Title: Should I “Go Walkabout” in Australia: A Motorhome Adventure
Author: John Timms
Publisher: AuthorHouseUk
ISBN: 1524683000
Pages: 214
Genre: Travel / Non-Fiction
Reviewed By: Dan MacIntosh

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Although John Timms is listed as the author for Should I “Go Walkabout” in Australia: A Motorhome Adventure, this travelogue is actually his late wife, Lisa’s, story. It’s taken from her diary and written from a decidedly feminine perspective. In fact, John Timms is one of many characters in this tale, and a relatively minor one at that at times. If you’ve ever wanted to experience Australia, traveling from Currumbin to Melbourne, with many stops in between, this first-hand account will take you there.

This journey plays out the way it might feel like in your dreams. John and Lisa travel from scenic site to scenic site and do so at a leisurely pace. By taking a motorhome, these two are literally in the driver’s seat. No sightseeing at the mercy of any strict travel plan. No long plane trips or initial trips just to reach the vacation destination. When time doesn’t matter, one can stay at favorite destinations for more than the planned allotted time. And these two do just that. You get to see what you want to see, for as long as you want to see it.

Yes, John Timms is many times a ‘character’ in this book, but so are the couple’s two dogs. Again and again, locales are described by how much or how little the dogs enjoyed a particular spot, just as with the humans. Although the author doesn’t come right out and say it, these animals are an essential part of this traveling family. If dogs aren’t allowed somewhere, well, that somewhere doesn’t get on the road itinerary.

While shopping trips are worked into the overall story, this is mostly a book about nature. Beaches and other bodies of water take up a goodly part of the writer’s attention. Ironically John and Lisa don’t strike one as particularly avid swimmers. Nevertheless, scenes – especially from along the coast – are described over and over again.

There are pictures that accompany theses road tales – mainly at the beginning of each chapter – but this is by no means a photo journal. Instead, it is a written work, primarily. Along the way, we get to know a little about Lisa. For instance — and this contrasts with many other such travel books — Lisa expresses misgivings about traveling so much. When it rains too much, she writes about how much she hates being away from home in the midst of bad weather. She also whines (just a bit) when she can’t get good TV reception. Most travel works suggest that the road life is the best life, without any serious downside. Not always for Lisa, though.

One noteworthy entry finds Lisa wondering aloud about how we don’t always realize we’re enjoying life in the moment. We may not be aware just how good an experience was until after, many times long after we’ve experienced it. Such are much more philosophical musings than mere travel stories. It is one big clue that this came from a day-to-day diary about Lisa’s life; one that just happened to be entered during a tourist trek.

Ultimately, these thoughts make this book both unusual and special. It gives the writing perspective, Lisa’s individualistic perspective, that is. In fact, it’s as much about her and her life, as it is about the places she visited. Sure, you can read about travels around Australia, but you’ll never see it quite the same way as this book describes it. Of course, it could never be as good as seeing these places with your own eyes. No travel book could ever take the place of personal experience. Ultimately, though, by writing it all down, the author did go that extra distance – so to speak – to be self-aware of some memorable experiences while they were happening in real time. And that in itself makes this book special.