The Adventure finally begins!

Well finally I am back! lol… at least I have much to tell you this time 🙂 All in all I ended up staying in Taree for almost three weeks, a tad longer than I meant to but circumstances worked to keep me there; the weather for one thing and a personal upset for my lovely friends another. I wont get into what it was all about as this part of the story is their private business and not mine to share. Suffice it to say that they needed that extra support and my whacky sense of humour (and my natural klutzy blonde nature lol) to help them through. Friends are the precious gems found sparingly along the paths we travel in life and are to be treasured. Adventure could wait for awhile; their need for a bit of nurturing could not! I would be lying if I didn’t admit to a certain chafing at the delay. This trip has been a long time in the making the thought that it might not happen at all was a fear lurking in the depths of my subconscious considering the hiccups along the way to making my dream a reality. Oh those itchy gypsy feet of mine have much to answer for lol. Suburbia holds no glamour for me either and though there were a few pretty gardens around the place and some rather majestic trees, the concrete jungle overpowered their presence and eventually my patience.
When I felt they were as ok as could be expected, I decided the time had finally come to make a start on my trip to the Great Australian Bight …
My wonderful friends had insisted on buying me dinner when I had arrived and, despite Colin’s protests, I insisted on returning the favour the night before I was due to leave. Like me, my friends are much more comfortable with giving than with receiving lol but my determination won out over their stubbornness and a good evening was had by all.
I said my goodbyes after dinner and dashed back to the motorhome to prepare for the journey, deciding I would have one last session at the gym there before heading onto the highway in the morning. I knew it would be a little while before I had another chance and besides, once on the road the excitement of discovery would not leave much enthusiasm for gyms lol.
When I woke the next morning, the sheer excitement of it all tingled through my entire being! It seemed to me that Mother Nature was blessing my journey; the sun was shining and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky… it was all I could do to discipline myself to actually go to the gym. Now that the morning had come all I wanted to do was get out on the highway and drive as the call of the wild sang through my veins.
Perhaps it was a good thing to go to the gym first and get rid of a bit of that wild energy, I thought grinning at my impatient nature. The wide-eyed child that still dwelt within was already taking hold and the adult that I tried so hard to be had no chance of reigning her in.
I had used part of my time while waiting to make a decision on which way to go. I had already explored the Princes Highway on my maiden journey in the Motorhome and though I loved it and intended to do it again, this time more slowly, I wanted to avoid the whole Sydney scene and yet I didn’t want to do anything too mountainous for the sake of my Nissan’s motor lol…
In the end, I settled on going to Hay via the Newcastle turnoff… along the Golden Highway … I was assured that though it was and “undulating’ road, there was only one steep hill. I had heard before that this was the way to go if I wanted ‘flat’ lol …others said it was a boring way to go but my gut was telling me this was the right thing for me.
My first stop along the way wasn’t all that far down the road but I just couldn’t go past without stopping in. I have many fond memories of The Tea Gardens and I was keen to revisit them and besides I had heard that the Country Club now allowed Self Contained RV’s and Caravans to free camp in the parking lot behind it for a maximum of two nights as long as one of the travellers paid for a year membership. At $5.50 it was a steal, especially if you are lucky enough to get one of the four powered sites, which I did 🙂 I was also informed by the lovely receptionist that I could stop in for a couple of nights anytime in the next 12 months for free. How cool is that? In appreciation, I chose to buy dinner that night. It was a beautiful meal, inexpensive and so large I ended up taking some back to the motorhome in a container lol. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay, heading out to reacquaint myself with Hawks Nest and the little shops along the way before heading out to continue my journey.
This time I wanted to get onto the Golden Highway and leave the madness of the Pacific Highway behind, especially as the New South Wales school holidays had now begun! Ugh the thought of having to do battle with so many heading off for holidays was not something I wanted to face if I could help it and this is where the decision to go inland truly began to pay off. Apart from almost being taken out by a truck who decided I made a good target to aim for as I continued to make my way around the large roundabout. I was shocked to see how many cannot use it, almost all had their indicator lights on to go around when they were actually going straight through. Finally a trucker coming in the opposite direction very kindly slowed down a little to block the traffic while he waved me through… all good and I smiled and waved in thanks… unfortunately a trucker on my left had no manners whatsoever and though I was already on the roundabout rammed his way though, forcing me to stop sharply… not an easy feat in a big vehicle I can tell you! I don’t mind admitting my heart skipped a beat and my nerves took awhile to un-jangle after such a near miss. I felt quite nauseous but there was nowhere to pull over besides, the sooner I got out the better. The traffic eased more the further I went and I began to relax and enjoy the trip again, thankful to have come away unscathed.
