Sydneython Day Two

Day two began with emotions running high as I tried to get over the embarrassment of last night's motel debacle, and failed.

We had breakfast, where Eloise was full of figurative beans.

Then off driving via the local shops onto the New England Highway, picking up the Thunderbolts Way at Urala. The scenery was very pleasant, rolling pastures punctuated by gum trees, with mountains in the distance. We were glad not to have come this way on the return trip as the dogs may have had difficulty remaining calm in the face of the sheep, cattle, horses etc. Nicole commented that it was like Scotland, without the rain.

We stopped off at Walcha to pick up petrol which was a little town nestling in the hills. Although it was quite sunny and we were expecting to open the car door to noticeable heat actually it was quite cool outside. Probably a result of Walcha sitting on a tableland and consequently being at reasonably high elevation.

The Thunderbolts Way soon started to wind up and down hills and became quite exciting. The scenery became quite breathtaking with the road hugging the steep slopes of the hills, with beautiful trees lining the sides.

We stopped at a lookout point and sent some time there. It was quite hazy but you could see for a very long way nevertheless. A layby was equipped with some covered benches and an enclosed toilet which was amusing to tiddle into as you could look straight down the khazi into a pit about twenty feet down below, which had to compete with chasing fags around the pub urinal for toilet time amusement.

A fence sealed us off from a steep dive into the valley below along which ran a little track then up the other side to the view you can see pictured on the left. Not a soul was in sight.

After a while the obligatory Ute pulled up, then a car with a dog with which Eloise was soon making friends. Pretty soon it was time to move on.

The road continued through the hills and down into valleys where it would cross over picturesque little creeks on little bridges. We Oohed and Aaahed. Eloise Yabbayabbayabbaed.

Descending from the hills eventually we wound up at Barrington, then Gloucester where we stopped and had some food and drink and changed nappies etc. Then on again picking up Bucketts Way.

After a while I fell asleep (Nicole was driving!) and when I woke up to Nicole's cry of confusion and fear we were in the middle of the Pacific Highway, turning across a lane of traffic onto the most confusing, un-signposted junction I have ever woken up to. Luckily Nicole thought quickly and got us onto the road but it was an absolutely terrifying moment!

The Pacific Highway took us down past Newcastle across yet more views and was sometimes literally cut out of increasingly steep crags with bridges crossing over seemingly hundreds of feet above us.

It became clear that we were entering metropolitania and so we tried to follow Gary's directions and were fine until we got to the Sydney Harbour Crossing where we got into the wrong lane and ended up cruising through an electronic toll - without the requisite electronic tag - straight into the Sydney Harbour Tunnel. Ooops.

Frustration began to mount as the map we had was not the best, and the driver was urgently in need of relief variety number one. The navigator however managed to locate and direct to the residence of Mr Gary Peacock and Ms Julie Seldon, and we knocked on the door to find.... nobody in.

So we took Eloise over to the little playground over the road, Nicole in an increasing state of panic over the imminent inundation of her panties, and phoned Julie who arrived two minutes later.

We admired their house and breathed a sigh of relief to have completed our journey, and drank ate and chatted our way towards bedtime.