The alarm was set for 5:30 and as I thought I woke before it went off, I didn't even hit the snooze button. I parked the trailer and the car at the back of Catherine and Peter's house and it took me a little while to hook up and hit the road. I made a coffee and headed off right on 6:00
I always thought our Queensland trip was in two parts, my solo 2 day road trip to Noosa and the rest of the 2 weeks with Cate and the kids. Part one had begun, Newell Hwy all the way to Brisbane.
The first stop was Tocumwal, on the Vic NSW border for breakfast, arriving just before 9:15. A short stop, a toasted sandwich and a coffee to go and back on the road. The next stop was for fuel at Narrandera around 11:00. Again a very short stop. I got lunch at West Wyalong and ate in the car around 1:00.
I pulled into Coonabarrabran around 5:30 and decided to have an extended break. I filled the car up and ordered a pizza and sat in the park and ate it. Mt. Waverley to Coonabarrabran is 1000.3 km around half distance. I originally planned to camp the night but decided after a good break, of an hour, to keep driving.
I changed the music for the first time and listened to the 12th Man (original and still) and before I knew it I hit Boggabilla on the NSW QLD border. I did stop for a coffee in Narrabri, and another 330km was covered and it was only 9:30ish. I was still feeling good but that was far enough for one days travels and I pulled into a huge truck stop and set up the camper. All in all a great day today, 1330km covered in 15 and a half hours.
Sunday 6th April.
Woke again today before the alarm. Packed up, bought a coffee and on the road at 6:30. It struck me immediately after crossing the border into QLD how each state government handles and manages their road infrastructure. NSW roads are far superior, while QLD roads are far inferior to Victorian roads.
About an hour down the road I stopped for fuel and a coffee in Inglewood, another quick coffee stop in Warwick, then all the way to Noosa. I pulled in at 1:00 this afternoon, much earlier than I originally thought.
Not far out of Warwick the road works through the Main Range National Park. Unfortunately there was nowhere to pull over and appreciate it and I will certainly endeavour to one day explore that part of the world; it is extremely picturesque and difficult to fully appreciate while driving.
After sitting in an air conditioned car for hours it was quite warm stepping out and setting up the camper, although having plenty of time I was in no rush. I went grocery shopping then sat near the river and enjoyed an ale.
I had called my cousin Emma before the trip, she lives in Noosa, and thought we might catch up, she called this afternoon and we arranged to meet on Tuesday.
I was about to go and cook a BBQ dinner when it got very dark and massive storm clouds came out of nowhere. About 10 minutes later the skies opened up and we had a huge storm. Every time we have camped the weather has been perfect and this was the first time our trailer had seen any rain besides very brief showers. I must say I am impressed. There was only one very small leak in one of the windows and I think that is due to the amount of rain. We had 20mm in about 10 minutes before it passed.
After the storm I cooked tea and was ready for bed.
I really enjoyed the road trip but I must say I'm looking forward to picking Cate, Ethan and Aisha up tomorrow. Sitting here in the camper isn't anywhere near the same without them here. Tomorrow part 2 of the holiday begins.
I am a little disappointed with the caravan park. The river is very close but not really good for kids. There is no pool and there is a very poor park located outside the park boundaries. There is nothing really within walking distance from here so we will need to drive everywhere.
Monday 7th April.
I woke quite early this morning, probably because of the early night. I thought I might be too warm but wasn't.I went for a quick drive around Noosa, had coffee in a small little cafe and found a surf shop that does kiteboarding lessons. I booked and depending on weather will hit the water this week.
I was checking on the Flight Tracker app where the family was from the time they departed and was looking forward to picking them up at the airport. Maroochydore airport is only 20 minutes from the park and I got there 15 minutes early. It was awesome to see them and the "Hello" was fantastic.
Not long after we got back to the park George the kiteboarding guy rang and it was for this afternoon. What an experience. Nothing at all like skiing or wake boarding, it's more about flying a kite, a sport I could definitely get into.
We had a BBQ dinner. Cate, Ethan and Aisha are sleeping soundly and I will be having an early night.
Tuesday 8th April.
