The Photographer Whose Life Is an Endless Road Trip

Luke Byrne's photos will make you want to dive off a cliff into a pristine watering hole. It seems like his whole life is made up of the best adventures imaginable—an alternation between magical sunrises and sunsets, with the hours in-between punctuated by things like climbing giant rocks, looking at amazing views of the Australian wilderness, and being submerged in various bodies of water. Probably to be expected from a guy who co-founded a site called The Adventure Handbook. We caught up with the professional adventurer.

VICE: Hey Luke! Where's the most amazing place in Australia you've ever been to?
Luke Byrne: Probably where I'm living now, Tasmania! This place is nuts, it's got everything—mountains, lakes, rainforests, the ocean… I could spend every day for the rest of my life exploring it and still not scratch the surface.

What's your version of the ultimate adventure?
Probably the one I'm planning at the moment with The Adventure Handbook, which is buying a car and driving across Mongolia.

Who are your favourite people to travel with and why?
My buddies who I started The Adventure Handbook with. They're always up for a good time with no real plan, and are up for seeing what each new day brings.

Do you have any tips for making great memories with your mates?
I think that not having a solid plan has always panned out. I mean, you need a rough plan, but the best trips and memories always seem to come from the times where you find something unexpected and go with it. Also, always say "yes"—a good friend of mine gave me this advice and it hasn't let me down yet.

What do you love about the great outdoors and being in nature?
Everything becomes clear out there; all the day-to-day worries just seem to melt away and become insignificant. After all, we're just molecules on a rock hurtling through space.

Can you give us a recipe for your go-to campfire meal?
Ingredients:
6 x wallaby sausages
4 x shallots
1 bunch continental parsley
2 cloves garlic
1 jar semi-dried tomatoes
1 packet tri-colour spiral pasta Directions:
The key to any good pasta dish is three main ingredients. If you stick to this method, you can't go wrong. For this dish, we will be using the oil from the semi-dried tomatoes as the sauce.
1. Heavily salt a pot of boiling water. When the pot is at a rolling boil, add the pasta.
2. Next, dice the shallots and put them on a low heat. Shallots are a bit pricy but they have an amazing flavour—much better than regular onions.
3. Roughly chop the parsley and tomatoes, and thinly slice the garlic just like they do in Goodfellas. If this is done right, the garlic should melt into the oil.
4. Once the shallots are browned, fry the wallaby sausages in the pan with some sundried tomato oil. Once cooked, roughly slice.
5. Remove pasta from heat once it's al dente. Spoon some of the starch water into the pan with the shallots and sausages, drain the pasta, and drizzle with oil.
6. Combine all ingredients in a frying pan with a little extra oil, stir through, and serve. Marrrrrone!

What are three things that everyone should always take on a road trip?
Good vibes, good vibes, and good vibes

Where are you planning to go next?
I actually have a trip planned with The Adventure Handbook and Tourism South Australia to do a story on Kangaroo Island, which looks like it'll be a lot of fun, so keep an eye out for that.

Check out more of Luke's work here, or follow him on Instagram here. This article is presented in partnership with Captain Morgan