Sydney to Brisbane and Places In- Between

We picked up our teeny little Hippie caravan, (this would be our home for the next 6 days) and off we went.

yes that is a kangaroo in the picture...more about that later

As our amazing luck would have it, we had several friends we were going to try and meet along the way.. Our good friends we met in Puerto Viejo the De Leeuws were also in Australia. They had no set plans so they decided to join us on most of the journey. Johnny's great friend from high school Terry and his wife Caroline were doing a teacher exchange in Port Maquarie, and even though they literally just arrived and had to work in a few days, they opened up their home to us for a night where we had an awesome visit. Our new friends Don and Sil were also camping up the coast so we would connect with them as well. So exciting to not only see the beautiful area but to visit with friends along the way.

Our first stop was to meet the De Leeuws at Mannering Park on Lake Maquarie. There was nothing to special about the park, but it was so great to see our friends.

Mannering Park

One thing we noticed while driving the coast that was a little disappointing is that the road is not actually running along the coast, in fact, it is just a big major highway and in order to see all of the beautiful inlets and towns you have to sometimes drive an hour out of your way. This made our measly 6 days wayyyy to short, you can easily spend a few weeks doing the same trip but you will be able to hit all the amazing ports and beaches along the way. The campgrounds are also quite expensive. Our little hippie ride (one of the cheapest models) was $140/day and the camp fees were about $70-$100/day...makes for pretty expensive accommodations. Australia pretty much blew our daily budget, BUT it was so worth it and we knew we would make up for it in Asia.  We left Lake Maquarie and were heading to Nelson Bay in Port Stephens. To break up the drive An suggested we stop at Morrisett Park where she read there were very tame wild kangaroos. The place was incredible, tons and tons of Roos, with lots of little babies just waiting to be pet...it was pretty special.

We then stopped at Merewether beach in Newcastle for a quick swim and a bite to eat...the beach here was awesome.

Merewether beach in Newcastle, we stopped to have a swim and a bite

Merewether Beach 

We finally arrived at Nelson Bay, amazing spot with lots a restaurants and bars. The campsite was right on a pretty beach just up the road from Port Stephens

                           

The next day we did a dolphin boat tour within the marine park, we did see dolphins, nothing too impressive but it was a nice way to see the area of Port Stephens

Anneka Steering the ship

After the boat cruise, all the kids begged to go into the this floating water park, looked totally awesome, so like an idiot, I decided to go as well....not a good idea, during the last five minutes I wiped out and sprained my MCL (again!) I was in so much pain, I could barely walk , sadly it wasn't even a cool injury...

Port Stephen is really quite lovely, again felt a little rushed, I am sure there was a ton we missed around the area....

Some beautiul rainbow roundtrees

We packed up the caravan said goodbye to the Deleeuw's (we would see them again in Byron Bay) and headed to visit Terry and Caroline in Port Maquarie. We had a great day catching up  and seeing their new local beach...

this is the beach a few minutes away from their new home...lucky buggers

Not wanting to overstay our welcome, we knew they had a ton to do getting their life organized, the next morning we said good by to the Cox's  and were on our way to Byron Bay. As luck would have it, we were able to meet Don, Sil and family at Coffs Harbour...great to connect again and after a quick bite to eat we were off again....

Max, Carla and Juliette

This time stopping in Yamba...wow- so sad we couldn't stay here for longer.. this place was unreal...

We finally arrived in Byron Bay, I was probably most excited about Byron as I heard its awesome and great beginner surfing, as luck would have it, my knee kept me from surfing again at the most perfect beach ever. We met up with the Deleeuw's and had a great time. The campground was right on the beach in the centre of the hustle, a little pricey, but totally worth it, the perfect location.

some kookaburras joining An and Steven for breakfast

Both families went on a great hike up to the lighthouse, sadly I did not go as my knee wouldn't allow it, apparently the hike was beautiful and worth the climb to the top.

the most easterly point in Austrailia

It was time for us to bid our great friends farewell...hopefully we will connect again somewhere else along the way....

The De Leeuws and the Lambers

We said good bye to Austrailia- an amazing place that deserves so much more of our time...we hope to come back to visit one day.

A quick shout out to Nick and Annabel. They were on their honeymoon and travelling for 6 months, we first met them in Nicaragua then again in 2 different countries (Guatemala and Mexico) ...they arrived back home in Brisbane and we were so hoping to connect with them, but timing just was not on our side, maybe next time.

Sydney

As cool is KL was, I was so excited for the next leg....we were heading to Australia for the sole purpose to see our great friends Nick and Kath. I know you have heard me mention their names a million times, what you may not know is they inspired us to do this trip as they did it 4 years ago...they ended up stopping in Sydney (Nicks hometown) and just stayed, (now that I have been here I can totally see why!). We miss them desperately and were so happy they welcomed us into their home where we hunkered down and had a blast.

our first morning, Nick and Kath had to work so Jack and Sadietook us on a tour of Rose Bay

They live in the stunning Eastern Suburbs, and as Kath explained to me "this is not real Sydney" everything is so beautiful, meticulously maintained and the homes are incredible. After a tearful reunion (OK I think it was just me who cried), it felt like they have never left and the camaraderie and jokes started immediately. They took us to Bondi Beach to catch the evening sun, it was amazing, I can see why it is one of the post popular beaches in the world.

First stop- Bondi!

That evening we did not want to go to sleep, it  felt like we had so much catching up to do, but we had an early morning with a full day of activities planned. Kath had to work...but Nick took the day off and we all headed to the water where he took us through Sydney Harbour. Truly the only way to really see Sydney. Looking at a map its crazy how many inlets and beautiful beaches there are. We were so lucky he was able to show us many, hoping I remembered them all...Coogee Beach,  the Harbour Bridge, Watson's Bay, Darling Harbour and of course the Opera House. We also stopped at a cool little beach next to the zoo and just anchored and had lunch. What a life!

One incredible house after another-price tag? oh about 20 million

the beach we stopped at to have lunch...

not sure the name it was right next to the zoo

Livy was so happy to reconnect with Sadie- her Australian Bestie- she wishes so bad they lived in Toronto again, (me too)

That evening we took the boat to Watson's Bay where Kathy came and met us. We also connected with new friends- Sil and Don and their kids Max, Carla and Juliette. We had a great time went to a very hip, outdoor pub for dinner and watched an amazing sunset. Perfect end to a perfect day.

The next day we took a ferry (what an amazing transport system) to downtown, we toured around the Opera house, (which is so much more amazing then I ever thought) and went to the oldest part of Austrailia The Rocks (similar to Toronto's distillery district) 

The Rocks is a neighbourhood of historic laneways in the shadow of Sydney Harbour Bridge. Locals and tourists mingle at the open-air Rocks Markets, purchasing street food and handmade fashions. The area has some of Sydney’s oldest pubs and many of the upscale restaurants have harbour views. Very trendy but also quite lovely. 

Sydney is such an amazing place, one of the prettiest cities I have ever been too, the perfect blend of beaches, culture, and amazing weather, what more could you ask for?

It was incredibly sad to leave, saying good bye to the Adairs was not fun for any of us...originally we were just going to stay in Sydney and then fly to Indonesia from there, but a new plan was hatched and driving to Brisbane was our next adventure.