The kids woke early today and the morning was beautiful. Little wind and clear skies.
Emma called around 8:00 and she and her 1 year old son Jack visited us at the park. Ironically they live 5 blocks from here. We had a good chat and we played in the nearby park. Emma was kind enough to drive around Noosa showing us all the good places to visit and swim.
We ended up having lunch at a cafe in Noosa. There must be something about spilling things on holidays, last time it was me and the water carafe this time Ethan and Aisha with their milkshakes. Cate went shopping for a 10 year wedding anniversary ring, which we purchased, that needs to be resized and will be sent to us when we get home. Cate bought more jewellery before we came back, got our beach bag and went to one of the beaches Emma showed us.The kids had a ball playing in the water and sand. I got the first opportunity to play with the GoPro at the beach. We took some great shots. There is still an awful amount to learn about shooting in and around water, certainly the best shot we have at the beach. The water is nice and warm but the wind got up this afternoon, making it a little cooler than it was this morning.
It looked like it was going to rain this afternoon and we made it back to the camper around 4:00, the same time the rain came. I went shopping for chicken wraps for dinner.
Cate has enjoyed a night in Noosville walking, reading and having a red for a couple of hours while the kids have been sleeping soundly.
The rain has been quite consistent this evening and now at 10:00 it is still raining. It's certainly not cold though, still around 20 degrees quite comfortable in shorts and t-shirt.
Wednesday 9th April.
The rain was persistent overnight and quite heavy at some stages but the plan was to wake early, after catching up with Emma yesterday she suggested going to the Eumandi market for the morning and early was better. No need to set the alarm with Ethan and Aisha. 6:30 we were up and ready for a days action. By 7:15 we were in the car for the 20 minute drive to Eumandi.
It was quite an unusual market (not that I have much to go by). It seemed like a time warp to the 60's with hippy, happy go lucky people everywhere. Psychedelic, tie dye clothing everywhere with massage and aromatherapy thrown in for ambiance. We discovered a cool park for the kids to play in. Ethan made a good friend in William and the two of them played for an hour together. William was the same age as Ethan and when William had to leave both were disappointed that their friendship would no longer continue.
I discovered my new favourite food, a cronut, a cross between a croissant and a donut. Goodness, heaven in a polystyrene tub. Judging but the reaction possibly Aisha's favourite food as well (luckily it had dairy so Cate and Ethan couldn't have any). Aisha and I demolished it in no time.
After leaving the market we did some washing and food shopping then hired a boat for 3 hours. We journeyed up and then down the river enjoying the views and beautiful sunshine and found a place totally secluded, our own little sand island. We swan and walked in the clear shallow water and dug and played in the sand for ages, a really awesome idyllic afternoon following a great morning. Cate tried some panoramic shots while I continued with copious amounts of video with the GoPro; hopefully we get 1 shot and 1 minute of video out of our efforts. It was the picture perfect afternoon, spectacular views, brilliant weather and a wonderful cruise on the river. Ethan and Aisha had turns steering the boat, Ethan more so than Aisha. He really enjoyed his turn as "captain", stewarding the boat from one side of the river to the other.
Today is our last day day in Noosa, tomorrow we head to Surfers. I'm a little disappointed we have to leave. We have really just settled into holiday mode and will be spending some time in the car in the next 10 days.
Highlights of the day; the market, the island and Ethan telling me I'm nicer at home than when on holidays, that really tickled my fancy.
We only have one small problem, tonight we discovered the cord to my iPhone and iPad is malfunctioning and I can't recharge any of my devices. My phone is on 2% and my iPad is on 41% and we use my phone for music in the car, and I have been using my iPad for this blog, I'll have to find another medium very soon.
Another great day in paradise. Cate went for another "walk" this time into Noosa and discovered a beautiful night city with fairy light and some quiet time.
I'm glad the rain stayed away tonight. I haven't had shoes on since Melbourne and am happy to stay dry, although when it rains here shorts and t-shirt are still the order of the day.
Tomorrow is Aisha's 3rd birthday and again looking forward to a fantastic day.
Thursday 10th April.
