Our last stop – Suffolk Park

Packing up and leaving Nambucca Heads was hard, especially as we knew we were moving onto our last stop before going back to Brisbane.  We also had a very long drive ahead of us with a lot of road works ahead of us so it was certainly not a rush to pack up and get going.  We however knew that dragging our feet was going to get us nowhere so after Hamish and I had completed a session of school we packed up, said goodbye to our neighbours we had met and headed off.  It was a really long drive so we broke it up into sections and pulled over for morning tea and did some school and then stopped further up the road for lunch. 

Pulled over for a lunch break.

The further north we headed it seemed like the traffic was only getting worse and we just really weren’t in the mood for a hard day.  I think it is just more the depression of ending the trip that is getting to us the most.  We do joke that if I wasn’t pregnant with the baby we would probably just drive through Brisbane and keep going, but I don’t know how much longer I would be a help to Jason with unhitching and helping to set up the caravan.  At the moment I even find getting down to lower the legs on the caravan a bit awkward as the belly gets in the road.

Still on a good note our navigator seemed to have the right path to take and so we took the gamble to follow her instructions.  All started well when we turned off the highway, but then the road seemed to get narrower and then we came across some roadworks with a stop/go man.  All was good until we rounded the bend and on one side was a pile of dirt and the other side was the digger and there was no way we were going to squeeze through.  Yes in the 4WD we would have gone partly up on the dirt but not with the caravan, so we had to wait whilst the digger slowly moved forward and out of our road.  Then there were heaps of narrow sections but thankfully we didn’t come across another car at those points in time and I think we breathed a sigh of relief when we got to the next main road.  Then we found the great NSW roads again with the pot holes that could sink a ship (okay slight exaggeration but gee there are a lot of roads in NSW in much need of repair).

Anyway, we made it all fine to Wayne and Tanya’s place.  We had met them on our travels down in SA and they were on their way back to NSW from where they had lived and sold up in WA.  Thankfully the neighbour was cool with us using the front of his place to drive into and then reverse back into Wayne and Tanya’s place so Jason and Wayne handled the 60 million point turn to get the right angle to reverse in (again it wasn’t that bad but it doesn’t sound as good if I just said 5 point).  Then it was a matter of unhitching and taking the kids inside whilst the boys chatted and set up the caravan.

It was great catching up with them and we haven’t seen them since early January so it is amazing how much the kids have grown in that amount of time.  The afternoon passed by so fast and before we knew it the boys were whipping us up a bbq dinner and Wayne made the best potato bake I have ever tasted.  I would ask him for the recipe but I am pretty sure being a chef by trade he just whips it up and doesn’t use a recipe.   Jason and I were envious and Emily and Isaac went to sleep so easily and our two just seemed to be like ever ready batteries and kept going and going and going.  Eventually we dragged them to the caravan to get them to sleep and for ourselves to get some rest.

Look Mum, soft green lawn and an awesome cubby.

So much energy late at night.

The next morning when we woke up it had been raining for most of the night.  Just on and off again light showers but it put an end to my plan to catch up on the washing.  Not that I mind not having to do that job and we have more than enough clothes to do a week so it can just wait.  We started the day with a bit of school and revision before Wayne came and got Jason and they headed out for a drive together and grab some coffees.  Mind you having four kids stuck in a house with two pregnant women (Tanya is due in 4 weeks) you can imagine that we were very happy when the boys got back. 

Tanya and Wayne then had to head out to some appointments so we retreated to the van to do some school work and prepare for Hamish’s on-air lesson.  Whilst Jason did the on-air lesson I took Kayla down the road to the local bakery for some girl time and then we just drove around and checked out the area from the car.  The constant drizzle and showers really meant that I wasn’t keen to get out and walk around much and before long it was time to head back to the caravan as the lesson would be over and we could all head out as a family. 

We ended up going into Byron Bay for lunch.  Don’t ask me why we thought that would be a good idea.  I said to Jason that it wouldn’t be as busy as when we have visited in the past as it isn’t a weekend nor school holidays, but I was wrong, it was still busy, the traffic was still terrible and getting a park was still hard.  Honestly I don’t know why anyone can come to this town to relax as you get so stressed with the drive in and out that you would go away just as worked up as when you arrived!  Still we did have a nice lunch, though it was a bit chilly with the wind and rain bringing the temperature down. 

One of the beaches in the area.

Have it all to yourself.

 

On the way home we grabbed some supplies and some food to replace what my kids seemed to constantly eat of Wayne and Tanya’s.  Sometimes I swear it makes us look like we don’t feed them at all, but I promise you we do.  Then we just did a bit more school and relaxed for a while before Wayne and Tanya got home.  Again the afternoon just seemed to fly by and the kids all had their moments, especially being stuck inside on a rainy day and then the fights over toys, but we survived and the next thing we knew the boys were off to grab some pizzas for dinner.  It was time for a relatively early night as I think our kids really did go to sleep way too late the day before.  I mean it was still after 7:30pm by NSW time but we have really been sticking to QLD time as we were only going to be affected by daylight savings by a week so didn’t see the use of adjusting.

It was raining again on Friday morning but thankfully the weather forecast was for it to clear so we hedged our bets and put on the washing.  Then Jason did some school with Hamish whilst Kayla and I went and hung inside.  Eventually we all headed out to The Farm which is on the other side of Byron Bay.  Thankfully we had Wayne and Tanya as tour guides so we just had to follow them.  It was an easy drive and we loved the destination, so a big thankyou to the family we met in Nambucca Heads who recommended it to us.  There were all different farm animals and a playground for the kids, then for the big kids there was the most delicious food. 

