Blue Mountains
After arriving in Sydney we picked up our campervan and headed straight out for the Blue Mountains. This camper van was brand new right out of the factory, along with our $5000 deposit this made me quite nervous. At every tight parking spot or road one of us would say remember...$5000. Our base for three nights was the town of Katoomba in the heart of the mountains. They are referred to as the blue mountains because of the blue haze created by all the eucalyptus trees. Our first day we hit bad weather so spent the day doing the usual traveling chores. Unpack, find a spot for everything, stock up on Ginger Beer and WheetBix etc. Luckily the weather cleared up and we spent the second day at one of the many lookout points and hiking to into the canyon. The worlds steepest incline railway brought us out of the canyon.
View from one of the lookout points
View from the front of the railway - pretty steep!
The Pacific Highway
Our campervan developed a fault with the lights so we had to make an unscheduled stop back at the depot in Sydney. I was bitter we had to go all the way back into the city. Typically the fault couldn't be fixed so a new van was brought into service. I was even more bitter we had to unload the van and reload it into another van!! At least they compensated us with a free lunch -ham sandwhiches!! We set off again, this time north to the Hunter Valley - wine region. We spent a day touring (and tasting) some of the local brew and of course made the usual purchases.
Our second campervan - the mighty Toyota Hiace!!
Next stop was to the Port Stevens Peninsula and the town of Nelson Bay at the very tip. It was fantastic weather with beaches practically to ourselves. Now we were finally hitting the groove, blue waters and white beaches. We continued our journey north up the famous Pacific Highway (Route 1) to Port Macquarie - again great weather and great beaches. We also stopped at the local koala sanctuary for the obligatory stroking:
Don't worry Sara he won't bite!!
A long day of driving took us to Byron Bay. This is a mecca for backpackers and surfers alike. Don't forget the hippies. Are dreadlocks still in fashion? No they never were in fashion. The town and beaches were packed and the place was buzzing. We spent some time on the beach and also hiked to the local lighthouse passing Australia's most easterly point along the way:
Who are these dorks?
Our final destination before hitting the city of Brisbane was the Gold Coast just over the border in Queensland. As the saying goes "there are only two states to be in - drunk and Queensland!!" The Gold Coast and Surfers Paradise were - different! High rise apartments, shopping malls, theme parks and fantastic beaches. Ahh just like Waikiki beach, home sweet home! We spent the afternoon on the beach (again!) but the weather turned so we decided to head north for Brisbane. I think Alex is really catching on to this lifestyle. He has developed a fantastic farmer tan, he really is getting quite brown, and you can't keep him out of the waves. Boogie boarding will be his next new hobby.
Me at the famous Surfers Paradise
Brisbane
A short drive from the Gold Coast is Brisbane - Australia's third largest city. It was good to be back in a large city again and as always we did the usual shopping and sipping lattes - even had my hair cut. We hit borders, again, and stocked up on new books. I finished most of the ones we bought in Auckland. I should start an online book club. Next book is Nelson Mandela's biography if anyone wants to join me.
As you can see it has been a busy couple of weeks with many towns, beaches and petrol stations!! We are now heading further north into Queensland with the Whitsunday islands and the Great Barrier Reef in our sights. Stay tuned for more updates......
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