Sorrento to Surfers Nov 24, 25 & 26

Woke up at about 4.30 am the next morning with my mind whirring, so got up and started getting things sorted for the van.  It is always quite labour intensive packing the van because you do not just pack a suitcase and take it out to the car, but instead have to take things out to the car individually, find a place for them, and put them away.  And it all has to be done in a specific order, with things at the back / bottom needing to go in first, otherwise you find your self unpacking things you have already packed in order to get (forgotten) items into their correct places.  I know I am pedantic about this, but those who have ever travelled with me will know that if the things you want are at hand, and you know where everything is, then it makes for a much more relaxed and enjoyable trip !!  The smaller the space you have to live in, the more organized you  need to be !! 

I have just about worked out where things are best stored in Troopie, but this trip I had all sorts of unusual extras like suits, wedding hats (in large boxes !!), wedding presents, dress shoes and shirts etc etc to fit in there !  And on the way down I also had a lot of car parts to distribute , including 4 wheels and a cylinder head, but fortunately these were now gone, which did ease up the space restrictions a bit !
But of course it was raining this morning, which made loading the car out in the driveway even more interesting !!!!Grrrrr.
Anyway, we got everything in, including Janet's suitcases, because we had a busy morning ahead.  She was flying back to Surfers because she had to pick up Trooper from carer Annie's because she in turn was heading off the next day for a trip of her own, and driving home meant I would not be there in time !  So we had to first of all drive to the Dandenongs (on the east side of Melbourne) and brother Pete's house to drop his car off (which, as usual, he had kindly lent Janet while she was in town), and then I had to drive Janet to Melbourne airport on the west side of town so she could catch her flight to Surfers.  After that, I was heading back down to the SE, Gippsland, to go and see Mark, Elsie's new owner, and drop off a couple of extra things I had found. (Mark had been away in Sydney when I dropped the wheels off at his place the previous Wednesday).

The traffic in Melbourne wasn't too bad being a Sunday, so all was successfully done on time.  One of the enjoyable things about driving through Melbourne (in my humble opinion) is all the various sculptures and coloured bridges and walls that they have put everywhere.  Yellow railings on bridges, blue or green foot bridges and overpasses, yellow and black bird sculptures, a metal "tunnel", and several others that just are "there" and defy description !  A couple I didn't get photos of were a "fake hotel" beside the freeway, and a giant metal ram's head, complete with immense horns !! Anyway, a few photos in there of the ones I could photograph as I drove past, just for interest. 

It was a couple of hours drive down to Mark's, and he and Sue have a beautiful property down in Gippsland.  But his garage is even more special (in my opinion), not only because of Elsie in there (ha ha), but amongst other cars and bikes, his 1909 Sizaire Naudin (that's 104 years old !!) , a Model T, couple of Citroens, his new (to him !) Sunbeam, and of course his beautiful 1926 Type 37 Bugatti.   A few other old bikes and machinery, but a wonderful workshop of toys, all very much used in the manner originally intended, and loved.  Elsie really is at home here, especially since most of the cars have minimal if any roof !

Mark is driving the Sizaire Naudin from Adelaide to Darwin next August on a rally he is helping to organize. This car is a single cylinder 1600 cc car, and having just completed almost this identical trip in Troopie last August, I know exactly what he is going to be up against.  I look forward to following the trip via the internet, and as I told Mark, if he is EVER short of a passenger or helper to drive the accompanying camping van or fill a passenger seat at any time in the future, he should just drop me a line and I will be there !!
Last, but not least, the Bugatti.  Mark was kind enough to take me for a quick spin down the road between rain showers, and WHAT A CAR !!  I have read so much about this era of cars - It was my favourite era as I was growing up - Brooklands and Shelsley Walsh and all that stuff. Getting in the car is not unlike getting in an Elise - There are ways to do it and ways not to do it !!  And there is even less room inside, with brake chains and gearboxes all over the place around one's feet , often moving, and usually warm or hot !!  But, on the move, the exhilaration is unbelievable !! 

