I'm already looking forward to my next adventure... Whenever it may be.

Fond Farewells remains copyright of the author lilbeach, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Two days of driving and one night at a rest stop near South West Rocks saw me to the hostel where I would meet Susi, engine reving to announce my arrival. As expected, Susi was consumed with laughter as she sauntered out of the room to see me pulling in. And rightly so. To see her old roomate rock up on a motorbike loaded with gear was the icing on the cake of oddity that the two of us would meet halfway across the world in sunny Byron Bay. Our two days together were fabulous, with the two of us plus her friend James lounging on the beach (or rather, I lounged while they surfed), dancing to oldies at the club, drinking beers on the hostel patio, and catching up with each other's tumultuous lives. Myself reluctant to return to Brisbane, where I would resume school, and Susi reluctant to return to Vancouver, where she would resume the nightmare of "life after graduation", we did our best to relax and enjoy the time we had together.

After seeing her off to the airport, I hopped back onto the road. I stopped in for a night at the Loncza's haven in the hills, where a visit to the swimming hole with Matt, Sam and Camilla was more than welcome. Again, making the best of the time I had to do as little as possible, read as much as possible, and relax to the extreme before uni would rear its ugly head in less than a week.

Friday came, and I returned to Brisbane to meet my new roomates and move into an appartment in Taringa, near the Univeristy of Queensland. Like I said, the week since then has just been shocking. But after such a fantastic summer one could only expect to "hit the wall": where I would normally be excited to get back to school and work, neither captivated me. Although it was amazing to see my friends again, somehow I found it difficult to motivate myself. Perhaps I'm just recovering from the intensity.

I know that things will get better, that my passion for studies will return, but right now I just don't feel ready to get back to it. Not that I'll ever be without fond memories of my summer in Australia with a great little motorbike...

Is it really over? remains copyright of the author lilbeach, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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It didn't take long for Dani to convince me to stay an extra night, so we had plenty of time for catching up over drinks, water aerobics, a museum trip, and a fabulous last night playing Uno and Balderdash while drinking at Dani's brother's house.

The next morning I drove, slightly hungover, in 38 degree heat along the Hume until about 6 pm, at which point the sky turned black ("It's like, how much more black could this be? And the answer is none. None more black." Just a little Spinal Tap quote for those of you not up with the times.) and a torrential downpour of rain and hail harassed me until I pulled into the first pub I could find.

This small town was called Gunning, and was apparently the place to be on a Friday night (the Gunning Horse Show was the next day). I waited a good 45 minutes for my dinner, but entertained myself by sitting at a table with 4 men who pulled up on Harleys, and thereafter introduced themselves as Dave, Dave, Dave and Dave. I must say it was a night of classic Australian crudity, and good fun for sure, but as soon as I felt that alcohol levels around me were reaching uncomfortable ranks, I retired to my room upstairs.

I felt a bit lonely, and realized how strange it was to be travelling on my own again, which will take some time to get used to...

I arrive in Sydney the next day in time for lunch at the beach with Simone and Jamie, and then headed into the city to meet up with Inga and Caroline, old girlfriends from high school!!! They left this morning on a Contiki tour with their friend Megan, also from Calgary.

It was fabulous to see them again, a short reminder of how much I treasure their friendship!

After another long night I'm off again on the highway to see Susi in Byron Bay, hopefully by tomorrow...

A Change in Trajectory. remains copyright of the author lilbeach, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Hobart -> Port Arthur -> St. Helens -> Bridport (via Scottsdale) -> Burnie (via Launceston, Batman Bridge, Devonport) -> Stanely and Smithton -> Rocky Cape and Boat Harbour -> Derwent Bridge (via Strahan, Queenstown) -> Hobart

