SWANSEA TO NEWCASTLE

Convinced that if we don't get north quick Melbourne might somehow get a hold of us, drag us back and hold onto us for another six months!! we put almost a thousand k's behind us, waving as we pass Canberra and Sydney and stopping only briefly through the town of Swansea so our in-house 'original' south Welshy could have a pic, well we had to really didn't we?! Before Swansea we ditch the Hume (inland highway) for the pacific (coastal) and the journey is stupendous, sandwiched by the ocean and a a series of intricate lakes and islands with the road seemingly cut not through, but over the top of the hillsides.

That night we stop in Newcastle in a bizarre camp site or rather a bizarre location for a camp site. On an island adjacent to the largest industrial docklands I have ever seen, which for all their vulgar industrial'ness' create a stunning back drop to the night sky as we find our site. Opting tonight for a more tradition camping ground as it's Tuesday which means.. injection time and 'wacky Wednesday'. No driving on a Wednesday so time to check out Newcastle, which we get to by  shuttle ferry, which crosses the river every half hour, weaving between humongous container ships which pass regularly, loading up day and night on Australia's natural resources and taking them to China to be buried for future use (when the rest of the world is completely dry no doubt)!

Newcastle is nice enough but we see just about all it has to offer in a day and not being overly keen to hang around the white van, leather skinned, 'ow look at my fancy yawning and how it extends and erects effortlessly at the touch of a silky button' (yeah well shame it only erects your awning ey pops!), crew much longer.. come Thursday we bust a groove north toward Byron Bay and the Gold Coast.