My Month With Momma

February was the greatest month of my travels yet. 

Mostly because I had the greatest travelling companion, but also because we got to see more of the off-the-beaten-track places. And Australia has a lot of those!!

Warning: this will be a long one! There is a LOT to talk about, but I’ll break it up with lots of pictures, just to make it easier reading (and to make you jealous).

Monday 1^st February: Melbourne. The Reunion.

There was a long and complicated issue with Mom’s phone which meant that we weren’t able to get in touch with each other after she left England. After a lot of panicking from both of us, she finally managed to send me an email from my email account as she was bringing my laptop to me. We were finally reunited at Southern Cross Station in Melbourne, and what a reunion it was! We were giggling and hugging for so long, and neither of us knew where to begin. It had been almost 8 whole months since we saw each other. 

We headed up to our 32^nd floor apartment arm in arm like, well like long lost family, and cracked open the bubbly which we drank on the balcony. I can’t describe how good it feels to see your oldest friend after so much time has passed.

Tuesday 2^nd and Wednesday 3^rd February: Melbourne. The Laid Back City.

We spent 2 days exploring the city, and marvelling at the street art and the laid back vibe in Melbourne. There are so many quirky places with sculptures and colours everywhere. Lots of vegetarian places to eat too, I have been sorely missing good veggie food!

Thursday 4^th February: Melbourne – Lorne. The Adventure Begins.

After a tortuous walk, almost an hour with our backpacks weighing us down, we picked up our campervan, a Spaceship called Draco. He was old and more than a little bit dated, but he never broke down on us – even though the battery clicked throughout the night and we didn’t think he would start up every morning.

We headed out of town towards the Great Ocean Road, and made our first stop in Torquay, home of the Australian National Surfing Museum. Of course I dragged Mom in!

Stopped off at Bells Beach, one of the most famous surf spots in Australia, where many world famous surfers have made their mark. And then on to the Great Ocean Road, where the road hugs the cliff side and every corner brings a new breathtaking view.

Stopped for the evening in Lorne, a pretty little quiet town on the ocean. 

Friday 5^th February: Lorne – Rosebud, Mornington Peninsular. The Night Of The Black Swans.

Spent a gorgeous morning at Lorne Foreshore. Walking along the pier we spotted a giant Manta Ray gliding through the water just underneath us.

And we made the heart wrenching decision not to continue on the Great Ocean Road. There just wasn’t time, and we were travelling away from our final destination in Brisbane. It was very hard to peel ourselves away, but that’s a trip for next time! We stopped at Teddy’s lookout for one final view before turning back.

Stopped off at Erskine Falls, a stunning walk through the forest to a waterfall that looked as though it should have been in Lord of the Rings. It would have been a hundred times more magical if there hadn’t been another dozen people there, but you gotta take what you can get. Things got real when we saw a big snake sunning himself on the rocks.

Caught the Searoad Ferry from Queenscliffe to Sorento and skipped out a good couple of hundred miles. Pulled into a little campsite on Rosebud Foreshore, and parked about 10 metres from the beach. When we got out onto the beach we discovered dozens of black swans grazing in the shallow water as the tide was out. It was magical. Mom set up our camp table and chairs while I went and picked up an Indian takeaway from the town. Delicious food with a spectacular view – won’t forget that one in a hurry!

  

Saturday 6^th February: Rosebud – Ventnor, Phillip Island, The Penguin Parade.

Thousands of Little Penguins live on Phillip Island. They spend their days in the ocean and at sunset they return to their burrows in the sand dunes. And there’s a spot at Summerland Beach where you can go and watch them. They are such funny little things! They come out of the water one by one and hide in the seaweed at the shoreline, waiting until there is a crowd of them. And then suddenly one makes a break for it and starts waddling up the beach, with the others following and jostling to stay in the pack. It was amazing, especially walking along the boardwalk between the dunes and seeing them all chilling outside of their burrows, calling to one another. They might be small, but they are loud!!

You are not allowed to take photos, but you can see them here http://www.penguins.org.au

Sunday 7^th February: Ventnor – Wilson’s Promontory. Into The Wild.

