‘Sorry it was brief, but I’ll see you soon baby’ were my thoughts as I took one last look in the rear view mirror at Byron Bay, when I glance back down I’ve noticed the bingo light has just come on now do I introduce Stijn to piss stop bingo or not!
Yamba just a short hop away couple of hours max be there before night fall, we’re heading back south now the tan’s are coming along quite nicely and Tom-Tom & Jo’s wedding is just a few days away.
‘It was all suppose to be so easy’ I believe that is how lyrics go! Rolling into Yamba under the cover of a darkening sky, I like arriving into towns when its dark you get to see what is really going on. As for Yamba precisely fuck all squared that’s whats going on, we don’t need any provisions they are always taken care of before we leave town and we’re lucky as everything here is closed, the fairground rides are open but judging by the optimism on the faces of the ride operators as we slowly roll past them they too haven’t seen any body in a long time! “Lets just trip along the coast and find a beach to stop at” I say with a little hope but silently I’m not getting any positive vibes about this and it doesn’t help when we stop in an area which on the map was spot on but when we turn the POS around the headlights give us a show of what has been lurking in the dark! “Eh dude, lets get the hell out of here I don’t fancy been raped and murdered tonight” says Stijn, Roger that fella, whats the next option a National Park?
Camping in National Parks is not allowed, in fact a lot of things are not allowed in Aussrtreealliaaa which is a tad inconvenient if you ask me and especially now its late, tiredness is creeping in and belly needs a feed, but the national park might as well be a campsite, we line up behind five other campers and a number of cars I make a mental note that an early start is required tomorrow the ranger will be out not long after sunrise and rules are rules here!
Sleeping in the POS penthouse has a few flaws, claustrophobia and sea sickness are a couple – both of which I’m not bothered by I’m either in a deep comatose sleep or doing my vampire impression but for some reason the slightest thing is waking me up. When sleeping in a camper and people move about you will get a little movement from the suspension and tyre walls, now pop your self about 6ft off the ground and when a slight movement happens below in the penthouse it feels like your laying down on a wibbily wobbly bridge! We take a half time on the nights sleep and stop for a little plant hydration, “look up dude” whispers Stijn, not the easiest thing to do right now fella I forgot my thongs and head torch, right now I’m thinking about snakes, spiders, anything with or even without teeth that could kill me, falling over the cliff’s edge and also – where did you guys go and pee?!?! I peer up and see one of the most amazing night sky’s I’ve ever seen – zero light pollution and like the moon the clouds are nowhere to be seen. I weigh up the options and think about grabbing the pillow and sheet to sleeping outside – but then the though of biting things and everyone’s urine is not appealing, the penthouse wins this time.
I’m up early from the noise of car’s leaving before the ranger comes but the sleeping beauties below are passed out cold and before long the sight of the green 4×4 is coming into the car park!
“Ohhhhh yeaaa, ya might have its no camping overnight here – when did you arrive?” he says shifting his hat further back on his head and looking up at me.
“ohh a couple of hours before sunrise, the pilot passed out in there was diving all night we’re on a tough schedule”
“ohhhhh weeelll as long as you weren’t here all night then your OK, no camping in National Parks here in Aussstrrraaalaaa you know”
“ahh really, sorry – I’m from Ireland, didn’t have a clue about that one!”
“ohhhhh yaaa miss the big sign over there saying no camping?” as he turns and points to a sign which could almost be as big as the Cola sign in Piccadilly Circus!
“ahh that nah missed it mate, he was driving – he’s Dutch”
“ohhhhh right well look for signs in the future, and good luck with the drive south”
And with that he’s off to have a chat to the next camper along from us, now I don’t know if all his conversations begin with ‘ohhhhh’ but he does say Australia differently so I presume so, nice enough fella tho said his peace and then off he went, I bet he has the same conversation with a hundred campers every morning but it was one of the nicest ‘you shouldn’t be doing that’ lecture I’ve ever had!
Right then, who has the map and whats for dinner tonight?
the bean hunter 