c-e-d.net:Ced's blog

After a second night in the camping surrounded by skyscrapers we checked out at 10am, we went for a swim in the swimming pool of the camp site, and went to Safeway in order to get ice and food for lunch. As we cooked we met some Australians who advised us to go have a look at Nimbin, a hippy town in NSW. Finally we headed off late and arrived at the caravan park at Woodgate (350kms over Brisbane) at 11pm. We chose the caravan park because the camp site in the national park was only 4WD accessible and Nozomi was exhausted after our 400kms journey. We were lucky that the manager in the caravan park was awake (usually Australians go to bed before 10pm!) in order to give us a good cabin for only $50.

Cairns, our final destination...

We woke up at 10am, packed up and were ready at 12pm. We went to the beach until 4pm. I tried to fish there but the current was too strong and brought my sinker back to the beach all the time. We walked up the Red Rock (called like that because of the blood poored during a massacre, giving at the same time the name to the town), played with the waves (very strong) and met an aboriginal woman who warned Nozomi that I should not swim too far because the under currents bring you far from the beach and smash you then back to the rocks close to the sea cliff. Indeed, Nozomi told me that I started to be dragged away before calling me. I took a shower and we hit the road at 5pm. We arrived at the Gold Coast at 10pm, under the rain. The camp site was difficult to find because the Gold Coast is mainly a resort, a city.

 Abo kids

We woke up at 11am, assuming that the car will not be ready this time! I called, nobody answered, we went then there at 1pm and were surprised to hear that the car was fixed. We exchanged the yens Nozomi brought with to pay the mechanics and came back to the motel. The car was doing a weird noise and water was still coming from the muffler. I went back straight to the mechanic who tried to make some adjustments but nothing changed: he just told me to clean up a part of the carburettor. We loaded the car and left at 6pm from Taree to settle down one hour drive away from the town and camped in Crowdy bay national park. The site was difficult to find but very clean and close to the beach. The air was very humid and everything was flooded on the way to the national park.

We brought the car to the garage where they told us that it could take up to Friday and cost more than $1,000. We looked for another motel close by the repair shop and we went shopping. I started to have stomach ache – I was suspecting the muddy tasted tape water being responsible of it. It was still raining considerably, which explained all the flooding we could see on the way.

We woke up at 11.30am because we did not hear the alarm. We went to see Linda at her workplace close by at 12.30pm and said her bye. We hit the road at 2pm. I drove under the rain and stopped around 6pm for a car check – I lost more than 2L of water. We decided to camp in the Myall Lakes national park close to Tea Garden, just before dawn. We finished to settle down at 9pm and enjoyed a good fire until 1am. We saw a dingo as well as wild turkeys and many transparent spiders.

 Oz way to cook

 Alone in the bush