And we're finally on the road.
The odometer soon after we started the journey. We started at 234,000 kms.
The first leg of our drive took us to Coffs Harbour, New South Wales. Tara had been there before for Surf Fest, but it was my first visit to the home of the world's biggest banana. Tara was very excited to show me all sights. She spoke highly of a surf shop with great deals on clothes but we were sadly disappointed to find the store moved to a new location and the stellar prices didn't go with it.
Before we made it to Coffs, we stopped at the Macadamia Castle where we finally found a knight in shining armour tall enough for an Evans girl.
Coffs is beautiful and we stayed at a campground right by the ocean. This meant evening and early morning swims. We camped next door to the three odd men who each enjoyed a casual stroll around their site to take a look at us. This was our first taste of a stranger's curiosity of the travelling sisters.
After our evening swim we discovered we had a new set of neighbours on the other side of our camp. A boy and girl who returned neither a smile or word to us. What was most odd about this couple was their conversation to each other. When we first arrived near them they spoke in English but as soon as it appeared that Tara and I were there to stay they switched to German. For those of you who don't know, I speak German myself and we therefore found it entertaining that we could still understand what was going on. Don't get excited though; they certainly didn't say anything worth hearing. We remained intrigued by them nonetheless. They were an odd looking pair and spoke like they were on a first date which kept Tara and I listening from our tent like any respectable neighbour would do. Our conclusion to the odd couple was only this: neither was a real German, for neither could actually speak proper German and they hadn't known each other long, which would make for an awkward night of small tent sharing.
Our home for the following month kindly donated by our dear roommate Inara's family. You just might notice that the air mattress I am laying on is just a bit too big for the tent. This discovery led to some exciting stories to come. But for this night, we let our feet hang out in the fresh air.
Now for my favourite memory from Coffs Harbor. As Tara and I strolled the beach in the morning, collecting seashells by the seashore, we were pleased to see some surfers out. On our route back a surfer came out of the water and walked up to us excited with his new find - what he suspected was the remains of a small shark jaw. He took quite the interest in Tara and pretended to bite her with the shark jaw. He also told us of some great place down the road we should see and that he could meet us there in another 45 minutes. Had we not needed to move along further in our journey Tara might have known true love that day. Oh well, he had a few years on her and wreaked of alcohol anyway...
Some sights from day 1
Tara titles this photo "Classic Bogan Ute". You might care to note the licence plate for the full effect.
Me driving for the first time in a manual and on the left hand side of the road. This was NOT a pleasant experience. I have not yet driven since the trip.
Tara's first pair of sunnies. I have much to say about Tara and her sunnies...just you wait.
Because of Rosie's age we were not blessed with certain comforts one might find in newer cars. The lack of cruise control led to some major foot discomfort at times. A folded pillowcase made for a temporary solution to Tara's heel pain early on in the trip.
Alright, I think that's all I've got for now. I'll let Tara introduce you to the fun in our next stop - Sydney!
Those bananas don't looks so large. I'm not overwhelmed.
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