Program 444: Urban Australia; Epic Family Road Trip; Nordic Cousins

Get an inside look at the mostly friendly rivalries between Sweden and Norway. Then hear from a family midway through their epic drive across North America, who stop by to share tips for making a long road trip fun for everyone. And listen in as we explore Australia's urbanized east coast and venture into the rural heart of the country-music scene Down Under.

• David Willett, tour guide based in Australia
• Travel writer Christopher Elliott and family
• Håkan Frändén, tour guide based in Stockholm
• Pål Johansen, tour guide based in Oslo

• Australia resident David Willett also specializes in historical tours of Greece.
• David Willett has been a contributing writer for Lonely Planet guidebooks to Australia.
• Redfern is a neighborhood of Sydney that has historically been the heart of Australia's urban Aboriginal population.
• Redfern Now is the first drama series written, directed, and produced by indigenous Australians, and has been airing on Australia's ABC television network.
• This site offers a guide to the ferries and public transportation options around greater Sydney Harbour.
• You can swim with a platypus at the Healesville Sanctuary.
• The New England Highway connects inland Queensland with New South Wales.
• Here's a guide to rural Tamworth, New South Wales, which is known as the heart of Australia's country music industry.
• Christopher Elliott writes the "Insider" column for National Geographic Traveler. His Elliott.org website hosts a travelers' consumer help forum online.
• Kari Hugueto posted blog reports from their road trip at Away Is Home.
• Here's a map of the Elliott family's "epic road trip" itinerary, which they took in August and September, 2015.
• The Elliott family used online accommodation rental guides, such as AirBnB, Home Away, VRBO, and Vacation Rentals.
• Here's a phone video of Rick's Georgian dinner in St. Petersburg, Russia.