(written at the start of the road trip...)
For the last three days, our schedule has been such (an
itinerary with commentary):
1) Drive drive
drive… along Highway 1: Princes Hwy through national forest, teeny country
towns, large expanses of flat pastureland encompassed by a horseshoe of distant
mountains, and the occasional peek at the ocean. To be honest, for a long while it looks all
the same: the boxy buildings of “city” centres, the four restaurants, the cows,
the road… but something still keeps me staring out the window for almost every
second. I think it’s the trees; I cannot
get over the trees:
- gum (eucalyptus) trees,
all kinds – the thin white ones, the amazing tall brown and white-blotched
thick ones, the ones whose bark is sliding off of them as if the trunk is
bursting from its shell…);
- Norfolk pines, whose thick
needles are shaped to form a beautiful crest on each of its branches;
- Paper bark trees, whose
bark you can peel off in big, soft, thin (but squishy) sheets;
- And I was blown away by
this tree I discovered on a walk in the Croajingalong National Park: it
was a huge, red monster of trees, out of whose bark I could literally rip handful-size
chunks. The pieces were soft, like
a sponge.
And as you tacked miles (excuse me, kilometers) onto your
trip, the forest would change with you – and so dramatically! Most noticeably, Patrick and I took a detour
to an inlet in the Croajingalong National Park along the coast of
Victoria. During our 30+-minute drive on
a dirt/gravel road, we were constantly surrounded by forest (it reminded me of
driving into the NJ Pinelands). Every
ten or so km’s closer to the beach, the forest would completely change; it was
remarkable to have such a clear natural checkpoints of our progression to the
shore. And the smell! Eucalypt forests smell so strangely sweet… kind
of like muddy honey. Odd, but also oddly
accurate.
2) Take a break at
a small town… hey, you know how U.S. maps highlight the major towns and
cities of an area? Well looking at an
Australian map, you’d think that that’s what they’re doing, but in fact they’re
noting EVERY town and city you’ll hit along the way. And more are quite unimpressive – a strip or
corner of small shops, some sub-par restaurants, a pub or two… plus the architecture
is nothing to look at. Boxy, boring,
and, in my opinion, rather ugly.
3) more driving, with perhaps a stop or two to take a small
hike, snap a few photos, get a bite, or take a good stretch
5) Arrive at our
destination for the night… which was determined on the road. (Patrick:
“I reckon we’ll make it to Merimbula before nightfall. Should we find a place there?” Me: “Sounds
like a plan.”) And for the last two nights, “a place” has meant a holiday or RV
park, where we park for the night, rearrange the car, and then sleep on the
beds we made out of mattress pads and blankets in the back. It’s not a bad sleep, actually, though my
shoulders get tired and I wake up several times during the night.
6) Go out for dinner
7) Sleep! …and we’re out usually by 9:30pm.
8) Wake up! Around dawn, find a good view to eat homemade
brekkies (breakfast), and we’re off!
Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, yes I AM driving! Despite any doubts you may have on my
coordination abilities down under, I am doing just fine remembering what side
of the road you drive on down here. (And
in case I do forget, which hasn’t happened yet, Patrick’s always there to yell
at me frantically.) The only real bit of
trouble I have is consistently hitting the windshield wipers instead of the
turn signal! As they are on opposite
sides to what I’m used to, Patrick occasionally has to reach over and turn off
the wipers when I try to signal that I want to make a turn. Oh Australia.
And Patrick and I are getting along famously. Amazingly enough, we’re not sick of each other
yet! He’s impressively tolerant of my
dietary restrictions, tendencies toward karaoke in the car, and desire to take
photos of practically every sign along the highway.
Wednesday night to Friday day: Sydney
Then more traveling up the coast, hitting Newcastle, Byron
Bay, the Sunshine Coast and Fraser Island.
Until next time!