Happy birthday Aisha. I can't believe my bubba is 3, how time flies.
Today was another day in paradise and as I sit here tonight it's hard to believe what we have packed into today.
Ethan and Aisha work at around 6:00. The morning in Noosa was perfect, no wind and relatively clear skies, compared to the cloud and intermittent rain of the previous days.
Cate got breaky ready for the kids and packed some smacks for the car while I cooked a Penang Curry in our DreamPot for dinner.Cate did an awesome job while I was at the camp kitchen cooking dinner and when I returned nearly everything in the camper had been packed and ready to be put away; the toys, clothes, breaky dishes and sleeping bags were all ready for packing.
We pulled out of Noosa at 8:30 and headed to Brisbane where we had organised to meet up with Cate's childhood friend Allannah and her husband Ian and their children, Henry (5) and Eva (7 months). Cate had organised an amazing Tinkerbell cake for Aisha and we had a small informal party for the birthday girl. Ethan and Henry hit it of straight away playing chasey in the back yard and sharing toys. Henry did get a little frustrated when he asked Ethan if he wanted to play soccer in the back yard and Ethan replied "no thank you". It was great to spend 3 or 4 hours with the Traill's as we don't get to catch up very often.
We left around 2:30, a quick stop to buy another light (this time for outside), and then on to the Gold Coast. My phone has officially died. I can't get any charge into it and luckily I had printed all the booking details for the trip so we have the addresses and locations of where we are staying.4:00 was the arrival time at Treasure Island Holiday Park. It was immediately apparent that this park caters well for families. It is quite large, has 3 pools and a kids water play area, which Ethan and Aisha enjoyed while I was setting up the camper. Everything in the park had a pirate theme and an island feel. It is a very well set up and designed caravan park, impressive.
Another fantastic day, it's the first time this trip we packed and unpacked on the same day and everything went really well.
Friday 11th April.
Yet another day in paradise. Waking at 6:30 this morning to a picture perfect day which continued for the duration. No wind or clouds and a perfect 32 degree temperature.
After a lazy breakfast and a little pottering around camp we headed to Sea World for the day. We got there around 9:00, knowing the gates didn't open until 9:30 and right on time we were in. We got the site map and the list of entertainment times to plan our day, put a bag in a locker and began the adventure.
The first stop was the seal show. We were second seat from the front and the expression on Ethan's and Aisha's faces when the American seal was in front of us was amazing.
The next stop was the Dora show. I think the the kids were in shock that Dora and her friends were actually standing in front of us; they were like rabbits in the headlights for the first part of the show then they really got into the singing and dancing. It was truly great to see them enjoying the show.We then wandered through Sea World visiting the polar bears, shark island and the stingray pool. All the while the kids were mesmerised by the animals, excitement 10+. Shark island was definitely Ethan's favourite place. He was pushing to get to the front and kept shouting "look at that".
We made our way to the water park. I must say I was quite disappointed we had to pay extra to get into the pool. During the heat of the day the kids really enjoyed splashing around and getting wet.
There was a huge water slide in the pool area and I thought Ethan would really enjoy the ride. I went and read the board specifically to figure out if Ethan could go on it. There was no indication that there were any restrictions so off we went. It must have been 5 stories high so it took us a while to walk the stairs to get to the top and only a short wait to get onto the ride. Ethan was so excited, he was jumping around telling me so. Then 2 people before we went to get on, the attendant asked Ethan to "come over here" then I saw the sign indicating a height restriction for the ride. Ethan was about 5cm short and the attendant said he couldn't go on it. It was like the attendant ripped out his heart, the disappointment was palpable, so we slowly made our way back down all the while Ethan asking about how old you need to be to go on the ride. When we finally got to the bottom he sat on a pool bench, his hands beside his knees, shoulders slumped, staring at his toes. Disappointment personified. I sat beside him trying to find the words to help him feel better and he responded by saying "it's OK dad, you go and have a good time". Well I told him I wasn't going if he couldn't go and we found a log ride we both enjoyed together. The log ride was terrific. The queue was quite long but certainly worth the wait.
