Day one was LONG! It kind of spanned three days, well, at least two. We left on Wednesday (PST) and flew up to Vancouver BC on order to fly for 15 hours and arrived in Sydney on their Friday (but really still Thursday in Washington).
We did manage to get about seven mostly uninterrupted hours of sleep on the plane – which has to be a record for us. This sleep really did help in trying to re-set our internal clocks. I was morning when we arrived in Sydney which seemed kind of normal after being in the dark plane and getting some sleep.
We went through the long lines in customs, picked up our luggage (thankful it made it!) and went to find our rental car. Fortunately we got our travel surprise at the beginning of the trip, and things were smooth sailing from here on.
As we found our car, the excitement really set in. We were in Australia! It took a few minutes to adjust to being on the opposite side of the car and road. Blake drove, and adapted very quickly. I’ll admit that I didn’t adapt so quickly. I was sitting, as a passenger, on the side of the car that I normally drive on. So many times I moved my foot for the brake that wasn’t there, but most of all, I tried to look in the mirrors (mostly for vain reasons) and they weren’t pointed toward me. The mirrors tripped me out the most because it’s a total habit to pop my head up and check out my hair in the rearview mirror, but when all I could see was the reflection of what was flying by outside Blake’s window – it made me a little car sick. I also haven’t quite gotten used to seeing cars come around the corner in what ‘should be’ my lane, messes with my mind a little each time. Blake said it’s easier to get used to when you are actually driving, but does startle him a little from time to time.
So we pretty much got out of the city right away, Blake didn’t want to risk getting lost. We headed down the coast, choosing to take the scenic coastal highway, following the Grand Pacific Drive map for the four-ish hour drive down to our resort.
It was gorgeous! It was very much Seattle kind of weather (its winter here), a little overcast and drizzly from time-to-time, but the beaches and sights were amazing.
We stopped a few times to hike up to a look out and took some pictures. We also stopped in one of the little coastal towns and had some fish and chips. We didn’t get out of the car too much, or for too long, because it was pretty chilly and we weren’t dressed for winter – yet. Everyone else was wearing full on parkas and scarves, and here’s us in t-shirts.
We drove through beach town, after beach town until the towns became fewer and the farms more frequent. We are really out in the country down here (not the outback though). We saw hundreds of cows, and some strange birds, but nothing too exciting for wildlife (i.e., no kangaroos yet – although we did see a few ‘kangaroo crossing’ signs!).
We got checked in to our ‘resort’ and surveyed the accommodations. It is a little on the rustic side, but is nicely kept and clean. The countryside is gorgeous, we are right on a lake (or is it a river?) and close to the ocean. It is basically in the middle of nowhere and we find ourselves wondering why they have a resort in this location. However, it is nearly full! So there must be a reason. Mostly Australians are here for a getaway, but I am surprised by how many are here… in the winter!
We went out to dinner at a cute little café – where on Fridays you get a free bottle of wine if you buy two entrées, and chatted with some of the locals. We also felt pretty tired and gross at this point, so we didn’t chat too much or too closely ;).
Our final task was to go grocery shopping, which was a struggle at this point because at 6:00 pm it was dark out, and we were getting tired! We managed to get some necessities (like a French press coffee maker since the resort only has a tea pot – does this say addicts or what) and sorted out some meal plans for the week. We arrived back ‘at home’ a little after seven and were in bed by 7:30.
Which of course means I am awake writing this now at 4:30 AM ;). Hopefully, I’ll be able to fall back asleep for a nap until daylight.
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| These are our excited faces! |
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| Seven Mile Beach |
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| Another beach.. I forgot which one... there are hundreds! |
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| This is for my 'mum' so she knows where I'm laying my head at night :) |
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| The view from our condo. |
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