Captains log, dawn of day 5

1004km behind, 1890km to go and it haven’t been a full joyride. We took off from Sydney last Monday around 3p.m. The journey started with a battery problem, which delayed our departure and put a sour taste in our mouth from the beginning on. I kept on asking, is this a sign that we should stay or at least not to try with this little shoebox.

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We have stayed in Newcastle, Port Macquarie and now we are in Byron Bay for the 2nd day. Let’s knock on wood, no problems with the vehicle, after the start. It has provided us a bit noisy ride with a max speed of 90km/h, kept us dry while rain and warm during the nights. Even the beverages are cold in the tiny and a bit smelly fridge.

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New Castle

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New Castle

Best part of the way so far was the Billabong Zoo. Hugging Koalas, feeding kangoroos from our hands, watching an amazing crocodile show. Girls were amazed, and so were we. Aussies know how to keep a good zoo’s and educate the new generations…

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Byron Bay is a cute little town and very popular among campers and other travelers. Several kilometers of sandy beach, nice restaurants and cafés, small shops and a beautiful lighthouse, which is the landmark of the town. The white tower on the hill, which is the most Eastern point of Australia has kept the sailors safe since 1901.

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Byron Bay beach

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Byron Bay lighthouse

It was nice to stay off from the road for couple of days. This driving has got on our nerves a bit and we definitely needed some rest. We made too tight schedule for this part of the trip, by underestimating the cars performance, the amount of sights and activities you want to do and the fact that driving during the night isn’t always a good idea. Kangaroos are active during the dark and accidents are common. Anyhow, yesterday’s walks on the beach and short stroll on the streets helped us to relax and put us back to a holiday mode.

Today we will pass the Gold Coast and head a bit more up to Brisbane to meet our friend, Rudolf. We hope the weather stays nice and maybe we go out for a sail too.