And On to Sydney

My explorations this morning were indeed sucessful; a walk to the lake before my morning tea turned into a small treck to the ocean from my Mungo Brush campsite. Since i began raining and I had no desire to get my only pair of warm clothes wet, I left them under a tree and explored the shore in a t-shirt and undies... good thing it was 6am and no one was around.

Along the coastline at Myall Lakes are some crazy-looking sand dunes decorated with lush, vine-like bushes. There is a large, menacing (could have been the stormy weather) rock island off the south end of the shore (is that Broughton Island?).

I walked along the sand in awe of the powerful waves which rolled to a rest, lapping at my feet before returning to the tumultuous roar of the ocean, and then became engulfed, probably for a good hour, by the beautiful varieties of seashells scattered across the beach. Such a peaceful activity, to ponder the origins of each shell, to appreciate the colours and unique markings and shapes.

Since the weather was looking hopeful, I decided to take the long route to Sydney via Putty Road. Before hitting Newcastle, I cut north-west to Singleton, where the motorcycle mecca begins. It really was as great as i'd read, but I did need to recurrantly remind myself that it's not necessary to push the limit around each and every corner (a stressful endeavor, pushing limits, to say the least) and just enjoy the ride. (Jamie tells me that a helicopter pulls a biker out of that area at least once per week...) My favorite scenery was around Kangaroo Waterholes, where there must have been massive fires, because all the trees had turned a red colour, with bases scorched black. This went on for a good 10 km before returning to the rich green characterising the rest of the ride.

By the time I got to Windsor I was exhausted (imagine how Gael Garcia must feel, had he any feelings) so I grabbed a much-needed coffee and sat down to plan my attack on Sydney. After a bit of confusion as to my whereabouts, Jamie and I worked out a route over the phone. The city traffic was as bad as i'd thought, and a huge shock after being in the countryside for so long.

It was fabulous to see both Jamie and Sim when they arrived home, and i'm looking forward to spending time with them. It still doesn't feel like Christmas... where's the snow? This will be my first Christmas without my brother, the only thing I regret about being here in Australia...