Cate and the kids went on the pirate ship where they had a water fight with everyone beside the pool. It was amusing watching them all get very wet.We then rode on the monorail and the sky bus to get back to the last show for the day. On the way we inadvertently went by the penguins while they were feeding.
The dolphin show was the last show we saw today. Again the kids were mesmerised by the mammals. Jumping, pushing people throughout the water and interacting with the crowd. Again the look on the kids faces was priceless.
We dawdled from the dolphins to a few more rides, the diggers and the rope pull. Aisha was disappointed that she was too short for the rope pull, perhaps next time.
We left Sea World and headed back to the camper. We had dinner, last nights left over curry, and Cate and the kids went to a disco here at the park. More fun was had then off to bed.
I couldn't have scripted a better day than today. The kids were awesome spending so much time in the heat and walking around all day and waiting for various shows and rides. We don't get home for another 10 days but today will be really hard to beat. I love being on holidays and we are really enjoying the time together.One thing I have failed to mention is the people we have met here on the Gold Coast. The guy next door, Greg, is from here from Noosa with his family, and comes here every year, a great guy. On the other side is Rohan and his family. They are from Traf, can you believe that, he is a CFA member and I recognised him immediately. Then tonight I met a guy while doing the dishes who tells me his grandparents build the house over the road from our place in Yarragon. All in 2 days while in Queensland. Unbelievable.
Tomorrow we are off to Coffs Harbour, via Byron Bay.
Saturday 12th April.
It was another beautiful morning on the Gold Coast and we began breakfast and the pack up as soon as we woke up. Again Cate did the kids breakfast while I cooked tonight's dinner, corned beef and veg. We weren't in any rush and certainly didn't break any land speed records it packing but we pulled out of Treasure Island around 9:00 and headed for Byron Bay.
Cate had always wanted to see Byron Bay and we were planning to stay there when planning this trip last year but this weekend has a music festival and everything was booked so the town were extremely busy, adding to the atmosphere. The atmosphere was extremely unique. A very relaxed festive crowd enjoying the sun, the surf, the music and entertainment.
We walked up the Main Street and the kids enjoyed an icy pole and Cate had a fruit smoothy. We shopped in some of the stores for wrist band gifts and t-shirt for Ethan and Aisha, she also scored a hat. We then found a dairy free ice cream for the kids and made our way to the park near the beach.
We ran into several groups raising money for various charities, the homeless in Byron Bay due to unaffordable accommodation in the area and Sea Shepard the conservation group involved in saving the oceans. The little sceptic voice in my head wondered how much of the money people put into the tins actually made it to the organisations mentioned, I wonder!
An older guy, substitute hippy, was creating massive sand art on the beach where the tide had receded and the sand was smooth and firm. He made some amazing murals using nothing but a 2 sided rake, 1 side a normal sized rake the other had only 3 or 4 prongs, an amazing artist, and I guess by now simply washed away with the tide.There was an area for bands to play. Ethan and Aisha, Cate and I enjoyed sitting in the sun listening to the tunes and playing on the nearby playground. There were a group of street performers juggling, hoolahooping, twirling poles and various other hippy activities, they were amusing to watch. I managed to sneak away and buy a charger for my iPad (the iPhone is still broken) and a pair of shorts. It was a perfect day to relax and really enjoy the atmosphere Byron Bay offered. We spent 3 1/2 there before heading to Arrawarra.
The drive was spectacular. Driving beside the Clarence River was beautiful as was driving amongst the sugar fields. The wiggles and muppets were playing in the car and the kids were fantastic. About 5 minutes from the caravan park we could see a storm brewing and when it hit the rain was torrential. We had had perfect weather for the duration of the day, and the rain was so intense I had the wipers on flat out and slowed to 70 odd km/h just to see out the windscreen. Cate thought it was quite amusing that I would have to set up the camper in the rain. Then amazingly, within 3 or 4 minutes, the rain completely stopped and a blue sky appeared, back to perfect weather once more, I won't be needing that rain coat after all!
