It's moments like these

WHITSUNDAYS, QUEENSLAND: This was the best of the best. Living for 17 days on a 36-foot hired catamaran - with no sailing experience! - conquering the same seas as Captain Cook, all those years ago. We learned how to sail on the fly, barbecued freshly caught fish off the back of the boat at sunset, snorkelled and island hopped without the crowds. One especially fond moment: watching my two coddled city boys - aged 10 and 12 - fang around on the dinghy like old salties. I'm still blown away that someone let us hire one of their beautiful boats and just sail it willy-nilly. ccy.com.au

SA OUTBACK: Our route was a figure of eight, exploring the world's best reef, oldest rainforest, most spiritual desert. What a country to traverse, regularly off-road, hot wind blowing in my face, road trip playlist belting out tunes that never got old. The hours of driving were truly special and it's the meditative long and dusty drives - feet on the dash, face to the sun, the stunning popsicle-coloured skies slowly giving way to so many stars - that I remember most. To drive it was to feel the soul of Australia deep within. One day, driving from the SA outback to the coast, we came across an emu going for a jog, shaking his tail feathers as he raced our truck. A hilarious moment to treasure forever. southaustralia.com

CEDUNA, SA: A long walk at sunrise was how I began most days. The sun slipped over the dunes or through the trees, hermit crabs or lizards scurried underfoot, birds plummeted to the sea or ground for fish or worms. Walking barefoot and unhurried, with all sense of time long lost, was the most soul-nourishing way to experience this diverse land. One morning, strolling the pier of Ceduna, as we prepared to cross the Nullarbor, the boys and I spied a dead seal floating in the sea. No, not dead, sleeping! The snoozy seal floated backwards and forwards on the waves, thoroughly thrilling us all. cedunatourism.com.au

KARIJINI, WA: One wonderful night, at the end of a rocky road, surrounded by cliffs and canyons and red dirt and old gums, in the middle of a dusty caravan park, we fell in love with the night sky. Phil Witt is a passionate star aficionado who lives to help travellers get to know the galaxy - in the desert of Karijini National Park, under trillions of stars. There are more stars in the universe, we learnt, than grains of sand on Earth. We made pictures of ancient Greek legends out of twinkling stars then looked through telescopes to see that they weren't single stars but millions of them invisible to the naked eye. Spellbound, we got up close and personal with the moon, taking photos and looking at the sea of tranquillity. exploreparks.dbca.wa.gov.au; remtrek.com.au

COOBER PEDY, SA: We camped on gorges, clifftops, beaches, salt lakes; by state border signs, ancient rocks and even more ancient lava tubes and at a plethora of caravan parks, action-packed with water slides, putt-putt golf and roaming coffee vans. But living below ground was something special. On impulse, we booked an underground B&B in Coober Pedy. Many of the buildings and shops here - even churches - are underground to protect people from driving dust and searing heat. Staying here and exploring this fascinating and friendly mining town is something we won't forget. cooberpedydugoutbnb.com.au

CRYSTAL CREEK, QUEENSLAND: Just north of Townsville, we stopped for a rest and accidentally stumbled into a picture-book oasis, complete with long natural waterslides better than any fun park. Think smooth polished grey-pink rocks, clear rushing water and a big satisfying plop into a pool at the end. parks.des.qld.gov.au

ULURU, NT: Rediscovering the joy of bike riding - something I hadn't done since I discovered discos and dresses - was thrilling. So much so, that when all our bikes were stolen one ghastly night in my least favourite stop, we searched up "Brisbane's cheapest bikes" and went to a shop by that very name, that morning, for some more. Which meant that by the time our transformative, spiritual, eye-opening trip to Uluru rolled around, we were ready to cycle all around that very special special rock. I've done it by camel, helicopter and foot (I drew the line at segway) and reckon bike tops them all. northernterritory.com

ATHERTON, QUEENSLAND: One of the most idyllic days was spent exploring the Atherton Farm Loops Bike Trail in Far North Queensland, feeling like the Aussie Von Trapp family cycling by never-ending avocado, sugar cane, corn and banana plantations and stopping at roadside stalls for fruity pleasures. Just us, with these lush smells, sights and sounds all to ourselves. athertontablelands.com.au

CHINCHILLA, QUEENSLAND: Before we left on the trip: there were only a couple of things we planned as we wanted to be as spontaneous as possible. But the Chinchilla Melon Festival was non-negotiable. And seeing the boys slipping and sliding - and laughing, so much laughing - on a sticky watermelon-covered tarp as we competed in the family-wrestling competition surpassed even my own extremely high expectations. westerndownsqueensland.com.au

LINDEMAN ISLAND, QUEENSLAND: It was a fascinating experience exploring this formerly fabulous Club Med resort, which closed a decade ago. As though an entire community of glamorous people had suddenly downed tools in the middle of a party, deck chairs piled up alongside an abandoned piano, discarded tinsel, snapped karaoke discs, even a fallen dusty disco ball and a large fancy coffee machine. There was also a cool bush walk, past the ghost hotel rooms, fallen tennis courts and overgrown airport runway and up through a forest to the top of the island: about 7km, with the most stunning views. The island is currently for sale: all yours for a cool $20 million.