The Big Road Trip of 2011 - Part 1

We have been having a great time on our road trip and though I have wanted to have been blogging the whole way, internet access has been at a minimum and wifi has not been my friend. I wasted a good 45 mins at a Macca’s on the way up trying to get onto blogger and write a post and it just didn’t want to co-operate with me, once in Brisbane I thought it would be much easier but again there was so many people to visit and it just got pushed to the side again. So now I am sitting in the car having just past Moree NSW, on our way to Dubbo and I am writing up my posts in word and when I get some decent internet access I will post them all at once.

Some week one high-lights were (other than all the "BIG" things we past pictured above):  

   

Daylesford – Lots of lovely shops to look in and a Makers Market to browse, I bought some gorgeous prints by Jedda Robaard which will go in the girls bedrooms. I also bought some gorgeous carved soapstone hearts which are just beautiful.  Visited Lark which I had been looking forward to and there were lots of lovely things to look at. The weather was freezing however and as we had packed for a mainly tropical getaway, we were lacking in the warm clothes department and the single digit temperatures were a little too cold to bear.

Mornington – Spent a lovely few days with my sister on the peninsula, got to do some running and eat some healthy meals and she really does live in a beautiful part of the country. Had an afternoon shopping at Chadstone which was a shopper’s paradise, would have liked to have been childless and had a really good look around but maybe I will be able to do that next time.

Canberra – The cold weather came with us to Canberra as well and it was at this point that I was glad I had thrown in some jumpers and jackets as it was a little more icy than we expected. I am sure the locals thought I was nuts when I headed out for my run at 6:30am with a singlet top and bike pants on. I passed many a beanie and glove clad local and I am sure my skin was not just red from the exercise but also from the freezing temperatures! Found a really neat circular track that was 500m around and had measurements marked every 10 metres, was great for doing my 1 km time trial. Floriade was spectacular and the colours of the flowers were just amazing. The kids really enjoyed it too and also loved the reptile display and the circus tent. India was fascinated with the snake that was available for touching except she just wanted to keep grabbing the head – no fear! On our way out of Canberra we drove around the streets where all the consulates and foreign embassies are located and it was so interesting looking at all the different architecture of the different countries residences, would have loved to have seen inside some of them, the yank one took up a whole block and had so much security.

The rest of the first week was spent driving up the NSW coast and into QLD, we had a brief stop in Sydney for dinner and a quick catch up with the MIL and then overnighted in possibly the worst accommodation available in Gosford, this was not before Stella vomited in the car on a section of the road where we could just not pull over on and then after thinking we would have enough fuel to make it all the way to Gosford and there being a few diversions to inspect the vomit situation and hand out towels and wipes etc, and then having to double back to get on the right side of the highway after those incidences and ZERO highway service stations between Hornsby and Gosford meant that we rolled into Gosford with the fuel range advising  1 km left to drive before we ran out of fuel. Needless to say I was a little stressed as the driver on that leg, I really did not want to be running out of fuel on the pacific highway at 10 o’clock at night in the pitch black with 4 kids in the car and only the hundreds of road trains as travelling companions! Next day we made it to Coffs Harbour and again I got to have a good run in the morning before heading off on the final days driving. It was a little slow going as we were diverted just after Ballina due to an accident and after a quick stop at Pacific Fair for a little shopping, we made it to BRISBANE!!!