We're off and running!

Hello everyone, here's a bit of news from the first few days of our adventure.

Day 1

D-Day (Departure Day) finally arrived last Sunday and we woke to a tsunami warning - not sure if it was a good or bad omen.  Probably no omen at all and it certainly wasn't going to stop us!  We set off (late) Sunday afternoon arriving at Lennox Head just in time to set up before dark.  We were all very excited about our first night, particularly Mitch, Maggie and Stewart who got to sleep in (actually 'on') their sleeping bags for the first time.

Here's a map showing where we travelled on Day 1:

Day 2 & 3

It rained, and rained, and rained.  But that has just meant we've had the opportunity to iron out a few more kinks in our caravanning techniques.  A little bit of rain (more like bucket loads) doesn't phase us and there has been lots of activities to keep us all occupied.  Most of these have been inside - drawing, homework, reading, playing games, watching movies and trains.

 

Doing Homework

 

Reading (in our sleeping bags)

 Playing trains

However we also managed a couple of outdoor activities when there were breaks in the rain - riding scooters and bikes, a quick swim at the beach and of course, playing light sabers...

Maggie has had a great time catching frogs in her bug catcher - there are heaps of them all around the van park, particularly beside the lake. On Monday night there were about 12 frogs bedded down together and by the morning they were getting a bit on the nose, so she kindly released them. 

 

 Frogs, frogs and more frogs!

 
On Tuesday (the wettest day) we got a visit from my brother Robert, who's building a skate park at Brunswick Heads, and had been washed out the last few days.  He was quickly grabbed by the kids to play a few board games. We all enjoyed seeing him.

While the rain was pouring down on Tuesday, Steve was busy trying to minimise water coming into the bed ends so put up a few extra tarps.  There were also a few running repairs to be done, so he got absolutely soaked.  We suspect this aspect of caravanning will be ongoing as new situations and weather conditions confront us.  It certainly makes for an interesting adventure.

Day 4


Sunshine at last! It was great to be able to get everything dry and open up the van.

We got out and about to make the most of it.  First stop for the day was Byron Bay Farmers Market for a few supplies, plus the kids enjoyed freshly crushed sugar cane juice. Yum!

The main part of Byron Bay hasn't changed since we were here 10 years ago except you have to pay for parking even to go to the beach now!  It is still a busy tourist place and you can hear accents from every part of the world.  Cool man!!!

From the markets, it was off to the Cape Byron Lighthouse.  There were plenty of dolphins in the water and we walked right to the most easterly point of the Australian Mainland.

 

  

From Byron Bay we trekked back towards Ballina to visit the Thursday Plantation, a tea tree plantation where they grow and process tea tree oil.  Of particular interest was the maze in the shape of the Southern Cross.  Of course we all got lost here but it was a lot of fun trying to find each other and our way out.

 

In the Tea Tree Maze

There was also lots of interesting sculptures around the plantation including these ones of Muslim women coming out of the plantation...

 

...or was it actually Star Wars figures (Mitch thinks so)...

  

The final part of the plantation was a rainforest with lots of native plants and foods growing, not to mention the mosquitos! We were nearly eaten alive.  They should have included a sample of their insect repellant at the start of the trail - it was very uncomfortable by the end.

The day finished with a swim in Lake Ainsworth (the beach was closed due to high winds and wild conditions).

That's it for now.  Please say hello below in the comments area. Love to all.

Sam