The Great Oz Experience (Part IV: Surf and Turf)

Thursday, November 12th at 15:12

Kevin

So with this entry concludes the car trip portion of our Great Oz Experience. We just arrived in Warrawong, just outside of Woolengong, today and got a motorcycle escort from Nic's brother Maurice, on his recently refurbished BMW, back to Sonya's place. We have the great fortune of reuniting with them once again before each of us heads out in strikingly different directions. Nic flies back to India on December 7th, Sonya leaves her teaching job and joins Maurice in Coober Pedy and Idalis and I continue our, dare I say, never ending journey! For us it will be off to the amazing city of Sydney where adventure surely awaits, but that is the subject of a future post. For now, let me get you all caught up.

6727.2 KM – Stop in Bowen for a pee break and take a picture of the giant rainbow colored mango.
6800.7 KM – Arrive at Island Gateway Caravan Park just in time to secure the perfect spot under a mango tree. Fruit bats and green ants abound. Awake to a much anticipated breakfast of fresh baked croissants with ham and cheese, seedless grapes and coffee.
6807.0 KM – Drop Nic off at Abel Point Pier with plenty of time to spare. Sit with her until the friendly cruise director shuffles the crew off to their sailing vessel.
6810.4 KM – Park under the sail shade structure and go into Coles to shop for groceries for the next couple of days. Good stuff in store.
6820.0 KM – Arrive back at camp and enjoy gargantuan sandwiches of ham and silverside (boiled beef) on kalamata olive loaf. Take an afternoon nap and then a dip in the pool. My immediate excitement is quelled when I realize that the water in the hot tub is not hot! Decide to walk into town and then decide to drive while on the way we see a winding road going up a hill as the sun is setting. Find the entrance to the road, but it is private. Oh well. Drive into town, go to a couple of internet cafes. One does not have connections for lap tops and the other is closing. So, settle for some WiFi time at old faithful, McDonald's. Back to camp for an amazing dinner of sauteed aubergine (eggplant), salad and grilled pork chops. Sleep well! Wake up to breakfast of French toast (made with French Bread!), peaches and kiwis. Do some laundry and walk into town, on a sidewalk, and right to the artificial lagoon (pool) which is conveniently located adjacent to the scenic bay. After seeing the warning sign, we surmise that the lagoon is in place to appease the locals and tourists during the summer months when the sea becomes rife with predators and small creatures (six varieties of jellyfish) that can induce horrific pain, or even death! After a few hours of sunning and swimming we stop at a book exchange, where oddly enough I am the one to walk away with a book, then McDonald's for a soft serve ice cream cone and a caramel and chocolate sundae and last, an internet cafe where you feed the computer coins, just not the 5 cent ones as it makes them angry. Dinner is a hit with mixed seafood marinara and egg fettuccini. Lots of wine to wash it all down.
6847.1 KM – Final day in Airlie Beach and not to be outdone we dine on a breakfast of tomato and cheese omelets, baguette and fresh fruit. Too bad we have to drive 800 kilometers today and can't just chillax!
6850.4 KM – Arrive at Abel Point Marina right on time to retrieve Nic from her blissful sailing adventure. The tank is full, the cooler stocked and we are on a mission to make it to Noosa Heads, a place with which I have had a mysterious fascination with for some time.
7552.7 KM – After over 700 kilometers, a portion of which was done in the dark on a kangaroo lined highway, we decide to pull over at a rest stop 37 kilometers out of Miriam Vale. We set up the large tent, no fly, and dine on cous cous and paneer vegetable masala. Next morning awake to a blazing sun, no fly to black it out, and break camp. Have a quick brekky while I feed the magpies Wheat Bix. One of them catches the pieces mid air. On road by 7:45 AM. Three hours till Noosa.
7670.3 KM – Find and promptly remove a tick from my head. WTF Mate!
7855.5 KM – Before getting to Noosa we decide to stop over in the suburb of Eumundi and happen to be right on time for the Wednesday market which boasts a dazzling variety crafts, clothes, food and alternative and new age remedies, products and services, such as massage, chiropractics, raki, shiatsu and fortune tellers. A cool place with some cool people
7878.1 KM – Arrive in Noosa Heads at the Noosa River Caravan Park. Shocked to find the campsite is more expensive than the previously more expensive campsite at Uluru. it is worth it though. Noosa is a beautiful beach side town famous for several right point breaks that attract the world's best longboarders. The points are all part of a national park that we hiked through, agreeing that the nude beach of Alexandria is the best. Visit the Noosa Long Board Shop and get some free stickers. It is incredibly windy which makes camping fun. We even get a healthy dose of rain on the last night. Once again, we will eat very well. The surf is not performing its magic, but the swimming and body surfing is great. Noosa is a magic little town with a great vibe and it is hard to leave our waterfront campsite right on the Noosa River with a view of the inlet.






