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David Bentley, an Aussie friend who my wife, Gail, and I knew all the way back in the early 1970s when we were living in Tasmania, is a resident of Queensland and a 4WD freak. He recently completed an arduous, coast-to-coast journey solo from northeastern Australia to the far southwest in his faithful Troopy, a rather rare, long-wheelbase, diesel-engine, 78 Series Toyota Land Cruiser known as a Troop Carrier.

As David’s colorful, slang- and wit-filled reports from the road began to arrive, I felt compelled to share his mind-boggling adventure with our globetrotting readers. This 3-part article is edited from his reports. — Randy Keck

Days 1-2 (May 7-8, 2018) — My much-anticipated trip across the centre of Australia via the Simpson Desert and the Canning Stock Route is finally under way from my home in Mooloolaba, Queensland. My wife, Jane, had planned to be with me for the whole trip, but she couldn’t get leave from her job, so I’m on my own until Perth.

The drive from Mooloolaba, on the Sunshine Coast two hours north of Brisbane, to Roma, 500-plus kms westward, was relaxed and uneventful except for heaps of roadwork on the Warrego Highway.

It was at the Ireland School of Falconry (just outside of Cong, north of Galway), where a great guide took our tour group on a "hawk walk." For about an hour, we wandered through the enchanting grounds of Ashford Castle, with our guide sporting a Harris hawk on his forearm. After learning about falconry, each person in our group got an opportunity to toss and catch a bird on his or her arm. With each toss, the glove was rotated to the next person and the guide tucked a little chicken meat in the padded palm -- and the hawk knew just where to return. The experience was both intimate and intense.

Within Stratford's compact old town, you can walk easily to most sights. The River Avon, which flows right through town, has an idyllic yet playful feel, with rowboats and swans; there's also an old, one-man, crank-powered ferry just beyond the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. If you'll ever enjoy a Shakespeare performance, it'll be here; even if you flunked English Lit.

The prime sight in town is Shakespeare's Birthplace, a half-timbered Elizabethan building where the playwright grew up. This is also the house where Shakespeare and his bride, Anne Hathaway, began their married life together. I have to admit that I find the birthplace itself a bit underwhelming. It's as if millions of visitors have rubbed it clean of anything authentic. Still, the house makes for a good introduction to the Bard, largely thanks to its entertaining modern exhibit (which you see at the start of your visit) and the helpful, well-versed (and often costumed) docents. With some imagination you might get the sense that Shakespeare's ghost still haunts these halls.

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Dear Globetrotter:

Welcome to the 509th issue of your monthly foreign-travel magazine.

Borneo is the world’s only island divided between three countries: Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia.