ROADTRIP ON THE EAST COAST OF AUSTRALIA. STAGE 2: FROM SYDNEY TO BRISBANE

The Second stage of our roadtrip along the East Coast of Australia took us from Sydney to Brisbane. Two states, lots of beaches, huge cities and hippie towns, surfers, dolphins and koalas. Sunsets with kangaroos fighting, a wedding between palm trees, impressive dunes, cliffs where beautiful lighthouses, bananas and giant prawns rise, a plague of bats and many other surprises. All this is what this trip brought us, and what we have left to live!

At the moment these are the main data:

Day 7Blue Mountains - Kew

After the visit on the day of the Blue Mountains we traveled a few km to the service area Northbound Rest Stop, where we spend the night. And let us tell you that it was not or approached, the best night of all. It is a place where many trucks stop throughout the night, so the noise and the trajín is constant. He does not sleep well, although hot showers and Mcnuggets play in his favor. By the way, if you stay here, try to park as far as possible from the truck parking lot (that is, go to the other side of the F3 cafeteria).

Anyway, that at 6:30 we were already awake and at 8 on the way. The day turned out to be harder than expected and in total we were 10 hours on the van, to do more than 400 km. Would be the lookout day, we tell you ...

The first notable city we went through was Newcastle, almost nothing! It is the seventh most populous city in Australia, with almost half a million inhabitants. The sensation of a great city has just entered the peripheral neighborhoods. In one of them we begin our list of viewpoints: it is about Hicksom Street Lookout(or directly called Lookout in wikicamps) and has beautiful views of the hidden part of the city beach, the one to which only the loners or the little ones go down. Access to it must be moderately complicated and people usually go to the main beach.

We realized this as soon as we started the descent, already on the other side of the hill, where Newcastle was unambiguous: the huge Merewether Beach flanks its west bank and then a row of cars, full parking lots and mess, a lot of trouble. It contrasts greatly with the 4 cats that we could see from above on the previous beach.

It was late summer Sunday and we assume that people are taking advantage of the last days of vacation. But we also had the feeling that this hustle and bustle, with its more and less, must be present all year. We wanted to ask, but another viewpoint was waiting for us ...

The best of the day! Its about Memorial Walk, an elevated catwalk built in 2015 in honor of the military fallen in the First World War. To get there you have to climb a fairly tedious pedestrian ramp to the top of a hill that protects the entire city, there the views are sublime. The walk is not long and is considered one of the most spectacular in this part of Australia.

We return back to the Pacific Highway to continue the road to Nelson Bay. This town looks like a mid-state NSW vacation destination! Or at least they agreed to spend the day precisely this day. It was packed, so crowded that it was impossible for us to find parking near the third viewpoint of the day: the Fort Tomaree Head Lookout. We reached the foot of the hill on which it is located, but this time the access was closed (apparently it is part of a National Park and, at least today, they did not let anyone pass). Plan B was to park downstairs and get on a leg, but what was said, not a single hole to leave the van. A good excuse not to give us a warm. But we really left a little annoyed, it looked very good!

We visited this whole peninsula almost without getting off the van, we passed by the beach of Shoal bay famous for being a place from where you can see dolphins, by Port Steven, for Corlette and for the Salamander bay and we only had one phrase in our head ... "How the rich live!"

The detour to see this whole area was serious and maybe we could have saved it, but look, things are going like this. A couple of hours later and a few more kilometers on the odometer we are back on the Pacific Highway, but not far away we would leave it again. The detour is towards the Turistic Drive 8 and there we met a very peculiar place.

This time it is not a viewpoint, or a building, or a beach or a mountain ... it is a church. But if you said it wasn't a building! And it is true ... it is a church without a roof or walls, without crosses or baptismal font. In reality, the only thing you have is the banks so that the guests feel.

This peculiar place is called Green cathedral and it is a room (to call it somehow) in the middle of a forest of long palm trees and with beautiful views of a lake, chosen by some couples to celebrate their weddings. We find the preparations for one, although be careful, you may find a funeral, which they also officiate.

The fourth viewpoint is the Bennetts Head Lookout and is in Forster. If in Newcastle or Nelson Bay you thought you saw the green ocean water, here you will be completely out of doubt. From the top of this cliff you will not only differentiate the color of the Pacific, but it will not seem strange to see a few sharks waiting for your fall ... If there has to be somewhere, it sure looks a lot like this.

From here a sedero of about 400 meters leaves that crosses a small forest (full of killer mosquitoes) to the beach of the town. The funny thing is that you will reach the top of a huge dune, that you will have to descend like a child, with long strides and a smile on your face, to get to the water. We didn't see too many people around here, beyond a handful of surfers.

Perhaps other more interesting beaches may be Blueys beach, Boomerang beach Y Elizabeth Beach, but we were running late and we had to visit our fifth and last viewpoint. This is in the town of Taree and is called Apex Lookout. The views over the river and the surrounding area at sunset are simply spectacular.

We only have a few kilometers left until Kewwhere we spend the night next to the Visitor Center, in the Rest Area. We, another van and an Australian of those who could perfectly star in a movie of a tourist killer.

