Grand quest to find Australia's 10 quirkiest letterboxes

Guest blogger Jacqui Kennedy is an adventurous soul who for the past year has been riding a ‘postie bike’ 25,000 kilometres around Australia. Here she shares her favourite experiences on the road – and her love of the iconic Australian letterboxes…

Having spent many years touring on scooters to unlikely places, including the Swiss Alps, people kept telling me to “get a real bike" – so I did.

I bought a CT110 ‘Postie Bike’ and called him Mo – top speed 80km/h when unloaded but as I’ve never subscribed to the less-is-best method of packing, he is an underpowered, overloaded little beast which steers like a washing machine. Did I mention that I like a challenge?

I like pushing the envelope and ‘tilting at windmills’. I like to encourage people to exit their comfort zones and not become the victim of media and marketing propaganda. You don’t need a big bike and a lot of money to have an awesome adventure.

I am an adventure travel junkie. I have been feeding my habit by taking Mo 25,000km on a wonky kind of figure 8 from New South Wales, through Victoria, around Tasmania, up South Australia through the Red Centre to Northern Territory and then down the west coast of Western Australia. I am now half way round with the Nullarbor and Queensland calling. Another year on the road should complete the journey.

Mo has a mischievous nature – he gate-crashed a wedding at the Big Lobster; he’s done a lap of the Mount Panorama race circuit; he got his butt kicked by Mother Nature on the Oodnadatta Track, where we were stranded for 6 days; he blushed with embarrassment when I went naked at the Pinnacles and scared the Japanese tourists; and he upstaged Will and Kate at the Big Rock.

The beauty about a slow lap around the Great Aussie Block is that you get to stop and see more than just the endless ribbons of bitumen. The country is littered with unusual signs, funny statues, weird landmarks and of course Big Things.

Most of all though, I like spotting weird and wonderful letterboxes. I love that, without any intention of personal gain, people will spend the time and energy to create something extraordinary out of an everyday object and that they would rarely receive the kudos or see the smiles they bring. They do it “just because" and that’s delightful.

These are the type of people who embrace life; who have interesting stories to tell; who invite you home to share their lives; who infect you with a spirit of mischief. These are my people.

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

Jacqui’s top 10 letterboxes

1. The Piranha: Denmark WA. This one is my favourite because of the work that went into the design. It would make it difficult to deliver bills.

2. Eiffel Tower: Perth WA. This was part of an elaborate farming property entrance with an Eiffel Tower on each side of the gate which read “Beware of the Owner"

3. Gnome House: Mt Buller, Vic. In the base of a tree on the side of the road up to Mt Buller lives a little gnome family with a little gnome letterbox. We left our calling card.

4. Mini House: Penguin Rd, Tasmania. A letterbox built in the same style as the house.

5. The Still: Wilmot Tasmania. About 50 elaborate letterboxes adorn the roadside into and out of Wilmot as a tourist drawcard. The whole town seems to compete for the funkiest box.

6. The Spider: Wisemans Ferry NSW. Never mind the spider on the dunny seat

7. Pork Plane: Deloraine, Tasmania. Pigs might fly on this letterbox.

8. Ned Lives: Spencer, NSW. Such is Life – Ned Kelly features quite frequently all over Australia. I have at least 6 in my collection.

9. Colours by numbers: Sprent, Tasmania. This group of boxes hints of a tightknit community in the mountains near Forth. Each box has the lot number – except the purple box, which simply says “Justin Case".

10. The Embassy: Canberra, ACT. This might just be the most important letterbox – outside the Aboriginal Embassy on the lawns opposite old Parliament House.

You can keep up with Jacqui at her blog Postie Notes.

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Slow down and find your rhythm on a Murray River journey through time and place.

Trust is a funny thing. It seems not that long ago that my mother was insisting on pouring the milk into my cereal bowl, because she didn’t trust me not to slosh it over the table, and yet here I am on the Murray River at Mildura in far north-west Victoria, being handed the keys to a very new and very expensive luxury houseboat.

After a crash course in how not to crash, I’m at the wheel of the good ship Elevate – pride of the All Seasons fleet – guiding her upstream past red-ochre cliffs as pelicans glide above the rippled river and kookaburras call from reedy banks. There’s a brief moment of breath-holding while I negotiate a hairpin turn around a jagged reef of skeletal, submerged gum trees, before a cheer rings out and calm descends as the timeless river unfurls in front of us.

The Murray River winding through Yarrawonga. (Image: Rob Blackburn)

Setting sail from Mildura

Murray River birds — Home to a large number of bird species, including pelicans. (Image: The Precint Studios)

A journey along the Murray River is never less than magical, and launching from Mildura makes perfect sense. Up here the river is wide and largely empty, giving novice skippers like myself the confidence to nudge the 60-tonne houseboat up to the riverbank where we tie up for the night, without fear of shattering the glass elevator (the boat is fully wheelchair accessible) or spilling our Champagne.

