Perpetual travellers always seeking new experiences
When Rob and Lisa Newton exchanged wedding vows 47 years ago, the first thing they did was jump onto a plane and fly to Britain. It was the first of many travel experiences the two would share during their lifetime together.
“We were kindred spirits in that we just love to travel,” said Lisa.
“After our wedding we were bored with our jobs and wanted to live in Spain where we resided for four months with Rob working as a tennis coach and I worked for the Economist magazine. Eventually, we moved back to Britain and then Australia having spent a full 12 months overseas.”
The couple said that their love of travel even delayed them from having a family.
“It was 15 years before we had our son who is now 32,” said Lisa.
Once they had bought a home, had their son and saved up, Rob and Lisa began to travel on a regular basis again.
“We would travel for about three months of the year both overseas and in Australia.”
Even Covid and the purchase of their new home at Amber by Living Gems couldn’t keep the couple stationary for long.
“We spent a fabulous six months prior to moving into Amber on our travels. It included Darwin for ten days, a bus trip around Tasmania and then we hired a motorhome and travelled around the North Island of New Zealand,” said Lisa, who admits to loving history and learning about the attractions and towns they visited.
Eight weeks after they moved into Amber by Living Gems in December last year, the avid travellers were off again on a four-month excursion up to Cooktown and back down Australia’s East Coast.
The couple have travelled so much they have become like a walking encyclopaedia on many destinations including unique places such as Paronella Park at Mena Creek in Queensland and popular tourist spots including Mission Beach, which they described as ‘amazing’.
“There are so many great stories and facts to learn about everywhere we travel, like Paronella Park which opened in 1935 and was the project of Jose Paronella who wanted to build a castle beside Mena Creek Falls. The park also features a picnic area, tennis courts, bridges, a tunnel, and is surrounded by an amazing range of 7500 tropical plants and trees in a lush rainforest. Even the park’s electricity requirements are serviced by its own hydroelectric system which was first established during the 1930s,” said Lisa.
Rob and Lisa are always seeking new experiences.
“While in Darwin we both entered the Cage of Death to dive with the crocodiles at Crocosaurus Cove. We were down with a saltwater crocodile for 15 minutes and it was an awesome experience.”
Wherever they travel, Lisa and Rob, who are keen cyclists, take their electric bikes.
Lisa also enjoys visiting art galleries and museums of towns they are in and has a long list of `favourites’ including the Stockman’s Hall of Fame and Qantas Museum in Longreach.
Winton, known as the home of dinosaurs, was another great destination of the couple.
“The Australian Age of Dinosaurs was so impressive and had full scale models of the prehistoric animals. We were also given a fabulous commentary, went on a walk and were told stories about the dinosaurs which were simply fascinating. It was wonderful,’ said Lisa.
Next on their travel itinerary is a trip south for Christmas with family followed by a flight to Cape Town to board a cruise that will take in Africa, Mauritius, Resolution Island, Egypt, Jordan, Italy and Rome.