First we explored The Nobbies, a rock formation with a giant blowhole at the tip of Phillip Island, keeping our eyes peeled for penguins. Saw a big fluffy baby curled up in his burrow, but all the others were out hunting.

  

Then a 123km drive to Wilson’s Promontory National Park. Driving down through the forest was so beautiful! Signposts for beaches and lookouts every hundred meters and no other vehicles to mar the view. Until we got to Tidal River. More people at the campsite, but it was big and spread out and we picked a secluded spot by the river. Explored Squeaky Beach; the onyx in the sand makes it squeak beneath your feet as you walk.

Tidal River ran through the beach, and the sand was flanked by gigantic perfectly round boulders. It was surreal.

Sleeping out in the bush, you get a lot of visitors. We saw a lot of birds, cockatoos, parrots, lorakeets, and we saw our first wombat. While we were sitting drinking a glass of wine as night was beginning to fall he just ambled out of the bush, wandered in circles for a while, grazing on the grass, and then headed straight towards us. Not disturbed by our presence at all, he came within touching distance as he had a good ol’ scratch against the open door of the van.

Monday 8^th February: Wilson’s Promontry – Eden. The Day We Almost Ran Out Of Petrol In The Middle Of Nowhere.

The next morning as we were breakfasting beside the river a familiar face  wandered over the bridge towards us. The water was incredibly beautiful, stained a reddish brown from the tannins of all the teatree.

A long drive to Eden. 750km. We were headed to Jervis Bay, a further 300km, but the drive really took it out of us.

We stopped for lunch beside a river at Lakes Entrance, another beautiful place – surprised? Mom got to see her first pelican and we spotted some darters too; thanks to the guidebook of Australian birds we picked up in Wilson’s Prom. Mom also thinks she saw a small croc crossing the road, and I wouldn’t be surprised, we drove through the middle of 3 or 4 adjoining National Parks. The biggest one was Croajingolong, stretching miles and miles. There were no signs when we entered saying ‘No petrol station for 100 miles’, so we cruised in to small town station on fumes and celebrated with icecreams and the promise we would never let the gas go below half a tank again!

Tuesday 9^th February: Eden – Husskison, Jervis Bay. The Night That Wasn’t In Booderee.

Another long journey, 317km today. We were headed for Booderee National Park but we got there after the park had closed and didn’t want to get a fine parking up without approval. So we headed further north to Huskisson, a small town further round the bay. Checked into our first holiday park, and it was pretty horrendous. Caravans parked up within meters of each other on bare concrete, no space, no greenery. We were spoilt in the National Parks, and came back to civilisation with a bump.

Wednesday 10^th February: Booderee National Park. Back To The Wilderness.

We parked up in our little slice of heaven and met our new neighbours, Momma and Joey. They were very curious, and would come within meters of us. Momma even stuck her head right into my momma’s while she was sat at the table behind the van.

 

Thursday 11^th February: Booderee. Lazy Days in Paradise.

Spent the day relaxing on a gorgeous empty beach. We didn’t see a single person for hours at a time.

Friday 12^th February: Booderee – Richmond, Sydney. A Busy Ol’ Day.

 An early start to drive to Sydney. I gave Mom the grand tour, taking her through the streets, Hyde Park, down to Circular Quay, caught the ferry across to Luna Park and walked back over the Harbour Bridge. By that time we were done, and we’d seen enough of Sydney. After visiting Melbourne and loving it so much, I can’t understand why I spent so much time in Sydney! While Melbourne is very laid back and relaxed, Sydney is always on the go with people rushing everywhere. It feels unwelcoming and hurried. And far too busy.

Saturday 13^th February: Blue Mountains. Note To Self, Avoid Tourist Attractions.

The Blue Mountains are an incredibly beautiful, scenic wonderland. And unfortunately for us we decided to go to the Skyworld area. More unfortunately. We went on a weekend. There are 3 attractions; the world’s steepest train, a cable car, and a skywalk. Which all sound great, until you factor in the que. There were thousands of tourists there, and we had to que for minimum of 30 minutes for each ‘ride’. The rides themselves were fantastic – I can now say I have gone down a mountainside at a 50degree angle, walked across a glass floor over a huge canyon, and ridden a cable car through some of the most stunning forest in the world. I can also say I wasted a lot of my day listening to overly loud conversations, being pushed and knocked into, and standing around getting more and more frustrated.

