Edinburgh man's 20,000-mile epic journey from Scotland to Australia by land and sea
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Already settling into life down under, Liam Cavanagh, 42, completed his epic Perth to Perth challenge in November, arriving at his destination on St Andrew’s Day to be greeted by the city’s Lord Mayor.
An employee of National Records of Scotland, and the son of former Edinburgh councillor Brian Cavanagh, he is about to begin studying for new qualifications in IT.
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Hide AdHaving grown up in Corstorphine, Liam believes it was his experience of the Edinburgh International Festival that inspired his fascination with different cultures and the wider world.
Frequent visits to Edinburgh’s coast at Cramond, Leith and nearby South Queensferry, also sparked an interest in sea travel, leading him to cross both the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans.
Liam said: “I travelled from Perth in Scotland to Perth in Australia entirely by land and sea, a distance of more than 20,000 miles. With my journey taking two and a half months, it was kind of ‘halfway around the world in 80 days’.
“I visited 10 countries, 14 US states, and around 30 destinations along the way – encountering hurricanes, choppy sea, desert and multiple time zones. It was an amazing adventure for someone that is neither a young backpacker or a retiree.”
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Hide AdTrue to his Scottish roots, highlights of the journey for Liam included visits to Glasgow Montana in America, the home of Edinburgh-born writer Robert Louis Stevenson in Samoa and New Caledonia in the Pacific.
“While I haven’t found an Edinburgh in Perth, Perth will be putting on its own International Arts Festival in February, much like our own but without the Tattoo,” he continued.“Throughout my travels, from big cities to the remotest town or island, I’ve been surprised and proud by how many people knew of or had even been to my home city. For my next world trip, I’ll set off from Edinburgh, if I can find an equivalent in the new world.”
The full story of his adventure can be found on his blog at perth2perth.substack.com.
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