The caravan park here, Darlington Beach Arrawarra, has the most beautiful entry and is extremely spacious, the sites are very generous and it has a bush feel to it. I am getting much better and setting up and it was little more than half an hour from pulling up to completely set up.We drove into Woolgoolga for some short sight seeing and shopping before dinner. I'm becoming more of a fan of the DreamPot with every meal. Tonight's was simply delicious, the meat, potatoes, carrot and mushrooms were cooked to perfection and there is enough meat for tomorrow's dinner.
After tea there was a kids movie playing and we decided Ethan and Aisha could stay up and watch Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs as a treat. They travelled brilliantly today looking at the sugar fields, singing and dancing. Aisha even managed a sleep for an hour or so after we left Byron Bay, in fact she was asleep before we left town.
Tonight marks the half way point of this holiday, time wise, and I can't believe how much fun and excitement we have had already. The 3 locations have been perfect as has the weather and all the activities we've done. I know we planned this trip a long time ago and have been looking forward to it for the past year but to sit here tonight half way through and have all the plans come together so perfectly is truly wonderful.Sunday 13th April.
This morning I woke around 5:00 to a chorus of birds singing. Kookaburras, rosellas, magpies and various other species were singing in harmony and it sounded heavenly. It was a pleasure to just lie there and listen. It was quite loud and I'm surprised no one else in our tent woke. I managed to get back to sleep before the kids woke up around 6:15.
The drive to Coffs Harbour is about 30 minutes from here and we made the trip this morning for a quick look around. We drove past the beach and did a spot of shopping. A local book shop was the order of the day. We purchased an "Around Australia Atlas and Guide" and a set of Winnie the Pooh books.
A very quick stop at the Big Banana for a coffee and a few tourist snaps with the promise of returning when we visit the area again. The kids were really keen to get to the beach and we haven't done that much swimming this week.
After lunch the beach was waiting. We had a father/son, mother/daughter afternoon. Ethan and I stayed at the beach for several hours swimming and playing in the sand while Cate and Aisha went for a bush walk. We met back at the camper. Cate and Aisha then had a relaxing afternoon at the trailer. I think a nanna nap was even taken. Ethan and I went to the pool for an hour or so before dinner. Last nights leftovers went down a treat.After dinner a quick shower and then a movie, this time "Monsters Inc."
It was a picture perfect morning, blue skies and around noon the high cloud cover rolled in making it perfect for time at the beach, not too hot a perfect 25 degrees today.
Monday 14th April.
Last night the rain rolled in around 10:00 and was fairly consistent most of the night with several heavy patches. This morning was cloudy and some very light misty drizzle but still relatively warm.
Today was a pack, drive and set up day; only 298km today. Again no land speed records for the pack up and we left around 9:00. Arrawarra is about 30km from Coffs Harbour and there are significant road works happening on the Pacific Hwy. It took us in excess of 45 minutes to drive the last 20km into Coffs. Luckily we were under no time restrains today.
Last night I sat down and had a look at the route we needed to take and decided on a couple of tourist drives to take to get up off the beaten track and have a look around. We drove Tourist Route 18 from Coffs to Sawtell. Sawtell was quite beautiful, unfortunately it was raining when we got there so decided not to stop and look around.
We turned off the Hwy again just after Macksville and headed to Scott's Head. A quaint little village on the beach where we stopped for a play and a bite to eat. From there a short drive to Stuarts Point where we continued back to the Hwy arriving in Hallidays Point just before 4:00.
The amount of road work going on the Pacific Hwy is astronomical. There was over 5 hours of driving time to cover under 300 km today, at least 50% of the Hwy driving was through road works. There are many tiny towns that will definitely suffer when they are bypassed in this part of the world.
Hallidays Point Caravan Park has a very different atmosphere than the 3 other parks we have stayed in so far. It is fairly large and most of the sites are residents scattered throughout the park or cabin accommodation and the vast majority are empty. I counted around 70 sites for campers and caravans and only 12 are occupied, it is like a ghost town. I went and washed the dishes at the camp kitchen at 8:00 tonight and didn't see another person and only 3 sites had lights on. The other parks we have stayed in have been at near capacity and had kids and teenagers running around playing games until late, giving a festive, holiday atmosphere. The facilities here are good but the 70's decor needs updating.