The quieter areas produced a much nicer experience. We even saw the Superb Lyrebird!

Sunday 14^th February: Richond, Sydney – Port Stephens. The Day That Sort Of Wasn’t.

After an early start we tried to stop in Newcastle for breakfast. Driving through on the Greyhound bus, I’d seen Newcastle to be a beautiful ocean side town. Turns out I was wrong. We drove 25km out of our way to find skysrapers and traffic. Very disappointing.

Carried on and finally arrived in Port Stephens, and this WAS a pretty little ocean town. We spent our Valentines Date Night with fish and chips on the beach, looking out for dolphins, but we didn’t see any, just a beautiful sunset.

Monday 15^th February: Port Stephens. Jill Day.

Today’s incredible day was courtesy of Darling Aunty Jill. We decided we needed a bit of cheering up after yesterday’s slightly disappointing day, so decided to utilise the $ my wonderful aunt sent me. And boy was it worth it!

We boarded a catamaran yacht and spent an hour sailing through dolphin infested waters. The boat had a netting at the front that you could lie in, so you got within meters of them. They rode the waves at the bow, and swam underneath the boat, jumping out of the water and playing around. It was absolutely breathtaking.

Then we arrived at Cabbage Tree Island. Well, near it. The island is a protected reserve for seabirds, including little penguins, and it is forbidden to set foot on the island, or to anchor within 12meters. Put on snorkels and fins and dived in – or in Mom’s case, eased in slowly. And what a feast for the eyes!!!! As a sea eagle soared overhead I saw so many different types of fish, with such intense colours. I saw a Wollongong Shark, a Flathead, and even a Sting Ray. I got handed a Sea Urchin, which is possibly the most interesting creature I have ever seen. Each of it’s spines move independently, and it can shuffle them and walk along. Underneath it has a huge gaping purplish mouth, but no eyes I could see.

Sailing back, we both had a chance to steer the yacht and I got to help the helm jibe. Would definitely love to do some more sailing!

In the afternoon we went to the Jervis Bay Golf Course and met Kangeroo Phil. He took us off in a little golf buggy (Uncle Dave would be proud) and drove us around the course, which was swarming with kangaroos. The golf course has been cut from the forest, and in doing so created ‘Kangaroo Heaven’. They love to lie in the bunkers and flick the sand over themselves to keep the March Flies away. It was very surreal. Phil gave us lots of information about them, about the research that is going on and how they breed – there is a great situation with The Alpha Male and Number 4. The Alpha fights his way to glory and gets to mate with all the females. But recent data has shown that there are a lot of joeys fathered by another male. Not the 2^nd or 3^rd, but Number 4, a relatively weedy, weak ‘roo. It seems that while the Alpha is fighting off Number 2 and 3, his closest competitors, Number 4 sneaks in and mates with the females! Sneaky!

Tuesday 16^th February: Port Stephens – Crescent Heads. A Long Long Drive.

On the road bright and early for a very long, monotonous drive towards Crescent Head. Stopped in Port Macquarie for lunch and a nice stroll along the colourful break wall. Then spent the afternoon dozing on the beach in Port Stephens. It’s very tiring all the sun and driving…

Wednesday 17^th February: Crescent Heads – Nambucca Head. The Veggie Burger Dream.

Spent another wonderful morning walking along a beach, then sitting and watching the surfers. Had an incredible veggie burger for lunch – I know this isn’t exciting to most people but an amazing veggie burger is hard to find,  and this one was a chia patty with curry leaf daal and yogurt!

Then drove just a short way to Nambucca Head, which is – you guessed it – ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL PLACE!

Thursday 18^th February: Nambucca Head – Lennox Head. Walking In The Sky.

