Roadtrip! Sydney to Melbourne

The original plan was to drive from Sydney to Melbourne over the course of 3-4 days, camping along the way with the tent Nathan and Courtney bequeathed to us. But as we made our way south it started raining HARD. The radio describes the conditions as "monsoon-like" and even the Sydney airport has closed on account of the weather! By the time we arrive in tiny Jervis Bay it is dark and still raining cats and dogs. Nothing is open and there are no accomodations so we opt to sleep in our compact car. I pull on my rain jacket and climb out of the car to pee once more before bed when out of the corner of my eye I see it. My first though is "deer" but of course it's not a deer but a kangaroo munching on grass. I move slightly closer and realize there are three of them! I gesture vigorously to Laura to come out and look. We stand in the pouring rain and gaze at these amazing creatures just standing on someone's lawn. My first kangaroo sighting makes up for having to sleep in a compact car!

The next morning we wake up with sore backs but ready to enjoy some hiking in nearby Booderee National Park. Walking along the beach yields all sorts of interesting sea debris. My favorite is a bluish claw with white square teeth inside the pincher part--weird! Interesting stops include a vegetarian cafe in Milton and a cheese factory in Bega before arriving in Merimbula for the night. After sleeping in the car a hostel feels so good!

The next day the weather improves and we find Ninety Mile Beach. We follow a dirt path shaded by a canopy of trees so thick only glimpses of sunlight peek through until we reach it. Wow. I gaze upon a beach that stretches into oblivion on either side of me, nothing else. And besides a smattering of people, the brown sugar sand is empty. The water is cold and rough with waves constantly cresting over the ones in front of them. A man jogs by with a surfboard tucked under his arm and a white terrier sprinting after him. The sapphire sky directly above pales into a baby blue hue, then a band of violet low lying clouds that rest upon a shimmering aqua ocean. Needless to say, we spend several hours here and end up camping at campsite in the nearby town of Lake Entrance (unfortunately no camping allowed on the beach itself!)

The third day we complete the stretch between Lake Entrance and Melbourne. While we have seen some amazing sights, both Laura and I are getting tired of being in the car. Downtown Melbourne turns out to be snarled with traffic and boiling hot. People, cars, construction, and "no right hand turn" signs are everywhere. It takes us over an hour to navigate our way out of the tangle. Perhaps living in Wyoming for the past couple of years has reduced my ability to deal with the hustle and bustle of driving in cities because I am STRESSED. Sydney is an even larger city but we didn't have to drive there and our friends helped us ger around on the public transport. I don't even want to stay in the city it feels so insane so we decide to drive a little further and stay in the seaside town of Torquay for the night. It's a surf-shacky kind of town and I feel revived by the open space and breezy weather. Tomorrow, we embark on the Great Ocean Road!!!