Kayla checking out some of the pigs.

Hamish and I retreated inside to play his card game.

Awesome play area for kids.

Who doesn't like jam or custard filled doughnuts.

As it was morning tea we opted to indulge in their donuts (some filled with jam and some filled with custard) and some drinks.  By now the sun was fully out and so we continued on our way with Wayne and Tanya as our tour guides.  Of course the first big thing to see for Byron Bay was the terrible traffic that you have to go through to get back into town.  Honestly I really don’t see the drawcard of this place when it takes forever just to drive a short distance.  Still we eventually got through it and headed up towards the lighthouse.  Of course with a slight detour past the mcmansions just below the lighthouse.  We even found the house that we had seen built on Grand Designs Australia. 

Kayla having fun.

Byron Bay lighthouse.

The view back down towards Suffolk Park.

The view from the lighthouse was amazing and is definitely worth the drive up on a clear day.  It was interesting comparing the two beaches.  The one in front of Byron Bay was so busy, but nowhere near as bad as the Gold Coast and then the one on the Suffolk Park side was so nice and quiet.  I certainly knew which one I would prefer to go to.  By now it was getting closer to lunch time so we headed back home and Jason finished off school with Hamish whilst Kayla and I hung out the next load of washing and bought in the dry clothes.  Then the kids enjoyed playing in the backyard and the awesome fort that Wayne had built for his kids. 

Later in the afternoon we showered the kids early and headed off to Alstonville to visit my cousin Patrick and his wife Hannah and daughter Ruby.  I couldn’t believe Ruby is coming up to two and this is the first time I have met her.  We only drove through Alstonville to get to their house but we immediately fell in love with the place.  They aren’t too far of a drive to the beach really and yet it is in the countryside and so peaceful and quiet looking.  We were definitely jealous of their new lifestyle.  Hannah had cooked us a delicious meal and Ruby treated us to the most awesome dance moves I have seen a one year old do.  She is such a little groover.  Before we knew it though it was time to head back and get our two to bed.  Of course they were both still wide awake as Kayla had slept on the way there, but we managed to get them down relatively easily. 

Just like that around rolls Saturday, our last full day on the road really as tomorrow we head back to Brisbane where we started our journey.  So really we have been travelling for 51 weeks, and of that we really have only covered the tip of the ice-burg, mainly seeing South Australia, Western Australia and Northern Territory.  We still have so much more to see and places we would love to go back to.  I now fully understand why some people take two to three years to do Australia and also why some nomads have been doing it for eleven years, as really there is just so much to see and do in our great country.

At least we woke up to good weather on our last day.  Not that we really got out and did much.  Instead we hung around Wayne and Tanya’s place and made the most of their beautiful backyard with the outing down to the local pub for lunch.  It was a really nice meal and they had an awesome playground area which was also home to a few Bearded Dragons (lizards) who didn’t seem to mind the kids too much or would make and escape if kids started to chase them.  It was great seeing Wayne and Tanya again, but the kids were at an age they just niggled and seemed to fight heaps so it wasn’t so relaxing.

Friendly fellow.

Sunday morning rolled around before we knew it and it was time to head back to Brisbane.  Even though we had another week up our sleeve before Jason started back at work we needed to get back and start organising a few things rather than just rock up last minute and run around like headless chickens.  One of the first jobs we need to do is sort out Jason’s work clothes. There is no way we will find them in the storage shed up in Toowoomba so we will have to go shopping down here for some more.  Luckily though we had left his suit pants and shoes at his father’s place so at least he has one outfit.

Hamish lost his first tooth.

Jason packed up the outside of the van whilst I worked on inside. Then Wayne helped Jason with the outside whilst I chatted with Tanya and looked after the kids.  Before we knew it we were bundling the kids into the car, saying our goodbyes and heading off.  The shortest way to Brisbane of course had to be through Byron Bay, and that was an experience.  The traffic wasn’t bad being a Sunday morning but the bad drivers were out and before we even got through Byron Bay we had been cut off by two cars already who didn’t even look where they were going.  Yep sorry for the people who like to holiday down here but you can have it!

The drive back to Brisbane was uneventful with lots of traffic but an easy drive.  The closer to home we got the more and more depressing it was.  However nothing prepared me for when we took the Springwood exit and hopped off the freeway.  My heart just sank.  Hamish however was excited and saying how he remembered this and that and then asking if we could go and see Connor and Oliver.  We had to explain again how things aren’t the same as we no longer have our house and Connor has moved to the north side.  He seemed fine with it and with our reasoning that we will see them but can’t just pop over un-announced. 

We headed straight back to the caravan park we were at before we left as we know it, it isn’t big and it is easy for Jason to get to work.  We got the van parked and set up fully with all the outdoor furniture.  Who knows how long we are going to be here but they have a maximum of six weeks so we will most likely do that whilst we try and work out what exactly what we are going to do. 

So here we are at the end of our massive road trip.  There are certainly no regrets, just a very strong desire to get back on the road and do it all again.  I have no doubt that this will be our last big road trip and I think it has changed us in so many ways.  In about a week or two I will give an update as to how we are adjusting back and also a blog on all the expenses that we have had over the past year, so money we have spent.  That is a bit scary J  Thank you everyone for following our journey.