We've been keeping so busy, seeing so many sights, and riding so many great roads that it would be too much to write down. But some of the highlights include:
- Waterfalls from St. Helen's to Bridport
- Listening to increadible blues on the patio of the Bridport hotel before a sunset walk along the beach
- Riding from Bridport to Burnie through the toughest, windiest road I've ridden. In fact I tipped the bike on one corner, but no major problems, thank goodness! Was quite frustrated with myself, but Simon was amazing in helping me through it. A valuable lesson about pushing the boundaries...
- Brett and Karen (and Ethan), old racing friends of Simon's in Burnie
- Riding the chairlift up Nut Rock at Stanley (Simon's white knuckles!)
- Driving into the mountains and the road from Strahan to Derwent Bridge
- Pinball wizards, billiard kids, and sketchy accommodation at the Derwent Bridge hotel.
- Breakfast at St. Helens while deciding to keep riding all the way around the state. "Feeling like we had so much time ahead of us!" (Simon's contribution)

I'm starting to seriously consider it necessary to return to Tasmania. Three weeks will not be enough!

Simon, Myself, and Kirk at the Hobart Races

What a week! remains copyright of the author lilbeach, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Simon and I have been travelling together since friday morning, when we left Hobart for Port Arthur, an old penal colony from the early 1800's which is now nothing but ruins. It was interesting to see the old sandstone buildings, but was depressing to think of the history, and unfortunatly was a bit too "touristy" for us to enjoy spending much time there. My "personal guide" also took me for rides out to see some natural landmarks on the Tasman Peninsula including The Blowhole, Remarkable Caves, Devil's Kitchen in Penzance, and Eaglehawk Neck, a breathtaking lookout on the west coast of the peninsula.

That evening we stayed at the Lufta Hotel and had an amazing meal while looking out at the ocean. The next morning we decided to head back in for a brief stop at Hobart to change our clothes before heading north to St. Helens. It was a fairly long ride, but quite phenomenal roads and only a few painstakingly slow tourists. Poor Simon had to go slow to let my bike catch up, especially on the hills, but he seems pretty good about it.

A notable stop along the way was Bicheno, where after a few beers we played Keno and won $512!!! So needless to say when we arrived in St. Helens we wined and dined, once again looking out over the water!

This morning we're in recovery mode from a great night... Sitting in the sun enjoying tea after breakfast, I'm writting and Simon is reading the paper. I have really enjoyed his company over the past few days, and in fact we have decided (after a phone call to Simon's boss to request the week off work) to ride North and West and around the whole state of Tasmania! This is going to be a great week!

Breakfast at St. Helens remains copyright of the author lilbeach, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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I've spent the past few days hiking at Mt. Wellington and riding around the great roads in the Hobart area. Yesterday the weather cleared up and I drove out to Feycinet Peninsula. There are plenty of tourists here, and it's obvious why when hiking through the mountains and along the quiet, pristine beaches.

I camped at Cooke's Beach last night, which is in the running for best campsite of the trip! The bay was calm and secluded, with only a few other people (who were quite friendly, despite that common feeling I often experience between other campers/hikers of just wanting their space, peace and quiet) but plenty of wallaby's and we even saw a huge stingray hunting in the shallow waters.

In fact, I feel that I've been lucky with observing wildlife on my walks again this trip. I've watched a group of 4 massive yellow-tailed black cockatoos, crossed paths with a snake over 1 meter in length, and looked up to see a wedge-tailed eagle being chased away from a nest by a flurry of smaller birds.

I'm now enjoying the beauty of Wineglass Bay while I give my feet and knee a well-needed rest. The bottom of my arch has been giving me much grief for the past 5 or 6 days. I know I need to stop walking on it and give it a rest but there are so many good walks in Tassie that I want to do before I have to leave in 10 days...

Wineglass Bay remains copyright of the author lilbeach, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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I feel as though my attempts at living peacefully have come to a skreeching halt. After my second day of driving through the intense heat in Northern Victoria I began to push. I pushed through the desert, I pushed through the farmlands and pushed my way onto Kangaroo Island. Even once on KI I was never really reaching for peace. Just trying to "see" the island. Just trying to get stuff done; to be "productive". Ugh... this pushing was an awful reaching for the future; a focus on where I was going and how much I should get done instead of the peaceful living-each-moment-as-it-comes.

