Aussie Trip Details Shaping Up

I've been a bit anxious about our first few nights and our first month of house rental. I noticed that despite the autumn temperatures some of the places were booking up. Thus I rented the house and set up our first six nights of camping.

Our first two nights are in Norah Head, near Soldier's Beach. It's about two hours north of Sydney:
 
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Soldier's Beach - Photo by Michael, 2009

Norah Head Lighthouse

Then we're off to the most expensive campsites in the whole trip. Seal Rocks is an idyllic little beach and they charge accordingly. Two nights in a beachfront camper site is $110 (AUD)! Still, check out the map and photos:

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Seal Rocks Camping Preserve

Seal Rocks with Treachery Beach in Background

Next we're off for two nights at Sandbar and Bushland Holiday Park. Sandbar Beach is a gorgeous sandspit backed by coastal forest. The campsites are back in the trees and there's an wooden, elevated bush trail through a small swamp and coastal forest to the massive sand spit beach and headland. There's a major lake behind the sand spit and lots of national park in all of these areas. Note that if you click on the "View Larger Map" button below there is the option to look at "Street View." Amazingly, this will show you the exact location in the trees on a dirt road where Shane and I camped in July 2009! I want to be the guy that drives the Street View photo van. They go EVERYWHERE! Anyway, at the end of that dirt road (rotate the Street View around) is where the walkway begins.

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Photo I took of Sandbar Beach from the Headland, 2009

At this point, we'll be really getting into Autumn and into less crowded areas so we're not making any more reservations. We're going to play it by ear. We may go inland towards the Hunter Valley and small towns or we may continue up the coast to places like Boomerang Beach, Blueys, or Port Macquarie. 

Note that if you zoom in and out on the various maps above (easier if you click on the "View Larger Map" link) you'll get a good sense of how limited coastal development still is in this part of the world.

To an American, these places seem remarkably empty. Now, if only the Australian housing market would finally collapse and the U.S. dollar strengthen. These are places where I would readily purchase a second home, if the price was right. Unfortunately, because of the Oz housing bubble and our falling currency, the price is about as wrong as it can be right now. Back in 2001 when I first visited Australia, the price was as good as it's going to ever get, but I had a new job, no money, and lots of debt. Alas, there's always the future. These graphs should help to make the point clear.

Aussie and US home values adjusted for inflation back to 1975.
Their bubble is bigger and has yet to pop! 

Since 2001, the US dollar has fallen by half relative
to AUD.

US and Aussie House Values Relative to Average Incomes

I may be waiting a while to buy that Aussie retirement home. My guess is that 2025 will be a good time to buy in Australia. That's about when their bubble will have finally deflated - or not. For all I know China will keep growing and Australia will continue to get richer on average while we continue to give all income gains to "job creators." In that case, I'd never get the Aussie beach house. That's OK, it's easier to rent.