We are just amazed at how far we can travel on a tank of diesel and dream
about how much better our bank account will be without the constant
refuelling. However, Peter was concerned that we seemed to be losing some
air in the trailer tyre and was fearful that we would end up with a puncture
on the side of the highway.
We had travelled to Newcastle and after our comfortable night at the Ibis in
Coffs Harbour we decided that the tent could stay on the trailer and we
would book into a motel or another Ibis. A quick phone call to the Ibis in
Newcastle provided us with a booking so accommodation was sorted. We do
miss the comradeship of the caravan park but we only have three nights
before we house sit again so happy to be in the hotel. There were a Kiwi
couple on duty as receptionists in Newcastle and they were delighted to
welcome some fellow Kiwi's - the guy carried out our cases upstairs, ensured
we got the best room and then rang and arranged for our dinner to be
delivered as we were too lazy to go out again as we were quite late arriving
at the hotel. They certainly provided us with great service.
Next morning there was still air in the tyre so we drove to a local tyre
shop. However they couldn't check the tyre out for a few hours and we were
keen to continue south, so we moved on hopeful we weren't going to get stuck
along the way. Near lunch time we pulled into "The Entrance" which is a
delightful beachside area. Here the guys from Bridgestone provided us with
excellent service - the tyre had a leaky valve and this was soon rectified.
They then performed a rotation and wheel balance on the Patrol and before
long we were on our way again. We enjoyed lunch down by the waterfront -
the historical photos there showed that visitors have been visiting The
Entrance since 1923 with tents erected where the current caravan park is
now. It is a lovely area and there were lots of visitors around.
From here we continued along the coast to Gosford where we had visited a
reptile farm back in 1988. Not sure if that reptile farm is still operating
but it was good to visit Gosford again.
Before too long we re-joined the Pacific Highway and set the GPS to the
Sydney Ibis we had booked into. Obviously we had made a mistake identifying
just which suburb we were going too and we found ourselves at the right
number on the Great Western Highway but about twenty kilometres from where
we should be. So annoying as the traffic was quite heavy at 4 pm. We
eventually booked in and organised ourselves to go to dinner with the couple
we are house sitting for so we hit the road again. We are so glad to have
the GPS - it takes care of all the map reading as long as we enter the right
information. Also the Melbourne e-tag functions Australia wide so we have
no issues if we are directed on to a pay motorway.
Our next stay with be in Stanhope Gardens which is in the western suburbs of
Sydney. We will house sit and care for two dogs who are sisters from the
same litter although look quite different. We will be here for the next six
nights so that will give us time to explore parts of Sydney (although again
we have visited Sydney many times in the past) and for Peter to attend to a
number of work appointments. We will soon be experts on public transport in
Sydney!
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