The basic recipe for our road trip was beach during the day, pop into the shops for food before we fire up the POS and hit the road again. While there was a discussion as to where the next stop would be Hannah was in the back making snacks and drinks which I have to say were excellent anyone who can control a blunt knife while bumped around at 110kph gets a medal in my book – just didn’t want anyone in front of us hitting the breaks quickly POS was fitted with Haribo Chamellows sweets for brake pads but it was the loose flying kitchen utensils in the back which I was more worried about! When the determined location was agreed upon we would arrive look around for free camping and then get the barbie on the go and crack open approx 6 beers and a vino rosso or two for the lady!
Port Macquarie was heaven for us, we slept like babies about 10ft from the sea with the rhythmic sounds of the waves crashing onto the shore and with a gentle breeze cooling the POS with smell of the sea. As you know I’m not a morning person but when it started to get light I would discover that the POS also doubled up as a lantern room from a lighthouse pealing back the tracing paper which doubled up as curtains the vista of the sunrise was breath taking – now I know why I’m going east all the time!
So we depart Port Macqurie with glum faces, rested and excited about the next stop – Coffs Harbor a gentle 160kms away.
I think we’ll have that spot just over there under the trees, nice and cool in the morning. Three short cracks on the electric starter and the gas ignites under the bbq plate slap on a few fish parcels with bit of fennel, couple of slices of lemon and a sprinkle of the free salt from the road side cafe! Think we’ll need a glass of vino for this one guys, “one in the fridge opened and waiting” – love your work Hannah and when did you start reading people’s minds!
Fed, watered and rested I heave myself into the penthouse, feeling a little slow but content now if I can just get past this chapter before I fall asleep that would be good. Not a chance, think I got somewhere close to the end of the page before I knocked myself wake from the shock of a 400 page paper back cracking the bridge of your nose, leave it until tomorrows beach session!
Fish & chips by the sea – done! “Right folks we gonna go for it, the beach at Byron is a stunner, 4 hours away lets do it” says Stijn with a conviction in his voice, he’s planning something and I’ve got the key to the POS “lets do it dude but first I have something to tick!” The Big Banana, gotta get a snap of that fella before we leave!
By the time Stijn was done researching we were 75km’s from Byron Bay, time for a Le Mans style pit stop and driver change. Not because we were in a rush, no not at all! In the rpd book of road trips when the driver need’s a stop that’s when we stop at the same time I also like to play piss stop bingo on my own – just like fuel like bingo – driving past a garage’s looking only for Shell fuel when your about to run out, this is the opposite when you think you need to stop and empty, see if you can make the next one and so on and on you go. My good friend Graham will testify 8 stations passed on a road trip to Bude by the time we got to stop 9 the two of us even contemplated the ladies as it was approx 2.5 ft closer than the mens door! In Austraylayaaaa this is a dangerous game – remember big distances!
Stijns got the plan and the keys so I take the time to kick back in the rear quarters of the POS, pop on some music a drift away in my thoughts watching a never ending blue sky pass by the window but before I knew it the shout came down from the bridge “yo dude we made it, check it out” I sit up and open my eyes and take in Byron and what a sight it is too! Hot ladies, lots of beach cruiser bikes, people chatting and laughing in bars and restaurants, a very cool looking place in the afternoon sun! Scchweet I’m gonna love this place.
Now the sleeping plans as always were researched with a bit of a half arsed approach, not saying we didn’t try and forward plan but their was always something a lot more interesting to take in, talk about or contemplate. So after two campsites, three car parks and a brief conversation from a grumpy old shite who’s house we parked across the road from we start heading out of town and away from that cold beer in the beach bar we passed not 10 mins ago. We ended up in our first overnight paid for camp site and an image which will live with me for a very long time…. Ferel.
the bean hunter 