That said, they are very clean and what you would expect from a good park. The play equipment is great and our site is terrific, well sheltered from the elements, and a very short 40 metre walk to the beach. Cate mentioned earlier how loud the waves are and I'm hoping we get some beach weather tomorrow.
Tuesday 15th April.
The beach weather certainly came through this morning. A sensational morning, clear skies and no wind, perfect. It was a little fresh in the shade but the sun had a little kick in it to warm things up. Cate went for a stroll along the beach while I took the kids to the park. A brilliant morning.
We discovered an abyss like hole in Ethan's foot last night so Cate asked the staff here where a doctor could be found and they pointed us to an appointment free clinic in Taree, about 30 minutes away. I took Ethan, we left around 9:30.
I'll find it difficult to put the experience into words exactly. The surgery was off a little lane up a narrow flight of stairs above a pharmacy, similar to the stereotypical drug house on American TV. The reception was covered in files, an old computer stuck under the desk and a printer purchased before the end of the last millennium. No one was there, no patients, no reception staff, but I could hear people talking in another room, so I rang the bell. A little wait and a lady appeared, followed by a doctor and a patient, and asked what I wanted. The patient left hurriedly and the doctor returned to his office. I explained the situation of Ethan's foot and she advised that "Doctor" didn't see patients on Tuesday's or Thursday's. The doctor walked out of the office and said he heard what I had said and he would see what he could do. He stood there staring at the wall, pacing behind the desk then agreed to see us.
He reminded me of Doctor Emmitt from the "Back to the Future" series both in looks and eccentricity. Messy straw like silver hair like it hadn't seen water since 1975, miss matching pants and bright coloured shirt with crocs on his feet. He walked in and out of the room several times while talking to us, continuing the conversation as he walked down the hall, at one point asking me to speak up while he was at the reception desk.
He eventually looked at Ethan's foot the said "It could be......" He paused, sitting in his chair staring out the window (which looked out onto the brick wall of the building 3 meters away) for 30 odd seconds, walked out of the room returning 10 seconds later with his diagnosis. Basically a foreign body or a wart, either way do nothing, bye!
The reception lady happened to be the cleaner and had no idea how to put the information onto the computer, neither did the doctor so they wrote it all on a scrap piece of paper. Time to pay, I pulled out my credit card and the look of bemusement on both their face was amusing. "Do you have cash" they had no idea how to work the eftpos machine. So he and I worked it out together. The receipt was hand written then we left.
Hours later I realised I had left my credit card at the doctors so I went back to retrieve it. Even funnier. Again I heard voices from the office and upon ringing the bell the doc shot his head out of the office door, looked me up and down then realised I was there for my card. He jumped out of the office, threw his hands in the air exclaiming I was there to collect the card. He walked to the reception, stood scratching his head and told me they had 3 plans to keep the card safe, pause....... "Maree...... MAREE" Maree walked out, "Can you remember any of the plans for his card?" For the next 10 minutes they tore the place apart before location the card. At one point I was actually laughing, the experience of the doctors could not have been scripted better for a sitcom.
In between the visits to the doctors we all went to beach. Playing in the waves with Cate, Ethan and Aisha was certainly a highlight of the day. The morning provided perfect beach weather, warm and the water was beautiful. The waves here are quite large and the force of the water meant the kids were no more than 1 meter away from us when we were swimming.
The afternoon was spent at the camper playing and reading, a totally relaxing afternoon. The clouds rolled in this afternoon although it wasn't really cold is certainly wasn't beach or pool weather.
We packed as much as we can and I feel completely recharged before we head off tomorrow on the longest family drive for the trip.
Wednesday 16th April.
496 km travelled today, including through Sydney, our longest drive for the trip.
We did really well this morning. We packed as much as we could last night and planned to wake early and hit the road early as well. At 4:00 I was woken by heavy rain and I spent the next half hour working out how on earth to pack without getting everything soaked. It was a relative sleep in, the kids didn't wake until 7:15 and we still pulled out of Halladay Point at 9:00. Great effort.