7958.9 KM – Break camp and shake out the wet and sand infused gear. Take showers, eat breakfast and leave Noosa with a warm fuzzy feeling.
8209.7 KM – Arrive in a small town called Wonglepong in the Tamborine mountains where Nic's oldest brother, Roger, lives. His directions of turn right six minutes out of the previous town deliver us right to his driveway. He and his wife, Ros, welcome us warmly. They have a beautiful house that was trucked over in two pieces from a neighboring town and reassembled on their hillside property. Roger did most of the work himself and him and Ros lived in a small shack, now the workshop, for two years until the house was ready. We feel fortunate as they ask us to spend the evening just as the skies open and the rain begins to pour. We are happy to oblige. As they say, nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd. By the end of the night, eleven of us sit down to a dinner of pasta carbonara, prepared by Roger. In attendance were Ros and Roger, Ros's son Rhys, his wife Kirsty and their two kids, the neighbor Madonna, the border Cain and Nic, Idalis and I. (Hope everyone's name is spelled right!) Once again it was a great treat to be around such wonderful people and once again the night poured with conversation and spirits. The next morning we awoke to chattering birds, had a quick breakfast, a few more stories, a jump in the pool (for me), and then said our goodbyes and set off for the Gold Coast.




8263.9 KM – Arrive in Surfer's Paradise. There are some surfers, there is some surf, but it is not quite paradise. It's nice, it looks like a lot of fun and it is not fair to judge it from just a two hour stop over. Named Surfer's Paradise as a marketing ploy to attract tourists, it seems to have been successful. It is packed with tourists and things tourists like, such as bistros, cafes, shops, malls, and strip bars, blonde bombshells, golden tans and skimpy clothes. I didn't get a chance to surf, but we did enjoy a Turkish lunch of kebab and pide, got to practice our Turkish words with the owner and then have a Hugry Jack's (Burger King) soft serve ice cream cone dipped in chocolate magic shell.



8269.1 KM – Make Nic slam on the brakes and pull off the road when we see a welcome to Miami Beach sign. Miami Beach, Australia! Our beach is better, but they win for surf.



8275.8 KM – Stop at Burleigh Heads to check out the famous right point break.




8283.4 KM – Stop at Kirra to check out the famous Superbanks surf break, which is no longer so super due to dredging issues.



8289.8 KM – Stop at Durunbah to check out the famous break adjacent to the inlet. There is a junior surf competition in progress and the surf is going off!




8290.6 KM – Cross over from Queensland to New South Wales. Doesn't feel much different except that we lost one hour as the clocks had to be set forward because Queensland does not observe day light savings and New South Wales does.
8352.1 KM – After a short scour of the town, we decide to pitch camp at Byron Bay Tourist Village. It is a short distance out of the main town but much cheaper for a tent site. After camp is set we stroll into town to have a look around and a dip in the ocean. At first site we are very impressed. The bay is beautiful, the water crystal clear and a nice right hand wave peels off the point. While sitting in the sand admiring our surroundings, a familiar face pops into view. It is Robb, from Canada, that we met in Port Douglas. We catch up, have a few laughs and share a six pack as we decide to meet the following day, after his parachute jump, to climb up to the lighthouse. The girls and I say goodbye for now and head to Wooly's (Woolworth's; everything in Australia has a nickname) and pick up a few groceries. It is salad, roo steaks and mashed potatoes for dinner that night.
8354.6 KM – Stop at Nomad's Hostel and pick up Robb for our morning hike.
8356.3 KM – Park at entrance to Cape Byron Headland Preserve walking track. Robb was bubbling (overflowing) with adrenaline and excitement at his earlier accomplishment of skydiving from 14,000 feet. So, our 5 kilometer, 5 hour walk around the beautiful rain forest and headland lookouts did little to tire him. The overcast day turned into bright and intense sun and we all got some color. The waves were looking much better today, despite what an older local couple that I met said about it being too small and too crowded. I explained that it was all a matter of perspective as I was coming from Miami and we dreamed of days like this and when we got them, there would be 200 people in the water. They then agreed that they live in paradise! I hope to rent a board tomorrow.






