Road Trip

Goodbye Brisbane

We left Brisbane and saw the beginning of our road trip from the Sunshine State to the Victorian city of Melbourne. It is indeed a feat to want to cover the whole length of the eastern coast across three states but we could not resist the golden opportunity of seeing the country in its original state and catching some breathless landscape along the way.
Dad kept on saying he loves physical geography whereas I love the human part. Esther asked how come two people of such different inclinations can end up together. Well, it proves the point that unlike poles attract.
We also had to travel by road cos the amount of luggage Grace collected through a period of 24 months was just ...she needs 4 people to bring it across the ocean to home.

Day 5 started wet and we had to accomplish a journey of about 8 hours on the road to reach our destination for the day - Newcastle. We gathered together for a family prayer and beseeched the Lord to grant us journey mercies in our travels.

A wet day

The Australian map tells us that Byron Bay is a must along the way , so dad directed while Grace drove. All along the Pacific Highway, reminders to drivers on safe driving came on in these ways:

Speeding...No one is thinking big of you.
How fast are you going now
Rest
Stop
Revive
Survive

One commendable feature about the long distance drivers...they are very obedient. Hardly could we find a driver guilty of speeding and we just had to behave like them. And never has one seen Grace being so obedient. So you see...you like a country cos of the way the people behave and the culture set.
Also all along this part of the highway , we saw sugar cane fields and sugar mills as Queensland has always caught the attention of the world in her sugar production operations.

Upon hitting the outskirts of Byron Bay, a famous tourist retreat, banners carrying messages like ' The drain is just for rain ' speaks volumes.

Byron town. Being a tourist spot the eateries here are on the higher end.

Byron Bay is breathtaking.

The path leading to the highest point of the Bay

The lighthouse has been there since 1901 and I am sure it had been a help to sea navigators and travelers...just as what LIGHT is meant to do...to guide.

A family photo with the lighthouse in the background

The bay is a surfer's paradise. The sandy beach is a haven to beach lovers. After this I wonder why the Australians bother to travel to any part of the world for beach fun. Dad told me that the Australian shores maybe the grounds of sharks , a reason why they may not be safe for beach combers.



Byron Bay is the most easterly point of Australia and must surely be an important point for trade and war.
But the view is simply speechless. It reminded me of the lyrics of a song which says "You say it best when you say nothing at all".

We still had to leave cos time was catching up fast and we had to continue the journey down south.
Of course the physical geography lover insisted that we reach another important landmark - Coff's Harbour...from a bay to a harbour...equally majestic.





Coff's Harbour, obviously a fishing village is sweet and serene. The cool weather adds appeal to tourists and a whale show is constantly available for sightseers.

Next, the journey took another 3 hours or so...altogether we were on the road for about 8 hours before we finally reached Stockton, a town across Newcastle by 5 minutes of ferry ride at 7.30pm. Thank God the day was still bright enough.

Well, the evening ended really well with us putting up in B & B setup with lovely rooms and a 5 star toilet. Esther took a bath that lasted for more than half an hour and went ranting...Mama I have never been so clean!

Grace making sure we were at the right place

A lovely toilet...Spa feeling...

The couple, Ron nad Beverly were warm people and made us feel really comfortable. It was like home away from home.

The evening ended with us having pizza at an outlet across the bridge in Newcastle and a good night's rest.

A good day we had...day 5