And after that, mellow life in Adelaide was a shock to my system. I bounced in the opposite direction and made use of each moment to be as lazy as possible. Avoiding productivity at all costs.

No wonder I felt agitated as I was leaving the city. It was like I was just heading out to push, push, push all over again.

The first day back on the bike my butt was sore, my hands ached and I was fighting traffic and the road. It was a relief to meet a friendly couple from Ballarat camped at the 42 Mile campground in the Coorong (gorgeous salty marshes seperated from the ocean by the Young Husband Peninsula, and prime fishing grounds judging by the number of fishermen camped on the beach). I was invited to join this young couple full of energy, adventure and great stories to tell for dinner followed by a glass of port.

Heading back to my lonely tent and waking up to the rain the next morning did nothing to improve the mood of the previous day. After a quick walk to the beach I was off to check off my list of places to see Kingston SE, Robe and Mt. Gambier, all the while not really enjoying the ride that should have been fun despite the rain. Crossed the SA-Vic Border (check) and through Nelson (check) and decided I'd checked off enough for the day.

I thought I'd try camping at Swan Lake in Discovery Bay Coastal Park. The dirt road soon became super corrugated and potholes abounded. I reached a point where, although the scenery was beautiful and I could hear the ocean, it was time to turn around as I could feel my leaking forks probably wouldn't take much more.

DAMN!!! While trying to turn the bike around on the narrow gravel road it tipped... downhill. It took every ounce of effort I could summon to get the bike back upright after 5 long minutes of "on-the-verge-of-freaking-out" and "oh-my-goodness-i'm-stuck-in-the-middle-of-nowhere-with-no -cellphone-reception", not to mention petrol leaking out of my tank and who knows what else could be wrong with the bike.

I stood there shaking for a further 5 minutes before climing back on and slowly working my way back to the highway. Once on the highway I didn't know what to do. I felt homesick for the first time in a long long time. But I couldn't think of anywhere I'd like to be. Just not here, in the rain, on my own. And maybe this whole trip was a bad idea...

I decided to screw this camping/buliding character b/s and checked into a hotel room at a pub in Portland, the next town down the road. Once there I collapsed and lay motionless on the warm, dry, soft bed until I could summon enough energy to enjoy a hot shower, a warm dinner, and a good conversation with a friend who called just at the right time.

This morning I awoke with a new perspective and was able to approach the day more peacefully, taking my time and enjoying the moment. The rain cleared up momentarily as I entered Port Fairy allowing me to observe the surfers as I ate my lunch on the rocky shore. Driving into town my bike sputtered... and stopped... Oh No!!! Only 186 km on the odometer out of the 220 I should be able to get out of a full tank. But then why is the fuel tank creaking on and on and OH YEAH: I had forgotten about the petrol I lost when the bike tipped.
Ok, no problem. Caltex is only a few blocks away. Just then a local came out of his house of offer a hand. After pushing the bike onto his front lawn he drove me to the petrol station and bought me a 5L can of petrol!!!
He said it was in return for the friendly Canadians who helped him out when his son was sick in Quebec. Straight out of Pay it Forward...

So now I'm camped 8km off of the Great Ocean Road at Johanna Beach. It was pretty cool to see the coastline this far. I expected the 12 Apostles to be somewhat of a letdown, having seen all the photos before. But with the sun low in the sky, peaking through the storm clouds, the coastline accentuated with these natural statues was breath-taking indeed! It was a treat to stop taking photographs (yet another push-push-push habit) and just absorb the beauty of the waves, the mist, the rocks and the cliffs!

The Great Ocean Road is definitely not overrated: some great driving this far despite the rain and I'm sure more to come tomorrow.