In hindsight I am so glad I listened to my instincts. What may seem a boring trip to some turned out to be a fascinating and educational one for me. For quite a way the countryside was green and lush, obviously having enjoyed the benefits of some of that rain us “coasties” were wishing would bugger off lol. It was only as I got closer to West Wyalong that I noticed how brown everything was and it was obvious that the land here had not been so blessed by the rain Gods. Though not as pretty as the coastal areas by some people’s standards, the country here is filled with a stark beauty, relieved in places by the hidden beauty found along the river ways and lush majesty of the mountains that seemed to loom in the distance.
The towns I have visited along the way are made up of the Aussie battlers I remember from long ago. You know, true blue! Often the men are gruff, craggy and dressed for work mate! lol… the women are more a mixture of casual and smart… almost all are kind and approachable. When I think of the people and land here, the word ‘wholesome’ flows through my mind and that is somehow comforting.
There are so many examples of their generosity of heart I could tell you but for now I think the two examples that stick out in my mind tonight come from my stop over in Jerry’s Plains and my coffee break in Sandy Hollow a little further down the road.
I had been having an issue with one of the specialised ‘bolts’ that attaches the glass to the stove right from the beginning, yet another example of the shoddy workmanship of the guys who charged me a fortune to convert my bus into a home on wheels. I had persevered with it, constantly tightening it as it had a habit of working loose, often completely falling out when I lifted up the glass! I had a sneaking suspicion that they had ‘made do’ with a bolt too short but as I was able to retighten it, it was on my low priority list. At least it was until Jerry’s Plain when the bolt finally decided to snap even shorter and now I had an unstable glass top that I was afraid would break if I tried to drive to the nearest large town, over a hundred or so kilometres away to get the bolt replaced by a caravan/RV outlet with the (hopefully) correct replacement.
I rang the little petrol station on the corner in the hopes he would have something as I had planned on leaving that morning. Though I had enjoyed my two day stay and knew I could stretch that to a week if I wanted to, thanks to their RV friendly rules, I was rested and just wanted to get on lol.. Well you know what they say about the best laid plans….
The petrol station had nothing, he said, so I decided I might as well just settle down and see if I could find something to secure it in my little box of tricks to get me to that city. An hour and a half later, lathered in sweat and frustrated to the max, I gave up and decided to go for a walk to calm down. I tend to find my solutions when walking, have done so all my life and I was hoping this would be no exception. On impulse I decided to go to the little Pub across the road from the petrol station; you never know, I thought, maybe there would be someone in there that might have what I am looking for. I was happy to pay, I just wanted to secure the glass so the cost of this special bolt wouldn’t end up being the cost of replacement heat proof glass instead! I popped the offending bolt into my purse so I could show what I was talking about and set off!
As I neared the corner, I noticed an older man with a long, bushy white beard working on some metal. There were three cattle dogs that ran up barking to the fence and any thought I had of talking to him disappeared as quickly as it came. Pity, I thought. I had a strong feeling he would know what to do… well off to the pub then, I sighed. The man didn’t seem all that friendly anyway, I mused.
When I entered the pub, there were a couple of young guys in the corner having a quiet beer, and a deserted bar lol…. hmmm. I didn’t really want to talk to the guys, though that was my idea of coming in lol. I called out and a lady sauntered out. I told her what I was looking for, hopefully a handyman that deals with this sort of thing. She shook her head, saying she was sorry but there really wasn’t anything here. I thanked her anyway, mentioned the guy I had passed and asked if she knew him? Yep, his name is Greg she informed me and yeah, why not ask him? He loves to tinker, might have what you are looking for.
I squared my shoulders, crossed the road, ignored the barking dogs and called out to him as I got to his gate. He came over cautiously, with that way that country folk have that makes you feel like a crook lol… I explained what had happened and showed him the bolt. He turned it over, said he didn’t have anything like that. He must have noticed my disappointment and so he asked me to show him the bolt again, surmising he might be able to do something with it to get me out of trouble for now. I was thrilled and thanked him, offering to pay him for his time. Of course he wouldn’t hear of it, such a little thing to do for someone, he said as he retreated to his ‘work bench’ to hopefully work a bit of magic.