We always planned to have a short look around Sydney, but decided to take a detour through Newcastle as well. Without maps it was difficult to work out exactly which way to travel. Once off the highway we quickly aborted the idea of seeing Newcastle CBD and looked for a park for the kids to have a run around, finding one and stopped to make some sandwiches and have a play.
Sydney was definitely an interesting experience. Our plan, drive across the bridge then drive past the Opera House and hopefully found a park. I knew that would be extremely unlikely considering we had a trailer. We made our way across the bridge then to find the Opera House.
I raved earlier in this blog about how impressed I was with NSW roads, that is true for the Newell Hwy but not the rest. The signage around Sydney is terrible, every sign is posted at the last possible moment and decision making for tourists is extremely difficult when you don't know exactly where you are going. Well that is my excuse anyway. It turns out we crossed the bridge 3 times today and didn't drive past the Opera House.
The drive from Bondi to Gerroa was still 200 km away and took a considerable amount of time due to traffic. At one point the police had the road blocked off, there were at least half a dozen motor bikes stopping traffic for a motorcade of several police cars and other vehicles, which happened to be Prince William and Kate. Today was certainly a day for seeing the rich and famous.
The GPS didn't put us onto Freeways and I'm not sure Sydney has many anyway. We did drive through some interesting suburbs along the way.
The scenery from Sydney's north to south was spectacular. The way they have carved their way through the mountains is breathtaking and well worth the drive. The drive into Woolongong was amazing. At one point we could see the town and we were well up in the Blue Mountains looking down. I didn't realise we were so high up. I was struck by the population of the area south of Sydney. Woolongong seemed to go on for ever and there is an electric rail there. I wonder if it goes all the way to Sydney.
It was a very long day today and the troops are very tired and asleep early. There was a little niggle in the car today, Ethan and Aisha started 100 meters from Halliday Point for a few minutes, and I had a moment or two when we inadvertently went over the bridge a few too many time, but we had a great day. So many of our countries tourist attractions in one day was amazing.
We arrived in Gerroa about 5:30 again the DreamPot is a god send. We have decided to stay hear only tonight and head to Merimbula tomorrow to beat the Good Friday traffic. Another long driving day ahead 400 km.Thursday 17th April.
The morning was again picture perfect. Clear skies and no wind. We weren't sure whether we had booked for Merimbula tonight so we had to wait until we got confirmation via phone before we packed up. I called early only to find out reception opened at 8:30 so we had breakfast and waited. I called and got the confirmation at 8:40 so we began packing. Cate, Ethan and Aisha went to the jumping pillow while I packed and we rolled out at 10:00 exactly.
Out first stop was Ulladulla, an area where Cate has many childhood memories. Her family stayed often in this area when they lived in Canberra and continued vacationing there when they moved to Melbourne. It was terrific to see the excitement on Cate's face when we were getting closer. We stopped there for lunch and had a play in the bay. Cate was very excited to stop and look around.
Dolphin Bay in not far from Ulladulla and that is where we decided to stop again and make some lunch and again have a play in the water. Dolphin Bay is beautiful and where we stopped was a rock ledge where the waves from the rising tide were breaking. Cate and the kids played on the beach and on the rock ledge while I made lunch and then the 4 of us went to the waters edge on the rocks looking at the many rock pools. Time really got away from us and I think we were there for at least an hour.The exact place the Bearsley's stayed is Burrill Pines and we called in there to find some more information. We were invited to go for the drive to beach but decided against it and head to Merimbula.
We arrived here at Merimbula around 4:30. One of the most pleasing things about this whole trip has been how well the kids have travelled. Yesterday we spent 8 1/2 hours travelling and today 6 1/2 hours and the kids have been amazing. They have requested food and songs and have entertained themselves for the hours spent in the car. When we have stopped they have enjoyed themselves and never complained about getting back into the car. Often they have asked how many songs or how many minutes until we reach our destination but considering the number of km's we have travelled in the number of days since we left Noosa, our kids have been perfect.
I'm glad we left this morning and missed the Good Friday traffic and now we have 3 nights here to enjoy the last stay of our adventure. This will be the longest we have stayed at a location since Noosa and should feel like a holiday before we get home.
