8 April - Shore Day in Brisbane

A couple of nights ago we enjoyed one of the most spectacular sea departures we have ever experienced. The Golden Princess was berthed right between the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Circular Quay and the Opera House. As the sunset approached the city lights started to twinkle and we sat on the topmost deck to watch it all. To depart from Sydney the ship had to reverse away from the dock and turn until the stern, where we were sitting was almost directly below the Harbour Bridge.

Then it we proceeded slowly toward Sydney Heads to continue our trip to Brisbane. The night time views in every direction were absolutely breathtaking.

As we departed from Sydney the Harbour Bridge was directly behind us and the opera house was magnificent on our right side.

I must have taken a couple of hundred images as well as lots of video. It was a truly magnificent spectacle.

Yesterday was a sea day. In the afternoon we found a deck with a huge hot tub and lots of spots to sunbathe so we had a very relaxing afternoon. After dinner we attended a great show at the Princess Theatre - it was a magic show and a full house. A really amazing performance.
When we woke this morning we were berthed in the Brisbane river, and after breakfast we caught a shuttle bus into Brisbane for a bit of shopping and sight seeing. When we depart later today we will have four days at sea before reaching Darwin. I don't expect to have any internet access before we reach Darwin.

6 April - Sydney on the Golden Princess

We boarded the Golden Princess at Station Pier at about 3:30 pm on Monday, just in time for lunch. Unlike other cruises our cabins and luggage were already available so after a quick look around we were able to settle in to our new home for the next 23 nights.
Tuesday was spent at sea in a gentle swell which let you know we were at sea although it was not uncomfortable. Went to the "Welcome Aboard" show in the evening which was terrific. When we woke this morning we were berthed in Sydney right next to Circular Quay.
This is the view from the back of the Golden Princess.

We had a leisurely day looking around the area and the Opera House before catching a ferry to Manley for a bit of shopping and a mandatory visit to the Royal Copenhagen Ice Cream shop. It was very hot here today and I realised I didn't bring a hat so had to buy one.

Right now we are just enjoying the afternoon and the wonderful Sydney Harbour views from the Princess. We sail this evening sometime after 6 pm, bound for Brisbane. I'm hoping for some good sunset photos of the city skyline before that.

27 August - Home Sweet Home

Amazingly we are home. This wasn't the plan but just the way things worked out. We left Toukley Service Centre, north of Sydney at 02:00 after catching a few hours of sleep. This enabled us to navigate around Sydney and on to the M7 with very little traffic. Unfortunately we encountered a fair bit of fog but by 04:00 we reached the next large service centre about 40 km along the Hume Highway. Once again we parked the rig amongst all the large trucks and some other caravans and caught another couple of hours sleep. By 7:00 we were on the road again expecting to reach Bombala or maybe Cann River. We were expecting heavy rain but did not really encounter much more than fine drizzle. Our friends John and Sandra who were travelling from their home in Paynesville to Sydney got in touch and we were able to have a coffee together in Cooma which was great. By the time we reached the coast at Cann River the weather was quite good and we carried on to Lakes Entrance. At Lakes were within 150 km of home and although it meant arriving in the dark the temptation to continue on home was too good to resist. All went well until we reached Stratford. At that point it became dark and the heavens opened to some of the heaviest rain I've experienced. This made the final 60km ride home a 'white knuckle' experience as there are long stretches of roadwork in progress.

So, after a very long day which really started in Nambucca Heads in NSW we made it home. It is cold and wet here and something we haven't experienced for quite a while. Still it is nice to be home.

26 August - Toukley Service Centre

We woke this morning to another sunny day in Nambucca Heads and while it would have been nice to spend another day in the sunshine it was time to take the plunge south and into the dark cold winter. Last night we enjoyed a great Indian meal with Jim and Irene which was a great way to wind up our brief get together. They are also on the way home.
We were hitched up and on our way by 08:00 and had a good run to Port Macquarie where we had our first coffee break. The plan for today was to drive to the Toukley Service centre which is on the Pacific Motorway some 60 km north of Sydney. This service centre features a huge parking area for trucks, buses and caravans and many drivers use it to refuel, have a meal and then get some rest here before tackling the Sydney crossing later in the evening, or early the next morning when the traffic has died down.