Day 8Kew - Arrawarra

We didn't have time to waste so we headed towards the city of Port Macquairie. There we first visited the Tacking Point Lighthouse, a lighthouse a little feote but nestled in a place of those who remove the hiccups. Although the most important reason to reach this town was theKoalas hospital, a true recovery center for koalas with problems: some are blind, others have suffered accidents, others are sick ... They are perfectly cared for and the impact of visitors is taken into account. You can read the history of each of them, the progress of the center and the healing of many koalas. The visit is free, but it is highly recommended to give them a donation, or buy some of the souvenirs from your store, to help them continue with this beautiful project.

Port Macquairie has different beaches and viewpoints. Before we leave we approach the one in the Lions park, but shop around the town because it's worth it. There are also lots of giant sculptures of koalas scattered throughout its streets.

We looked at the map, in the north direction we were presented with two options: exit to the Pacific Highway (option for caguetas) and continue along the coast road, for which you had to take a ferry (option for adventurers). As we are true adventurers we decided on this second, the idea was to lead the way until we reached Crescent Heads Lookout, and there we divert to the main road. 50 meters we last on the road, because it is a road, probably the worst we saw in Australia! So there we stood 5 minutes deciding what to do, until a 4 × 4 that came from the front stopped and the kids who were in it put a little bit of sanity. Don't even think about following! We just lost a lump we were carrying on top of the car! So we had to turn around and take the ferry again to be, 30 minutes later, in the same place (we didn't get rid of the guy from the ferry guy). Of course, at least it helped us to see some housing estates of the rich they had their yachts parked at the door ...

Nambucca Heads It is another of those medium-sized towns scattered throughout the east coast of Australia, especially in this part. The day had started soon and we had some free hours, and what better way to spend them lying on the beach on the beach, right? It is a plan that does not usually fail and that we already wanted ... Our corner was the beach ofShelly beachWe ate there, took a nap, read and enjoyed!

The town is not quite interesting, although it has a couple of very cool viewpoints. We go through the Captain Cook Lookout on the beach itself, and by the Rotary Lookout, which offers you a completely different view over the bay.

Lety got in the head to go through one of those geeky places that this country usually offers, one of those included in the category of “The big” or “The giant”… In this case it is the Big banana! Actually it is an amusement park but we are left alone at the entrance, that here what catches our attention is its icon!

The big surprise of the day was waiting. In these two months traveling through Australia we have already seen kangaroos of all sizes and colors, but the moment we live in Moone Beach Natural Reserve It was magical. The last rays of light fell on their loins, the mothers slowly transported their young in their bags, others grazed calmly in front of us and two males faced kicks. We have decided that kangaroos are our favorite animals.

In Arrawarra Rest Area We finished this day, in a fairly new service area with other vans. We take energy for the rest of the trip, which is not a small thing!

Day 9Arrawarra - Byron Bay

We are taking the habit of not having breakfast in the place where we sleep, but putting the batteries fast and doing it already on the road. This time it was in a small town, but where, as in every corner of Australia, there is a small park with bathrooms, barbecue and tables. This had something special, as soon as we opened the door we began to hear some very loud sounds that come from above. We look up and in front of us, from the branches of a leafy tree, hang hundreds of scandalous bats. But it was not the only thing that accompanied us at breakfast, a bird the sea of ​​long-beaked and nice beak (an ibis) was hanging around there all the time. Oh and a big lizard. Oh, and a hairy spider ...

We have no doubt that we are going through the northern part of Australia. In addition the weather has suddenly changed, more heat and humidity and less cool at night. The landscape has gone from being dark green to a bright green and yellow. Even the clouds remind us of the ones we always find in Asia. So far we have not seen so many palm trees, and the sugar cane fields extend as far as the eye can see. But we have to be aware that it is several thousand km that we have traveled from Melbourne.

TO Yamba We arrived early and we had a good time. It is a place with a lot of surfing tradition, with several beaches that, it seems, are great for surfing, and with a surprise: dolphins! Dolphins playing in the waves with surfboards. We saw them from a little hill where the Lighthouse.

Another place where you can see playful dolphins is in Ballina. And guess ... there is also a lighthouse there! And some very cool viewpoints ... If all these villages are very similar. And why don't you guess? Yes, another giant frikada: the Big prawn! It has cloth ...

We headed to Byron Bay, possibly the most beloved town for Australians (and foreigners) and famous for its hippy and alternative ambient. Here we spent two days and no, we didn't see Elsa Pataky.

Day 10Byron Bay - Brisbane

Today was a very special day, we would meet again with Felipe, a friend of those who travel and stay forever. With him we met Asia several times, and the next one would be in Brisbane! We had no time to lose and, after two very fun days at Byron Bay, we left fast on our last day of this stage on the east coast of Australia by van.

In the whole day we made only one stop: Coolangatta. We use this place to contemplate in the distance the profile of the huge city ofGold coast, which by the way, we had no desire to go. So we settle for shooting a few photos of its skyscrapers from a distance. By the way, right in this city is the border between the states of New South Wales and Queensland. A new state that welcomes us, and often been!

And to reinforce our intention not to visit it, we find that these days they are celebrating the Commonwealth Games here. To take Gold Coast winds, that a little later we have Felipe waiting for us in his super Jacuzzi! We finish this stage in Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland, which would become one of our favorites.