My friends and I spend three days on the water, swimming and fishing, sitting around campfires onshore at night, and basking in air so warm you’d swear you were in the tropics. The simplicity of river life reveals an interesting dichotomy: we feel disconnected from the world but at the same time connected to Country, privileged to be part of something so ancient and special.

Stop one: Echuca

19th-century paddlesteamers — A historic 19th-century paddlesteamer cruises along the Murray River. (Image: Visit Victoria)

The six-hour drive from Melbourne to Mildura (or four hours and 20 minutes from Adelaide) is more than worth it, but you don’t have to travel that far to find fun on the river. Once Australia’s largest inland port, Echuca is the closest point on the Murray to Melbourne (two hours 45 minutes), and you’ll still find a plethora of paddlesteamers tethered to the historic timber wharf, a throwback to the thriving river trade days of the 19th century. The PS Adelaide, built in 1866 and the oldest wooden-hulled paddlesteamer operating in the world, departs daily for one-hour cruises, while a brand-new paddlesteamer, the PS Australian Star, is launching luxury seven-night voyages in December through APT Touring.

The town is also a hot food and wine destination. St Anne’s Winery at the historic Port of Echuca precinct has an incredibly photogenic cellar door, set inside an old carriage builders’ workshop on the wharf and filled with huge, 3000-litre port barrels. The Mill, meanwhile, is a cosy winter spot to sample regional produce as an open fire warms the red-brick walls of this former flour mill.

Stop two: Barmah National Park

Just half-an-hour upstream, Barmah National Park is flourishing, its river red gum landscape (the largest in the world) rebounding magnificently after the recent removal of more than 700 feral horses. The internationally significant Ramsar-listed wetland sits in the heart of Yorta Yorta Country, with Traditional Owners managing the environment in close partnership with Parks Victoria. Walkways weave through the forest, crossing creeks lined with rare or threatened plants, passing remnants of Yorta Yorta oven mounds and numerous scar trees, where the bark was removed to build canoes, containers or shields.

The Dharnya Centre (open weekdays until 3pm) is the cultural hub for the Yorta Yorta. Visitors can learn about the ecological significance of the Barmah Lakes on a 90-minute river cruise, led by a First Nations guide, or take a one-hour, guided cultural walking tour along the Yamyabuc Trail.

Stop three: Cobram

Continue east to Cobram to find the southern hemisphere’s largest inland beach. Swarming with sun-seekers in summer, the white sand of Thompson’s Beach is shaded by majestic river red gums and dotted with hundreds of beach umbrellas, as beachgoers launch all manner of water craft and set up stumps for beach cricket. But the beach is at its most captivating at sunset, when the crowds thin out, the glassy river mirrors the purple sky, and the canopies of the gum trees glow fiery orange.

The region is also home to some fine resorts and indulgent retreats. Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club Resort has two riverside championship golf courses, luxury apartments and self-contained villas. While not strictly on the Murray, the historic wine town of Rutherglen is rife with boutique (and unique) accommodation, including an exquisitely renovated red-brick tower in a French provincial-style castle at Mount Ophir Estate. Fans of fortified wines can unravel the mystery of Rutherglen’s ‘Muscat Mile’, meeting the vignerons and master-blenders whose artistry has put the town on the global map for this rich and complex wine style.

Stop four: Albury-Wodonga

First Nations YindyamarraSculpture Walk — First Nations Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk is part of the Wagirra Trail. (Image: Carmen Zammit)

Follow the river far enough upstream and you’ll arrive at the twin border cities of Albury-Wodonga. The Hume Highway thunders through, but serenity can be found along the five-kilometre Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk – part of the Wagirra Trail that meanders through river wetlands just west of Albury in Wiradjuri country. Fifteen sculptures by local First Nations artists line the trail, conveying stories of reconciliation, enduring connection to culture, local Milawa lore and traditional practices. It feels a long way from Mildura, and it is, but the pelicans and kookaburras remind us that it’s the same river, the great conduit that connects our country.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

New Mildura motel Kar-rama. (Image: Iain Bond Photo)

Kar-Rama is a brand-new boutique, retro-styled motel in Mildura, with a butterfly-shaped pool and a tropical, Palm Springs vibe. Echuca Holiday Homes has a range of high-end accommodation options, both on the riverfront and in town.

Playing there

BruceMunro’s Trail of Lights in Mildura — Bruce Munro’s Trail of Lights in Mildura. (Image: Imogen Eveson)

Artist Bruce Munro’s Trail of Lights installation, comprising more than 12,000 illuminated ‘fireflies’, is currently lighting up Mildura’s Lock Island in the middle of the Murray. Murray Art Museum Albury (MAMA) is a hub for contemporary art, with a rotating roster of exhibitions, and is a major outlet for young and First Nations artists.

Eating there

Mildura’s diverse demographic means it’s a fantastic place to eat. Andy’s Kitchen is a local favourite, serving up delicious pan-Asian dishes and creative cocktails in a Balinese-style garden setting. Call in to Spoons Riverside in Swan Hill to enjoy locally sourced, seasonal produce in a tranquil setting overlooking the river.