There are a couple of things I really noticed today. The flora beside the road became more familiar, and tonight as I sit here it is quite cool, certainly the coldest I have been since our journey began. Both I guess because we are getting closer to home.
Friday 18th April. (Good Friday)
There is definitely a theme to the weather since we left Melbourne, glorious mornings with an afternoon change, sometimes with rain, others like today cloud cover a little wind and cooler temperatures. By now it sounds very cliche, but we woke to a spectacular morning of clear skies and no wind. Perfect weather for the pool.
Before the pool I took Ethan and Aisha to the park for a play, only for a short while, while Cate was reading in the morning sunshine. The pool was fantastic. Ethan is becoming more and more at home in the water. Today he was attempting to swim by kicking his legs and making the correct motions with his arms while his head was underwater. I'm so glad I got that on video. Aisha is also becoming more at home in the water. She was very comfortable in the kids pool and even ventured into the big pool with her floatie without having to cling to either Cate or myself. We spent around an hour and a half splashing around before the cloud cover made it a little cold for the pool and we left for lunch.After lunch Cate again had a relaxing afternoon reading. I say relaxing but she was reading a thesis for one of her students and I can only assume she would have rather been reading other literature.
The kids and I went back to the park for some more playing, running and sliding. A couple of hours went by in the blink of an eye and before too long it was nearly 3:00. At 3:00 the kids went to an Easter craft activity where they made rabbit ears. They had a ball. The activity was very busy and there were kids everywhere.I spent a little time organising our video of the trip and before too long it was time to cook dinner and get the groups off to bed.
Once again a 10/10 day. Totally relaxing and today was the first time since our trip began we didn't have to drive anywhere. I think one of the relaxing aspects of today is knowing we didn't have to pack tomorrow and have another full day here. It seemed that every destination we have stayed in has been such a fleeting visit we tried to cram a lot into the one full day everywhere. Today was not like that all. We have seen Merimbula from previous trips to Pambula and we could afford to chill. Perfect.
Saturday 19th April.
Strewth! Today I had jeans, a jumper and shoes on all day. It was quite cold for the most part, only when the sun snuck its head out for a brief moment or two throughout the day did I have a thought of taking off my jumper.
My morning started very early getting out of bed at 5:45 to film the sunrise. The film turned out well considering the cloud cover this morning.
Today was the perfect way to spend the last day of our holiday. We lazed around the camper, went to the playground, jumped on the jumping pillow and walked around the park. A totally relaxing day.Cate and I spent a large portion of the day reading while the kids played inside and outside, sometimes together and sometimes apart. We were all in a very relaxed happy space for the days duration.
This evening there was an Easter egg hunt for all the kids in the park and the Easter Bunny even made an appearance. Before we left home Cate made some dairy free Easter eggs for the kids and they have travelled in the fridge for our entire vacation. Tonight Cate and I spent some time putting them into little plastic egg containers for the kids to find in the morning. Ethan and Aisha are at the perfect age at the moment for things such as the Easter bunny. They have a genuine excitement about the morning and the slightest mention of the bunny gets them very animated. Tomorrow morning will be heaps of fun.
Then we head home!
Sunday 20th April.
This morning was very cold, and we were surrounded by the warm excitement of the Easter bunny's arrival. Ethan and Aisha were extremely excited collecting the eggs and devouring the chocolate and lollies as soon as they found the eggs. The look on their faces was pure joy.We had a very relaxing morning playing in the tent, reading and eating chocolate and lollies.
I cooked dinner then we began the final pack for the holiday. Cate took the kids to the park while I finished the packing and we hit the road at 10:45 for the final 466 km to Yarragon. Leaving Sunday before Easter Monday was a great idea. We had a brilliant run with traffic, not being held up at all.
We had 2 brief stops along the way, Orbost and Bairnsdale, both in a park for the kids to have a play. The kids travelled amazingly well again today, singing and dancing nearly all the way home.
We pulled into our driveway to complete our 2 week holiday at 5:10.
An amazing and awesome 4427 km holiday completed.