You feel just SO exposed, with the rear tyre rotating a couple of inches from your elbow, the driver rubbing shoulders with you, and the wind and spray off the front tyres in your face !! I gives you the same grin that driving an Elise gives you, but then multiplied by a factor of several !!  The narrow tyres fully in view, and the tiny aero screens, and you are sticking up so high in the airstream - Almost perched "on' the car rather than "in" it.  What it would be like to actually race a car from this era is just unimaginable.  And considering this car is nearly 90 years old, I was stunned by the power, the acceleration, and the cornering ability.  This was truly a supercar back in 1926.  Now it is still  a super car.  I just feel so sorry for Isadora Duncan, but I now understand how her scarf got caught in that rear wheel and broke her neck that day in Nice in September 1927.   But I know she died with a big grin on her face !!!
Thank you Mark - I won't ever forget that short run in the country in the Bugatti.  Very very special. 

After that, it was back to the real world, and time to get moving towards Queensland ! From Mark's place there was no really direct way to get on the faster roads north (other than going all the way back to Melbourne and using freeways, which may have been quicker in the long run - But "quicker" isn't always what life is about, is it ?

 
So instead I set off east across scenic Gippsland - via Lakes Entrance to Orbost, where I knew of a lovely camp site beside the Snowy River.  The fact that it was raining didn't help, but by the time I had got the new fly sheet up to keep the pop top dry (great test for it, which it passed with flying colours !), and the rear awning up, I was able to stay dry, cook my supper, and get a good night's sleep, no problem. 


Next morning I got on the road by about 8 am, headed east towards Cann River, and then north to Canberra, and on to Sydney.  It was a pretty miserable wet trip most of the time, but then it was also over the foot hills of the Snowy Mountains, so was quite dramatic and interesting.  After the usual battle to get through Sydney, which I hit right on 5 pm rush hour, I eventually got to Bulahdelah, just south of Taree, at about 8 pm, where I had camped on the way down.  Trouble was that it was bucketing with rain when I got there, and I expected a cramped evening in the van, because setting up while it is actually raining really hard isn't much fun, especially when it is just an overnight stop.

But when I got there, there was no one camping actually under the big concrete road bridge, and as that was quite dry under there, all my Christmas's seemed to have come at once !  I was set up under the bridge, sitting outside but in the shelter of the bridge, eating my supper and drinking my glass of wine, no problems !!  Every camper needs a bridge like this in times of rain !!! 



 I was so busy congratulating myself on my survival skills (Bear Grylls watch out !!) that it was a while before I noticed that there were drains in the ceiling, for directing the water away from the road above - And they were starting to "flow' as the rain increased !!  
One was far enough away from the van to not be an issue.  But another one was just over the top of my rear tent !!  Whoops !!    Luckily managed to work out a way to move Troopie and tent and gas bottle and everything else forward about 2 feet without having to dismantle everything, to get out from under it !  But for a moment there I thought I might have found  a reason why no one else was camping under the bridge !!  No problems in the end, and after a few red wines and a delicious beef and red wine stew with fresh veggies, I turned in for the night and slept like a (dry) log !!

Next morning still raining, but I was nice and dry !! After breakfast and a nice cup of tea, I packed up and was on the road by about 8 am, headed north. 

After that it was just a steady drive north, through the Banana country around Coffs Harbour, then the Northern Rivers section which is always spectacular (I always wonder why the rivers, which are so close to being at the same level as the roads, don't flood more), and once I saw the sugar cane, I knew I was getting close.  Quite a lot of road works were not really a problem - They gave me time to take off jumpers and put shorts on once the sun started to come out and the temperatures rise as I approached sunny Queensland !!

Finally got home about 3 pm (I gained an hour driving across the NSW / Qld border !), and after I had unpacked the car, it was time to take (dog) Trooper for his walk, and slowly ease back into life around the house.  Laundry, gardening, all that lovely stuff !!

4500 kms completed. Troopie went well.  All the little changes I had made to the tent and other things seemed to work well, so I reckon I am now ready for Alaska !!  Just minor things to do now - New windscreen, stickers, rear wheel carrier, security screens on back window, and that's almost it !!  Oh, and all the shipping documentation which of course is not an issue - Just time consuming.

Now I just need to get my sciatica sorted out !!   But that is another story................

Pics of the trip home are here.  https://picasaweb.google.com/117739775480775657932/0058SorrentoToSurfers?authkey=Gv1sRgCMbh6biYtdvtpwE#