Great Ocean Road remains copyright of the author lilbeach, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Leaving yet again... remains copyright of the author lilbeach, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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There have been many instances in the past week where the question, "Why are you going to Adelaide?" has been raised, as if the city were a sort of cesspit. On the contrary, Adelaide is marvelous! The drive from Kangaroo Island (where i beheld not only kangaroos but koalas, goanas, wallabies and legions of possums, not to mention a fabulous visit with Maggie, her grandaughter and son!) to Adelaide twisted through wine country and cheese farms into the city. Aside from it's breathtaking beautiful beaches (say that 5 times fast...) Adelaide reminded me of the mellow, laid-back Calgary where I grew up, before it became the money-driven oil-drinking center of Alberta...

The past few days have been spent chillin' with Len and Jess, getting to know them on a more-than-casual basis, along with their friends Nick and Cass. It's always great to spend time and reminisce with people from home. It's been so damn hot (over 40 degrees) that our trips to the stunning, clean, not-too-crowded Brighton Beach have been short, although a dip into the cool ocean was much needed.

Today we drove out to Handorf, a German settlement outside of Adelaide. Although the "authentic" German pubs, and in fact the few streets making up the entire town, were somewhat tacky, the beer, sausages and saurkraut were phenomenal.

I'll be sad to leave, if I can ever pull myself away from this beautiful town and these quality friends.

Adelaide remains copyright of the author lilbeach, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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It was kind of cool to think that I had climbed Australia's Highest Mainland Mountain (ha ha, yet only 2228 meters). Such a great feeling, to hike and hike until you're surrounded by nothing but mountain ranges!

The past few days have been some great riding:

After a few days of rest and an attempt at recovering (still sick from a week of no sleep and constant dancing) consisting of much reading, crib with Jamie and researching the next leg of my trip on the net, I'm off on the second half of my journey.

I accompanied Simone and Jamie to his cousin Scott's place at Jervis Bay, a beautiful home with dolphins and sting rays swimming 500 m in front of the house, where I also got to meet Scott's wife Shelli and their children Oscar and Charlie.

On the way to Jervis Bay I rode through the fun curves and hills of Kangaroo Valley, stopping to explore the trails around Fitzroy Falls and lookouts surrounding the gourge. A Canbewerra lookout gave me a view of the land out to the coast, including my destination of Jervis Bay!

The next day was some more great rides (especially from Bateman's Bay to Braidwood) out to Canberra and an exploration of the parks and museums of Australian's Capital City. Canberra, although not party central, really is a beautiful and interesting city.

My third day in a row of beautiful roads took me south from Canberra into the mountains of Kosciuszko National Park. I feel at home in the mountains!!!!!

On the Road Again remains copyright of the author lilbeach, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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In My Tank Bag:
-Map
-Documents (passport, bike stuff, etc)
-Tinted Visor
-Snack food
-Water
-Flashlight
-Wallet, phone
-Journal
-Rag/handkerchief
-Knife
-Small Tools
-Camera
-Small sunscreen
-Toothbrush/paste, deoderant
-Small first aid kit
-Toilet Paper
-Harmonica

In My Backpack:
-Tent (17$ at CrazyClarks... we'll see how this holds up...)
-Tiny Stove, Matches, Butane, a billy, utensils
-Food, tea, water
-Sleeping Bag
-3 Shirts (one to wear "out", one to wear riding, one for hiking)
-1 pants that turn to shorts
-1 skirt/sarong
-a thermal layer
-a zip sweater
-3 pr socks/underwear
-bathing suit
-hat
-1/4 of a beach towel
-sandals
-hiking shoes
-plastic bags
-books (right now i'm reading "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, The Bhagavad Gita, Watership Down)
-laundry soap
-toiletries
-phone charger
-small tube for siphoning gas (hopefully this will go unused)
-spare set plugs
-spare engine oil

The List remains copyright of the author lilbeach, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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I suppose it began yesterday, which was an anticlimactic, slow recovery from New Years Eve.

On the 31st we had a slow start, with the knowledge that it would be a full-on night, and attended few shows, although we did see a tlk on Climate Change and civil Disobedience, and hung around the Greenhouse tent for a while discussing the dangers of building a dam on the Mary River and the f*cking USA army coming to test nuclear weapons at a bay north of Brisbane. Shocking!!! It seems so unreal; so rediculous and i just have so much trouble understanding their blatent disregard for life and the environment!

