The coast

Lire l’original en français

Here we are at last. It’s true, the first two weeks here were filled with bureaucratic red tape and procedure, but this third week in Australia really feels like travel. It will have taken us about twenty days, but we finally are at the point where the notion of time no longer has meaning. We eat when we’re hungry, we stop for sleep when it’s near dark (just before kangaroos come out of the woods and become a real hazard on the roads). The only indications of a weekday are school crosswalks blinking on schooldays.

Our whereabouts are very random and we let ourselves be guided by the wind and advices from people who randomly cross our path. A simple conversation with the Mountain Food Coop’s cashier sent us on a 300 km journey to the coast, in a small touristless village where you can find some of the best beaches of all New South Wales. The day after, discussing with a garage sale proprietor, we found out about a free flight festival opening the next day, two villages north, where tens of paragliders, hang-gliding and long-range radio-guided airplane fans would meet. The day after that, while taking advantage of their free wireless Internet service, we were having a conversation on Quebec politics with the notorious Ronald McDonald who was brightening up the day for children during the annual McHappy Day. Every day, the universe is sending us its share of surprises and up till now, they are for the most part, positive.

Notwithstanding its delay at the start line, Shocker is coming back in force. The last 800 km were driven without concern, and we have always found a safe haven to dock for the night. So much so, that for the last 25 days, we only had to pay for one night stay under a roof and it was on my birthday so it was more for the luxury than anything else. Fuel is rather expensive here, but since this is our only spending, our travel-expenses are kept rather low. Most definitely, we will have enough money when we arrive at the Great Barrier Reef to allow ourselves the indulgence of a few boat outings in less frequented reefs! So it’s in that perspective that we finally started our journey to the Far North. It’s strange to say, but in the southern hemisphere, it’s the way to the Tropic. Vegetation has already started to change, birds are not quite the same and I definitely get the impression we’re heading in the right direction.

See HER view
See His and Hers Pictures