8358.7 KM – It was a long night. The rain was heavy, intense and lasted until morning with very few breaks. The magical tent held up incredibly. We were lucky to set up in a high spot of the camp, unlike many others who were completely flooded. The constant deluge, however, did flood out even the high spots and water did eventually begin to weep in through the floor of our tent. We did our best to get everything up off the floor and wipe up the growing puddles. A very damp and restless sleep. The following day was not much better as the cloud cover and rain continued.
8366.1 KM – Drive in to town and use the rainy day to catch up on internet. After four hours traces of sun began to emerge. So, we grabbed some meat pies, a sausage roll and some pastries and had a picnic at Watego Beach. The wind was up and the waves were choppy so I took a chance and decided to save a surf for the following day. That night we met up with Nic and our new friend Iain, from Brisbane via England, and had chicken butter masala and cous cous for dinner.
8381.4 KM – Awaking to sunny skies, I thought it best to give the tents a final wash down as this would more than likely be the last of our camping and we wanted them returned to their rightful owners in better shape than we received them. Also cleaned up and organized the car. But, after that it was off to find a board for hire and then to the beach. I got lucky and found a fiberglass 5'10” quad fish which was heaps better than the NSP pop outs most shops had on offer. We decided on Watego Beach as it had shade for the girls and some lefts for me. Iain and I paddled out together but were soon separated by the strong current. I got lucky enough to stay put right off the point and enjoyed a full three hours of water park like conditions with crystal clear water, sunny skies and large forgiving waves with miles of face and no one else around. After turning my arms to mush, it was off to return the board and prepare an amazing meal of burritos. We had all been craving Mexican food. It was an early evening as we all drifted off to sleep exhausted and with full bellies.




8420.2 KM – Wake up early and break camp for the last time. Today we attempt to make it into Sydney. All the equipment is cleaned and packed one last time. The cooler is virtually empty, with the exception of today's lunch. A shower is immediately followed by a breakfast of ham and cheese croissants. We say goodbye to all the friends we made in the caravan park, most importantly Iain and then head out for a long day of driving.
8907.9 KM – Stop for lunch and fuel up at the Taree rest stop. Sit at the McDonald's tables outside and make a salad with leftovers and eat the last three cans of tuna (yah!). Rethinking our strategy, we decide to reserve a campsite in a national park just outside of Sydney for the evening. We will break out the camping gear one last time and do all we can to keep it from getting dirty! In the morning, talk to Nic's brother Maurice who confirms we are on for a reunion in Wollongong.
9201.8 KM – Arrive, after hours, 14 kilometers outside of Sydney at the Lane Cove River Tourist Park. Summon the attending ranger who has already hit the sauce, but was lucid enough to give us a map, a code to the security gate and directions to the grocery store. Set up one tent, no fly, no frills, and prepare a late night stir fry.
9223.6 KM – Pack up, eat pancakes and head out.
9336.5 KM – Arrive in Warrawong, just outside of Wollongong, at Sonya's apartment after a motorcycle escort from the middle of the city by Nic's brother Maurice. Have a quick snack and catch up while waiting for Sonya to return home from work. Once she does, we head out, in her car, to see the Nan Tien Temple, the largest Buddhist temple in the southern hemisphere. It is big, beautiful, peaceful, reminds us of Asia and its toilets flush in the opposite direction! Then, it is on to “Big W” so Maurice can buy a pair of shorts and Idalis can play with all the electronic singing Christmas toys. Followed by a stop at the fruit and veg market, fish market and finally the bottle shop for a case of Heiney's! Sonya prepares an amazing paella dish and we eat and drink to oblivion. Everyone is zonked so we head off to sleep.





9341.2 KM – After a quick brekky and saying our goodbyes to Maurice and Sonya, we load up in the Nissan one last time and get dropped off at the Port Kembla railway station. We unload our gear and say our goodbyes. One chapter has ended and another begins. Nic will press on towards Melbourne today and we will hope to arrive in Sydney, pick up the surfboard and find accommodations. Feels weird to have packs on our backs again, but will feel good to sleep in an actual bed.

This was an amazing adventure and an incredible opportunity. We owe much of this experience to the Lorenz family for shipping us, hauling us, keeping us and feeding us. They exemplify the Australian spirit of generosity, freedom and fun. We thank you all (Nic, Manfred, Maurice, Sonya, Roger, Ros, Eva and Nick)!

Australia is amazing wildlife, breathtaking scenery, overwhelming kindness, free spiritedness, diverse culture, rich history, vast distances and we did it all and it was, “S'ALL RIIIIIGHT!