were fully loaded, and the all up displacement must have been at least 2∙5 tons.

Time to come clean and admit that our conveyance was a Toyota Land Cruiser, with some modifications to the suspension, a snorkel for high level induction, long range tanks and additional battery capacity. In addition it was fitted with a compressor capable of restoring tyre pressures when these had been lowered to 15 psi for negotiating soft sand. The elevated saloon provided excellent vision, except astern which was blocked by accumulated dunnage. We stopped at eight different anchorages for our fourteen nights away, sometimes in campsites (the land equivalent of marinas), but on many occasions in bush sites miles from anyone else. On nine nights we cooked on roaring camp fires and sat round them enjoying their warmth. The majority of our time was spent on the south coast of Australia, where the onshore winds come in off the Southern Ocean with a temperature to match. On our coldest night the thermometer dropped to 4° C.

We travelled over all standards of roads and tracks. It was my turn to drive when we came to Australia’s longest straight road. For 90 boring miles the GPS read a constant and unerring 080° as I held a constant speed of 105 kph and the road never deviated by a fraction of a degree. On this road there was traffic, light by UK standards, but as everyone was travelling at the same speed one was never conscious of any others going in the same direction. Away from the highways we might drive for 200 kms and see no other vehicle. We would fly along on smooth packed gravel, but ultimately we would find a sign that said 4WD only and the track would degenerate into an uneven, narrow, rutted obstacle course. This would alternate between bare rock, sand, gravel and mud, and we would all defer to Richard, the number one helmsman for such demanding conditions. Richard has one remarkable ability and here we come to the reference to pink Fairies. He can be driving along in conditions that require a high level of attention and at the same time spot an orchid, such as a Pink Fairy, in the offside verge. His sharp eyes were generally the first to spot birds of prey, roos, and emus.

We made this trip in the first half of November, the Australian spring. It had been planned especially to coincide with the emergence of the wild flowers which are such a delightful feature of southwestern Australia at that time of year. They were a delight, and the search for orchids was an occupation that involved us all. Australian orchids are generally very small and dainty, and in the course of our travels we found seven different varieties including the Pink Fairy and the Purple Enamel.

 Whenever there was a strong enough onshore breeze we would find a beach and Richard would rig his kite and board and take off out through the surf. For 45 minutes or so he would enjoy the most exhilarating ride in and out over the breaking seas and we would walk along the gorgeous sands, generally in splendid isolation. The beaches of southwest Australia are quite magnificent, with gleaming white sand stretching sometimes as far as the eye can see. To take a short cut into Esperance we drove for 40 kms along the beach and saw no other soul or vehicle on the way.

We visited Esperance, Albany and Cape Leeuwin, which brought back memories of our passage south of Australia in Blackjack in 1993, albeit in April when the highs are further south and the winds less fresh and more easterly.

Australia has fine wines, affordable steak and, in the southwest, attractive farming country. However, when the temperatures are other than cool the flies are, so to speak, in the ointment and have to be endured. Pat and I soon developed the Australian wave. Finally a tribute to our vehicle which, despite 130,000 kms on the clock, carried us without hesitation, sometimes over terrain and through rivers which a lesser product would not have survived.

It was a most enjoyable cruise, a totally new experience, and has given us great memories for the dark evenings of the rest of the English winter.