Headed off to Lennox Head today, but our first stop was Dorrigo National Park. Walked out along the skywalk which leads to a lookout over the rainforest canopy. Walked through the trails as quietly a we could, hoping to see a koala or somebody else exciting. We spotted a Red Necked Paramelon, a small wallaby like creature with a face a bit like a mouse. And a giant lizard which we think is called a Lace Monitor, if the signs mean anything.

Friday 19^th February: Lennox Head – Byron Bay. Tea Tree And A Perfect Town.

Started the day with a swim in Ainsworth Lake, which our van looked out over. It is stained with the tea tree tannins. The water feels so soft and it’s great for your skin.

And then to Byron Bay. What a great place, just my kinda town. Small, but not too small. Full of surfers, surf shops and cool cafes and bars. The beaches have great waves, though they are pretty busy as Byron is ‘the place to be’. So I thought I’d get my bearings with a swim before going out tomorrow.

Saturday 20^th February: Byron Bay. Too Many Steps.

Booked in to a sea turtle and dolphin kayaking trip, but it a cancelled because the waves were quite choppy. =( So instead he hiked up to Cape Byron lighthouse. I counted 506 steps, though I think there were more. The best time to go is at sunrise, but we didn’t quite make that. Instead we got there for coffee time – Mom loved having coffee in a different incredible location each day, and this one was no let down with views over the cliffs and down to the beaches and Byron below. It is the most easterly point in Australia.

In the afternoon I hit the surf at The Pass. It’s a great wave that peels around the headland and you can ride for a long time, maybe 20 seconds, all the way from the point down to the white water. It’s busy though, so you’ve got to be good at manoeuvring around people.

Bundaberg rum and coke, and a spritzer on the beach as the sun went down, and we got quite silly, giggy with excitement from such a great few weeks.

Sunday 21^st February: Byron Bay – Alexandra Headland. Back To The Sunshine Coast.

After a horrendous coffee stop in Surfer’s Paradise – high rise buildings, heavy traffic and a 20minute wait for a cup of coffee is nobody’s paradise – we arrived at Alexandra Headland in the Sunshine Coast, home of the wonderful Saffron, Ian and Sofia.

After a delicious lunch out on the back deck we headed out to a rainforest boardwalk and completely coincidently bumped into Uncle Tony sat on a bench reading his book. We walked up to the waterfall, and Lindi joined us too, before we headed back to the house for dinner. Sofia and her boyfriend Dan joined us too for a really lovely family meal.

And then we watched The Walk, a film about Frenchman Philipp Petit and his dream to walk a high wire between the Twin Towers. It was incredible – if you get the chance, watch it!

Monday 22^nd February: Alexandra Headland - Brisbane. Lost In Brisbane.

Best way to start the day? Boogie boarding at 6:30am. And breakfast and hot chocolate at the Surf Club.

And then we drove back to Brisbane to return Draco, our old, but (relatively) reliable camprvan. Had an air b’n’b booked for the last few nights, so headed there first so we didn’t have to carry our bags back into town on public transport. That was the most horrendous journey EVER. I think we both almost cried Brisbane is full of ring roads and one way streets. And a map doesn’t show that. And it doesn’t show street names either. So when the phone with googlemaps died we were suddenly stuck and lost in the idle of Brisbane. After finding a shopping mall and a plug socket and writing down directions, we finally arrived at a lovely ground floor flat in a lush garden with palms and banana plants and vines.

Tuesday 23^rd – Friday 26^th February. Brisbane. The Last Days.

Spent our last few days exploring Brisbane. It’s a good town, with beautiful botanic gardens, a river snaking through the town and a fantastic area called the Southbank. In the Southbank there are beaches and pools in the street and a 1km arbour covered with bougainvillea. We hired bikes and cycled around the city, rode around on the free city hopper ferry and ate icecream made from liquid nitrogen.

 And after 3 days of trying, we finaly made it to the top of Mount Koot-tha!

On the 26^th I headed to the airport with Mom and we had breakfast together before she headed to her plane and I headed to my bus, onto the next adventure. Though how it will compare with the one we just had…

I’m very sad. I miss you a lot Mom =(