Back to hoofin' it (Apr. 26/09 - Sydney, Australia, mileage 120km)

This morning we had to dig out our packs and cram all our stuff back into them after almost five weeks of road tripping. It was only a couple hours' drive to Sydney, so we took the scenic coastal route instead of the freeway. The Illawara Escarpment is a massive sandstone plateau that backs much of the coast south of here, and nearer to the Royal National Park that separates the developed coast from greater Sydney, the escarpment plunges straight into the ocean. For years, the road that traversed the base of the cliffs was subject to rockfalls and resulting closures and accidents. So in 2002, they started construction of the Sea Cliff Bridge, which now wraps around the cliffs, built out from the rock faces and way up above the ocean so the bridge will no longer be affected by rockfalls or wave erosion. It actually acts like a tourist attraction now, as the impressive arcs of bridge draw people to drive, walk, and bike across it. We did too, walking its length and watching people fishing and swimming off the rocky shelf below. At the right time of the year, the bridge is apparently a great spot for whale watching.

The road then winds its way through Royal National Park before rejoining the freeway and pretty soon easing into suburban Sydney. We successfully followed the signs to the airport and pulled back into the campervan rental place that we left just ten (long!) days ago. And that marked the end of our drive across Australia. The odometer told us that we covered an insane 7,041 kilometers in the last 33 days, and Ken will tell you that virtually every one of them was trying, with poorly maintained roads, excessively high speed limits, and drivers who are obsessed with tailgating and aggressive driving. It was quite a trip, and we definitely thought camping our way across the country was the best way to experience it. But for now, we're back to hoofin' it, with our giant packs and that fun feeling of not knowing where you're sleeping tonight!

So we left the rental place on foot with rough directions to get ourselves downtown to the hostel we had picked out. Three blocks away, we found a bus stop and barely stopped walking before a bus came. We were entertained by a drunk guy who sat down across from us and slurred on and on (at 4pm on a Sunday) about who knows what before he dropped his giant bottle of beer he was working on and spilled it all over the floor and the lady beside him before being kicked off the bus. We found our hostel easily and were relieved to drop our bags in our room - we'd forgotten how heavy those things are! Walking up Elizabeth Street, downtown Sydney looked almost identical to downtown Vancouver, but with no homeless people and an abundance of British pubs. We hid from the frigid winds in a pub for some dinner and then called it a night. Tomorrow: exploring Sydney!