Have you ever met people in your life that you immediately cliqued with? People with whom you feel careless and free and like you could conquer the world with? Certain individuals in which being with them is as easy as breathing and collectively you each add your own contributions to create a functioning unit - just like a family? I’ve been lucky to travel on a good old fashioned Australian road trip with some of people just like this.
The whole idea of a road trip has always been a grand idea to me. I always wanted to do one in the States but never really had. I mean - I had driven long distances before, but to always places I had already been. I always wanted to embark on a journey where I wasn’t entirely confident on where I was going or what I was going to see along the way. To cruise along the road, watch the scenery wiz by, stick your hand out the window and feel the wall of air hit your palm as you wave it up and down and really feel the world pass by you. So, I was quite excited when my sister and I decided to embark on a road trip from Sydney to Melbourne. Yes, it would have been quicker, easier, and cheaper to book a flight, but we wanted to really experience and appreciate what Australia looked like outside the cities. Also, I had my friend Shane in Merimbula, a town halfway in between Sydney and Melbourne, that I wanted to see. Road trip sounded perfect.
The road trip was originally just going to involve me, my sister Brittney, and the car that we were going to hire. This changed slightly. First off, I posted an advertisement to share our journey online to any backpacker who wanted to share the petrol costs with me. We had a response from two French girls. We didn’t really talk with them much during our trip, but at least we got some cash and I would offer ride shares again. I give them a lot of credit for putting up with my nervous driving in the beginning as I first, had to adjust to driving on the other side of the road and second had to figure out how to get out of the heart of Sydney. I may have hit the curb once, got a little lost, but I got us where we needed to go. I guess it’s all out of the fun.
There was actually a fifth person involved in our road trip, and he was a pleasant surprise. I need to backtrack a bit to explain. I arrived in Sydney three days before my sister flew in and stayed with my friend Mitch at his flat in Bondi. I met Mitch during my travels in Scotland and we have stayed in touch over the last few months. The visit was bittersweet in a sense. It was a visit I had built up in my mind for so long that unfortunately never had a chance of going well. I think it’s because I have too many dreams of my life playing out like a movie. But, visiting Mitch allowed my sister and I to meet his roommate Matt, one of the nicest men I have ever met in my life. He drove me to the airport so I could pick up my sister and offered his place for us to stay instead of a hostel. Matt immediately hit it off with my sister - as they both have a passion for music and bands.
We had great fun together, especially our last day when Britt, Matt, Mitch and I went to the beach, drank, danced to music in the kitchen and cooked dinner buzzed on happiness and beer. I wasn’t surprised when Matt said he wanted to join us on our road trip, in fact I was thrilled. I had already had a few fun moments with him and my sister in Bondi and I knew that there would be more if he came.
So Monday morning he joined us on our trek down to Merimbula, following us in his van. He was going to spend three days with us in Merimbula and then go home when we went on the Melbourne. The trip down had some highlights involving gorgeous views of the coast. Every now and then we would get a text or call from Matt checking up on us. My personal favorite was when he sent us a text to me saying “honk if you think your sister is cute”, and another one suggesting a good radio station to turn on (which was very very hard to find on this trip, by the way).
The three days that I spent in Merimbula with Brittney and Matt were amazing. First off, the views of the ocean were absolutely gorgeous. The water had this vibrant blue to it that just invited you in for a swim or a ride on a boat. The town is small, but has nice cafes and shops to keep things interesting. The beaches are long and empty, and the coast is filled with the most beautifully colored rocks of rich browns and blacks. I knew that I would like the place Shane had told me about it. The best part of being there was of the company I had.
The first two nights Shane unfortunately was away at Canberra. He was nice enough to let my sister and I stay at his home. Britt, Matt, and I had lots of tender “family moments”. We cooked quesadillas together the first night and listened to the endless supply of music that Matt had on his laptop. During the days we wondered around without a plan, but saw great sights. We wandered along the beaches and took photos of each other in silly poses. We cooked shrimp and vegetable skewers on an outside barbeque as we got buzzed on yummy Tasmanian beer. At night we sat by the water, had a few more drinks and star gazed. Matt mentioned that he enjoyed our company so much and I couldn’t help but feel the same way. We all laughed together about our sense of “family”. We even came up with positions for each other. Brittney was the chef, I was the decision maker and Matt was the man who took care of things. On our last day together we went to a family sanctuary on a whim and got to feed and pet koalas, emus, and kangaroos. It was a real family event. We were like three musketeers, three peas in a pod and I couldn’t help but have this sense of completeness as I was with my real sister and a person who felt like a brother to me. We goofed on each other’s accents and slang. He got us to laugh each time he said “how’s it going?” and “that’s not a knife!” and we tried to get him to eat peanut butter with apples and Tim Tams (unsuccessfully I might add). We looked out for each other, had adventures together and go to experience the beauty and simplicity of a perfect moment.
Like all good things, our family time had to come to an end. It was time for Matt to go back to Bondi, and my sister to continue on to our voyage on Melbourne, but I look back with such happiness at the time us three spent together. I have never felt more free and yet more complete on my trip. Matt, my sister and I all made a pact that we would see each other again. I hope that this does happen. Until then I have the happy photos to look back upon and the memories to replay in my mind. Matt, it’s been less than a day and my sister and I already are missing you. I know our brief time has made an impact on my life, and I hope that we were able to touch yours in some small way.
