Blue Mountains
January 27th – On The Road Again
We have splashed out a bit and hired ourselves a campervan for the next few weeks. Mainly as I was worried about camping in all the rain that Australia had been having. Our little home fascinated the kids immediately and every cupboard, nook and cranny had to be explored straight away. Never mind poor muggings stuck in the branch office with all the bags, tent and sleeping bags as soon as they had the keys they were out in the car park working out which one was ours. It’s a little Toyota High Ace with a bit stuck on top so Josh can stand up inside. It comes with sink, fridge, cooker, microwave, plugs and even a gear stick which should challenge e a bit as I have got used to automatics. All this and it’s only done 245,000 miles – I wonder what sights it has seen? It will certainly be treated with respect. We really wanted a Hippie Camper – a van with flowers painted all down the side but they can only seat 2. I did consider maybe strapping Josh to the roofrack but apparently the insurance would not cover it.
Our first night was spent in the magnificent Blue Mountains just north of Sydney. They are so called as the haze of Eucalyptus in the moist atmosphere makes them appear blue. We rode the glass bottomed Skyway across the gorge to fully appreciate the view – just a short walk from the holiday park. Not as scary as I feared, I even got the camera out.
We spent the evening working out how to unpack our bags into the cupboards and sleeping arrangements. Josh was above us on boards and cushions. I did not sleep well as every time he moved (he is a fidgeter) the boards creaked a bit too much for me. O is swapping with him tomorrow night. I have to say something about the sounds here. The dusk air is filled with the chorus of crickets – so loud. We have also seen bright red and blue parrots and the nosiest of all are big white birds that look like Cockateels. It has surprised me how many birds there are here and to have no traffic noise as a backdrop just the sound of birds holding their nightly conference is blissful. Kids arguing about who gets to fill up the water tank blurs into the distance and I am at peace.
I am glad we have not relied on camping here. The holiday parks do not always have kitchens and they are huge. People seem to have permanent caravan sites here and I find myself longing for the quiet quaint NZ camps.
Tags: Australia, Travel
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