choice..

now that we have finally got this trip under way for real (no more one week here and 10 days there...), the big question was where to go?? After 'careful' research we figured south would be too cold and west is still mostly under water from the Queensland floods. With east being the Pacific ocean - north was the best choice. With Sydney getting colder as winter sets in, we were looking forward to some warm sunshine - who knows, maybe even a dive in the surf...

They say a picture paints a thousand words... well here's 1005...!

Why settle for cold OR wet when you can have BOTH.

Not to be too pessimistic, we had a few beautiful days in Nambucca Heads. The beach is hard enough to ride a bike on and Ang got involved with a group of fishermen taking advantage of the annual mullet spawning run... One morning on the beach we noticed a few guys with 4x4's and a tinnie running up and down the beach pointing madly here and there. They would launch the boat, head out 20 metres or so then turn back, load it on a trailer, drive 100m down the beach and repeat the whole thing.

Eventually it became obvious - once they spotted the fish (as we also did) they launched the boat dragging a net with the opposite end attached to a 4x4 on the beach. After completing a semi-circle back to the beach, they attached the 'boat end' of the net to another 4x4 and dragged thousands of fish onto the beach. Ingenious - just hope there's enough in years to come. We were told stories about the indigenous forefathers walking knee-deep in the breakers, flicking fish onto the beach using sticks..

One of the locals paid me a huge complement by mistaking me for an 'elite athlete' by asking if I was in town for the Geoquest 48hr adventure race. With excitement we decided we would at least volunteer to man a few checkpoints and thereby get to see whats going. Ang of-course was using the opportunity to get me to stand in for a competitor who had not turned up - 'sure my husband can do this, he does this stuff all the time...'. Needless to say, had she succeeded, I would still be delirious in some flooded forest/swamp somewhere pointing a muddied compass in the general direction of north (where its apparently warm and dry!!).

We ended up manning two checkpoints - one on the beach in great sunshine

and 12 hrs later at the end of 'the road to nowhere' on the top of Dorrigo mountain (800m) in torrential rain and not too far off sub-zero temperatures. A great exercise of-course in setting up the camper in the dark, in bucketing rain and 1.5m visibility. We were hesitant to complain however, as we had just had a very mild taste of what the competitors were going through. When they started coming through, soaked, cold, some hyperthermic, some bloodied and yet (mostly) in good spirits, we could appreciate being near some form of warmth and dry.

8 or so guys and GIRLS taking advantage of a rather small dry area in our camper. After repeated instructions from Ang, they did get the message loud and clear to 'STAY OFF MY BED!!!' while I was trying to remember the weight rating of that raised floor that doubles as the lid of the camper - watertight for the coast and dustproof for the desert... Not sure if that still applies... The hot teas and coffees went down well I'm sure - although against the rules we found out later... '... may not accept assistence of nourishment, drinks or medical attention... blah blah...'

After that bit of excitement we commenced a mission to search for drier pastures which, I'm sorry to report, is still a work-in-progress... Byron Bay in a small caravan park-style chalet is currently home with the camper trying to dry outside in the rain. Looking to be a great week to get some work done.

Lennox Head paragliding take off - hope to be coming back for a fly in a few days... Ang says she's a better photographer - I think I'm just more photogenic...?

Pretty much the view all around right now..