Ashley and I had an increadible night! Possibly the best NYE yet, and definitely the best NYE sober! The bands were phenominal and we danced from 8pm until 4:30am, except for the 3 minute silence prior to midnight (a magical experience, as 20 thousand people who had been singing, dancing and playing hard all week stopped in a candle-lit reflection). Two days later, my feet are still aching!

Everyone who was still awake at that early hour in the morning trecked from the temporary city of tents and music up the hill to watch the sunrise as monks played magical flute tunes which seemed to drift down the hills and throughout the valley before floating up and up and up...

And then the following day was a mass recovery. Those who weren't hiding in their tents were milling around lethargically, many hung-over, most with a half-off-somewhere-else stupor on their face. Mine was still painted with blues, greens and silver from the night before. Although the music remained fabulous, few found the energy to dance. It seemed so hot I couldn't sleep until that evening...

So I sat around, chilled out, played guitar with some neighbours (beautiful people; friendly and generous) before catching a few last shows and finally falling asleep on the floor of the Chai Tent as my friends danced into the early morning.

The tarp above my head was playing the music of a light rainfall this morning, but soon the sun came out and dried up the tarps just in time for us to pack them away and say goodbye to our temporary Woodford home.

I caught a ride into Brisbane with Dan and Brit (thank you!) making it just in time to catch the bus. By this time the day had become grey, I had eaten a bit too much for my lethargic tummy, my sinuses were clogged, my cut foot throbbing and my allergies contributing to a seemingly endless sneeze festival. I was not looking forward to sitting on a bus for 4 hours and then a train for 10...

But then I began reading "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Repair" and regained some of the perspective about life and travelling that I had lost in my absolute exhaustion. I remembered (this realisation tends to come and go quite often) that this is all part of the journey, AND it's only one small part of it: temporary and passing like everything else.

Living in the moment is easy to do during celebration, with beautiful music and passionate dancing. It's not so easy to embrace life in the "now" when I feel out of tune. But when I can just begin to understand the nature of impermanance in this situation, there is a small amount of peace to be found.

And Back to Sydney remains copyright of the author lilbeach, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Woodford Folk Festival remains copyright of the author lilbeach, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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So many people... are conditioned to a life of security, conformity and conservatism, all of which appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have and endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.

- Alex McCandless (Into the Wild)

Inner peace is in no way a complacency or a comfort. I think our adventurous spirit comes from a desire to understand the nature of the life we play a part in more completely. It is a drive that leads us to uncover truths within us that can only be illuminated through discovery or connection with the world around us. Challenging ourselves and pushing our bodies (rock climing, hiking, yoga, cycling, etc) seem to be of the utmost importance in maintaining physical and mental health.

Conversely, our drive to be daring and to find that adrenaline rush seems to come from a lack of feeling and connecting with life. Almost like a momentary attempt to fill a void our society has evolved to ignore. Most likely this is the same void we have become so adept at covering up with the standard belief that if only we become more beautiful, more successful, we will find our ‘place’ in this world. For myself, this daring often came from a need to impress others, a search for validation or some sort of definition of my ego, when I felt that such a definition was necessary.

I think it's appropriate to return to the age-old Socratic idea of the ‘middle road’. Our adventurous spirit keeps us constantly learning about and interacting with our environment to nourish the soul, to keep us physically healthy and to teach us to live in varied conditions and situations. Yet if we go too far and pursue adventure and challenge as an ends, rather than a means towards a radiant inner peace, we will never find a lasting peace and will in all likelihood continue to live a life of constant, desperate searching.

Thoughts on the Adventurous Spirit remains copyright of the author lilbeach, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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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...

