I’ve been home now for just over a month and to be honest it’s been more difficult than I was expecting. A lot seems to have changed since I began this adventure.

I still feel a bit disconnected from my family who’ve all got on with their lives while I was away. This is to be expected and we’ve all changed and become less dependent on each other and more focussed on our own goals, which is a good thing, but takes some readjustment nonetheless. Another thing I hadn’t really considered until I returned is reacquainting myself to the complexities and intensity of being back home and in the “big smoke” and all that goes with it which is quite a shock after the escapism, simplicity and freedom of life on the road.

These are unintended consequences and I’m not sure how they’re going to land, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how things work out.

I suppose it was always going to be the case that after the realisation of a 30 year dream, of 2 years preparation and expectation and 15 moths of excitement and adventure. Back to reality was always going to be a challenge but I wasn’t expecting the vacuum I now feel, or the uncertainty about the future, nor the emptiness and need to have something new to get excited about.

I’ve got a few ideas but they are little more than thought bubbles at the moment. In a way I’d like point2pointless to go on forever but it feels like its run its course and whatever I do next needs to be different, after all there can only ever be one first time.

But before I let it go there are a few things I should say:

Many people have asked me which was my favourite lighthouse, which is a bit like asking who you favourite child is. Apart from the usual suspects such as Byron Bay, Cape Otway, Cape Leeuwin and Macquarie it was some of the lesser known lights that impressed me most including the ghostly ruins of Cape St George overlooking Wreck Bay, the ruggedness and tragic history of Sugarloaf Point, the wild and extreme location of Maatsuyker Island or soft beauty of Table Cape in Tasmania, the remoteness of Cape Du Couedic on Kangaroo Island and the desolate isolation of Point Quobba in WA.

But if I had to make a choice it would be Eddystone Point watching over the Bay of Fires in Tasmania’s north east corner. Not only is this a magnificent stone lighthouse with a rich history, it takes some getting to and is located in a wild a beautiful place, and I had it to myself when I visited and stayed overnight – a truely unique and awe inspiring experience.

Similarly, people ask me which place I enjoyed most and agan there are a number of strong candidates including Prince of Wales Island, Bowen, The Bloomfield Track, Mallacoota, the Road to Nowhere on the West Coast of Tasmania, especially Marrawah; Kangaroo Island, the YP, my campsite in the Finke River bed 200 km west of Alice, the Kimberly and Karajini NP, Albany and the Nuallabor.

But again, if I had to choose one it would be one of the first places I stopped, Burketown in the gulf country of outback Queensland, quite possibly because it was my first taste of the outback and I really didn’t know what to expect. It was unlike anything I’d experienced – the power in the emptiness and antiquity was a feeling that seeped into my soul.

Then there were the people I met. The New Friends like Eilis & JY in Burketown; Warren & Quentin at Normanton; Jason at Pajinka; Sam & Greg on Prince of Wales Island; Rhi & Leeam at Platypus Creek; Lloyd & Shelly at Maroochy River; Donna at Huskisson; Roland at Vess; Frenchy & Reinhardt at Mallacoota; Andy on Gabo Island; Mick at Bicheno; Michelle & Mark at the Marrawah Pub; Swazzy at Port Fairy, Bill on KI, LandyAndy in the Alice and again at Daly Waters, Andy, Imogen & Iona who’d taken 12 years to drive from London to Darwin, Helena & Merlin from Germany, Sam & Jason at Katherine; Matty, Jace & Bill at El Questro; Erin in Derby and Dianne at Broome to name a few.

And the Old Friends I managed to reconnect with, like Mandy & Simon (& their grandson Digby who decided to arrive in the World on my first night on the road in Mudgee – what a way to begin); Pixi in Cairns; Michael, Jen & Dylan at Mission Beach; Mary and Jerry in BrisVegas; Wayne & Keree on the Goldie; Steve & Pearl at Lennox; Charlie in Bangalow; Mary & Sarah at Wategos, Doog at Scotts Head; Avril at Tea Gardens; John in Newy; Raj at Berry; Kevin, Kellie, George & Harry at Breezy Brae; Matt at Milton; Drew in Portsea; Howard at Yellingbo; Richard at Thornbury; Sally & Jono in Geelong; Simon & Sacha at Clifton; Geraldine, Richard & Steph in Perth and Mike at Yallingup and special acknowledgement to Geoff whose idea this was originally back in 1994 and to Chris his son and my friend who has encouraged me over many years to find something that I didn’t know I was looking for. There are probably others I may have offended, or saved the embarrassment of, by not naming!

And last but far from least my wonderful family who supported me every step of the way and probably enjoyed having me out of their hair for a while but had to put up with my travellers tales and lighthouse stories ad nauseum!

I’d also like to acknowledge all the people who’ve followed my journey, commented on my posts, corrected my inaccuracies, suggested things to see and other people to meet and encouraged me to keep discovering, which I intend to do.

Thank you one and all, and stay tuned!