So here we are, surrounded by many large rigs and a few caravans just relaxing and reading. In a little while we will go and have a meal and then an early night. When we wake - sometime during the night, we will continue the trip through Sydney and on. One thing in our favour - the terrible weather Sydney has suffered in past days seems to have abated and while it is overcast there is no sign of rain on the radar. If all goes to plan we will be home sometime in the next couple of days.

25 August - Nambucca Heads

A glorious day here in Nambucca Heads, NSW, probably our last and against all expectation given the rain and thunderstorms yesterday. This beautiful little town is located on the mouth of the Nambucca river about 60km south of Coffs Harbour. Our caravan park is situated in what must be one of the most beautiful spots on earth. In the above photo the park is in the foreground.

We're using the warm weather to dry out all the damp gear from yesterday which gave us plenty of time to drive into town and up to the local lookout for some great views of the surroundings.

Managed to capture some stunning panoramas which I will process properly when we get home. The limited space and resolution available in Blogger would not do them justice.

As we resume our trek south tomorrow we expect the weather to get much colder and wetter so our stay here in Nambucca is our last real holiday destination. Our progress home will be dictated somewhat by the weather.

24 August - Nambucca Heads - NSW

Our plans for today were to travel south, with a brief stopover in Coffs Harbour to get a chipped windscreen repaired. When we woke this morning we heard rain and thunder and when I checked the weather radar it looked like this:

Anyone who has caravanned will know that hitching up a van and in fact travelling with one in heavy rain while exciting is not much fun - and this looked like heavy rain. So, we went back to bed after postponing the windscreen repair to tomorrow. A little snooze and some breakfast later, the rain had eased somewhat and we decided to hitch up and travel to Coffs, check into a caravan park and then worry about the windscreen the next day. That's when things got interesting. Our friends Jim and Irene phoned to say they were staying in Nambucca Heads some 60 km south of Coffs Harbour with the aim of catching up as we travelled further south. As we approached Coffs, in heavy rain by this time, and only an hour later than our original plan the thought occurred that if we could complete the windscreen sometime today we could then continue on to Nambucca and catch up with our friends. The folks at O'Brien Glass were helpful and fitted us in. There are a few more twists to the story, some of them comical, but suffice to say that against all odds the car was ready at 2 pm and by 3:30 we were set up in the White Albatross Caravan Park with Jim and Irene. The caravan park features its own restaurant and tonight we had a great chance to catch up over pre-dinner drinks and dinner. We will stay here for two nights - forecast for tomorrow is sunny and 25ºC - and then we continue on home. We expect to be home by next weekend.

23 August - Yamba, New South Wales

After a little bit of rain overnight, we woke to a beautiful sunny day here in Yamba. For our last Sunday on this trip we enjoyed a 'bacon and eggs' breakfast before setting of to explore this wonderful little seaside town.

After a good look around we decided that this must be one of the best holiday destinations in Australia. Being located on the mouth of the Clarence river, the estuarine environment is absolutely superb and the town has experienced just enough development to make it attractive to a wide range of holiday makers including families and fishermen.

As well as quiet protected beaches there was also plenty of action for surfers, and the more adventurous holiday makers. Add to this beautiful parks and some interesting historical buildings and you have a place we could easily spend a week or two.

Our caravan park is located on the waterfront and the area is a favoured haunt of the local pelicans who no doubt get plenty of food from the local fisherman cleaning their catch. By mid afternoon these wonderful birds are busy enjoying the sea breezes and spend hours riding the winds just above our heads. Later in the afternoon when the fishing boats are expected to return they all flock to the fish cleaning stations for their supper. They seem to be very tame and approachable and I had no trouble taking lots of closeup photos of them.

I really enjoyed just sitting there and watching them wait patiently for the evening catch.

According to the weather bureau, today brings a long run of fine weather to an end. It seems we should expect rain all the way down the east coast for the next few days. Accordingly, I think our adventure is drawing to a close. Tomorrow after we get our windscreen fixed in Coffs Harbour, we will continue to make our way south and re-assess our plans on a daily basis. If cold and wet weather persists we'll put in some longer drives and go home.