Driving, Surfing, Sightseeing

So, we did end up getting the car this past Monday, and it is hard to believe it has been five days with wheels, because we have covered quite a bit of the country. We left Melbourne on Monday, driving through Torquay and onto the Great Ocean Road where we camped for free at the end of a dirt road off the highway. We have a two-man tent that we got with the car, and that night was the first and last night that the three of us crammed our way in. Jordache and Kyle slept one way, while I slept the other. I had more room, but they had the mesh door nearest them, and I got kicked in the head repeatedly through the night. All said and done, none of us got a good rest.

On Tuesday we continued west to the end of the Great Ocean Road and then turned around and got back into Torquay in the afternoon. We didn't pay for a camping spot, and instead found a vacant lot beside a plumbing supply store. After cruising around town for an hour looking for a suitable place, it seemed like the best bet. Jordache and Kyle had the tent to themselves as I elected to sleep on top of the car under the stars. We were up early to avoid any fines, and then headed north-east to Geelong.

We grudgingly decided that a campground (with showers) might be a good idea after two nights of dirt camping, and got a campground in Geelong. I slept on the roof again, and in the morning we decided that another tent might be a good idea. After picking one up, we headed north to Canberra where we arrived around 9:30 in the evening after a long day of driving. Talking to some college students dressed in togas at a gas station, we learned that the place to be that night was a nightclub called Academy, as they were having a foam party. It sounded like a good time, and the logic behind heading to the party was that if we closed it out, we wouldn't have to pay for a campground. After a couple of hours of dancing as a soapy foam was spewed over us, we left only to realize that it was 1:30 in the morning and we didn't have a place to sleep. We headed out to a park, followed a dirt road to a gate as kangaroos jumped out of the beam of our headlights and set up our two tents on the gravel. I was glad for the second tent when the rain started pouring down in the middle of the night, and we packed up our sopping gear in the morning as a few vehicles and a bicyclist passed by and some cattle looked wonderingly at us from their side of the fence.

Sydney was today's destination and Kyle picked up a surfboard and Jordache and I each plan to get one this evening. We rented boards for the afternoon in Torquay, and we have a bit of an idea of what we can handle. I guess the trick is to get something that you can ride now but will still be fun once standing up on the wave isn't an accomplishment in itself. Kyle had already been surfing a day, so he showed Jordache and I the steps to get up on the board. We both stood on our first wave, but we have a long way to go before we could say were "shredding it up."

If things slow down in the next few days, hopefully I will be able to think back and post some highlights of this past week, but at this rate we are seeing so much and doing so much that one post every week is going to be a bit of a chore to read. But as the Australians continually say "No worries."