He ambled back just as casually about five minutes later, said to take it back to my bus and see if it worked. I thanked him and headed off. Much to my disappointment it didn’t lol. I was sitting forlornly on the bed, wondering what on earth I should do when he turned up in his ute along with those three dogs lol and asked how I went. I said no good but thanks anyway, thinking that would be the end of it. He was determined to help though. I showed him the glass and he stood there musing, tried to force the thing in and when that didn’t work, said leave it to him. He would work something out and took off with my bolt back to his place.
Another ten minutes later he came over. He had shortened and played with a bolt that had the right head needed. Wonder of wonders it worked! I don’t know who was more pleased. Again I tried to pay him for all that mucking around. I was just so grateful but again he refused any payment. If I pass that way coming back though, I am going to drop a six pack in… the bolt is still holding and I do not foresee any more problems with it so he not only saved the possibility of the glass breaking but I don’t have to worry about replacing the bolt either. True Blue 🙂
The second example was the next day when I stopped at Sandy Hollow for a coffee and an explore of course lol…I should have known something magical was going to occur. About ten minutes out of Sandy Hollow, I came across a Wedgetail Eagle feasting on a dead roo right in my path! My instant reaction was to hit the brakes and his was to lift off, abandoning momentarily his breakfast. As I watched this magnificent being take to the air, I was captivated by how gracefully he lifted his huge bulk of the ground. Oh those wings! They seemed to blot out all else; he was truly magnificent and it seemed that as he flew up into the currents nonchalantly (or so it seemed to me), my spirit lifted to join him. Now for me, the appearance of the eagle, be it the majestic Wedgie, the small eagle, the sea eagle or the Osprey, has ever been a sign from the universe of freedom and clarity… thank you very much I’ll take that! I wonder how I drove the next few kilometres, for I was flying beside the eagle, my heart was so full of joy I thought it would burst. Oh yes, no doubt about it. I had been given a ticket to fly free! Thankfully I did come back into my body lol, thanking my guardians profusely for ensuring I didn’t have an accident while ‘off with the winged folk’. I was now wondering where to get a good coffee from. There was a service station that sold coffee and food there but I couldn’t see any cafes much to my disappointment. The pub was not officially open but there was a lady going in to clean and I did ask her where I could get a good cuppa from. She suggested the local art gallery just a few doors down so I wandered on down, keen for that coffee and a bit of a look around. There was a man just coming out of the back entrance as I approached and I asked if they were open for business. He said in fact they were closed for holidays, he had just popped in to do some work while his wife finished her packing lol.. Oh bugger I thought, though I didn’t show it, giving him a smile and saying I would wander down to the servo instead.
Bless his heart, he insisted on heating up the coffee machine just for me. I was a little bit tired and it didn’t occur to me he was the artist whose work was on display everywhere. While I waited for the coffee, I had a leisurely browse, admiring the artist’s work. So diverse and all so lifelike and of course out of my price range. No harm in looking though, I thought. Then I saw the cards, all illustrated by the same artist. One in particular caught my eye, my mind instantly turning to my friends in Taree. Marie loved owls and I just knew she would love this one! I so wanted to cheer her up and I knew this would bring a smile so I picked it up and asked the man to put it on the bill, mentioning that it was the perfect thing to cheer my friend.
Fond of owls then is she? he asked. I nodded absently as I gazed at the card. I knew I would post it to her that day and was imagining her face when she got it. Anyway, he asked me if I thought Marie would like it if he did a sketch of one on the inside of the card with her name on it.. and then I twigged that he was the artist lol… definitely a little slow that day 🙂
Oh I was thrilled, this would definitely make her feel special! He wouldn’t take extra money for his work and now my friend is the proud owner of an original which she tells me she is going to put in a frame lol…. he didn’t have to do that you know? I will always be grateful for his generosity of spirit. Her voice was so light when she rang to thank me for her surprise card… and I knew I had been blessed by an earth angel that day. Looking back, everything that happened was for a reason. Apart from finally having the dodgy bolt replaced, the delay enabled me to meet up with the artist, which may not have happened had I left when I wanted to.
There are many other things I could share with you but they will have to wait for another day. The hour is late and I need to wind down. May your own journey be littered with blessings till next we chat as my magical mystery journey continues! Next stop Wellington…