And On to Sydney remains copyright of the author lilbeach, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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My drive south was basically just a battle agains the rain. It go t pretty heavy for a good hour or two, and the rest was just bone-chilling drizzle. I took the detour through Port Macquarie, just out of curiosity, and because the storm had temporarily subsided. The rocky coast was stunning with dark skies and storm clouds. It’s a nice deviation from endless stretches of sand (although I wouldn’t complain about either!). The town itself seemed pretty mellow, and I bought some delicious fresh fruit from the local market for lunch and dinner.

This curiosity-fueled route was cut short by another bout of rough rain, leading me to bear back towards the Pacific Hwy. By the time I got to Taree my hands were dark purple from the wet wet leather and I had swimming pools in my boots. MacDonalds never seemed such an appealing coffee stop.

As I pulled into Nabiac for petrol at about 3pm, I saw a sign for the National Australian Motorcycle Museum! It was a great excuse (albeit and expensive one… $11) to take another break from the wet roads. Pretty interesting stuff, and some really old bikes; it made me feel a part of something more than just a girl on a bike… like this trip is just a small part of so many other explorations and adventures, but I’m still doing my bit.

I was somewhat surprised to make it all the way to Myall Lakes. It was a fun drive through the park, and the lake is magnificent, with ducks and black swans and the evening mist settling over the mountains on the far side of the water. Hopefully I’ll be able to do some exploring in the morning before my next big day of riding to Sydney…

It's Raining!!! remains copyright of the author lilbeach, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Yesterday morning I was a bit slow getting on the road (as usual) but I made it to Byron Bay by around 11am to meet up with Lynette's little brother, Brett. I tried to get a camping spot at his hostel, "The Art Factory", but it was so insanely crowded, so I ended up camping 10 minutes out of town, which turned out to be quite the hassle at 1am...
After a mellow day on the beach (Brett's pretty chill and it was nice to do as little as possible), we walked to the end of the beach and up some stairs built into the rocks. It was pretty cool to see Mount Warning from the coast and to think, "I climed that!"
When I went back to camp for a nap, I met the folks beside me, who were also Canadian! One of the guys was the kiteboarder Brett and I had been admiring all day... Turns out one of the others dated a girl I went to school with in Ponoka! It's a small world after all [insert overused tune here].
The first half of the night was great; Brett and I found some hammocks, and reclined with beer, cheese and crackers. We decided then to head into town (a bad idea in hindsight) to find the other Canadians at a bar called the Cheeky Monkey. After convincing the firl at the door to let us in without cover, we walked in to see one of the Canadian girls topless on stage in a wet t-shirt contest! Now, I'm not condoning this kind of thing... if you're looking for a fun, loud, drunken time, this is the bar to visit. It just seems to me like such a rediculous idea to judge and reward girls with money for appearing as slutty as possible. I'm glad Brett didn't like the atmosphere either and after one drink we left.
I've always pictured Byron Bay as a fun place, but i think it's just really not for me. As much as I love beer and wine, I don't like being drunk and I never have fun in the party scene anymore. I guess I just feel like it's so negative (again, my perspective and I undertand that other's would disagree with me), like the entire atmosphere is dirty. The issue, I suppose, is that when I used to be into that scene, I longed for attention and to be "wanted". That's not so important to me anymore but i still have negative associations with the whole scene. These days i'm more focused on appreciating peace and beauty than being intoxicated and rowdy.

Today was another slow start, but I decided to take the tourist drive through Evan's Head, at which point it started to rain. Since the downpoar showed no signs of letting up, I decided to just drive as far as I could get. I was hoping to camp at South West Rocks tonight but as I was leaving Coff's Harbour the rain became quite heavy and the visibility quite low. So here I am, camped at a rest stop (most likely illegally) with the sound of freight trucks and speeding cars to lull me to sleep.

Noteworthy: At the New Italy rest stop I met a man who was crippled. We talked about my bike and travels for a while, and before we parted he warned me about kangaroos on the road. Apparently, hitting a roo at 100 kms on his bike was what crippled him! Hmm... a good reality check for me!

Byron Bay remains copyright of the author lilbeach, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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