We'll take the coast road back through our lives

After spending the night at a campsite where the bathrooms had more insects & creatures than London Zoo, we decided we needed to put some miles behind us otherwise we were never going to get to Brisbane, which we had planned as our half way stop off point.

Along thIs stretch of the Bruce Highway much of it is coast road,  with some wonderful views of the sea. It was so relaxing just cruising along in the van with very little traffic & nothing to do but drive. Thankfully we both drive so we change over regularly & the van is surprisingly easy & comfortable to drive – although with a tiny tank it needs regular fuel top ups. 
The signage along the road continually warns you to look out for things – kangaroos, koalas, cattle – but a lot of the signs warn you of fatigue & encourage regular stops. They also ask the passenger to regularly check the driver is alert – which amuses us no end as we test each other to demonstrate alertness.  My favourite road signs tell you that playing trivia games keeps you alert, followed by further signs that pose questions- none of which we knew the answer to – about Queensland. We have of course developed our own trivia games & talked endlessly about various topics, which is what you  do when you are with someone 24/7 for 19 weeks!  The radio reception isn't always great so, having purchased a Kings of Leon CD from a charity shop & played it to death we were keen to get something else. Driving along the Highway one morning we spotted a village fete,  at a place called Appletree Creek that cried out for a visit, so we turned around to have a look. They had some old cars on display & Mr L spotted the model he learned to drive in (now an ancient relic of course!) & we found some CDs. I purchased the best one that had some cheesy songs we could a sing along - Culture Club’s greatest moments (note not greatest hits) for $1 which I later found was a copy when I got back to the van, and only part 2 of a double album -  Rip off Creek more like! We also stopped off in a little town called Marlborough to stretch our legs. These little places are always worth a visit & the locals are usually  v friendly although I never realised how obsessed the Australian’s were about the weather- the first question they always ask is was there was any rain in the previous town, then go into a long history of the rain or lack thereof in their region. 

We stopped in three different towns in three nights all on the coast overlooking endless stretches of mostly empty beaches. It's still an absolute treat for us when we have parked in our camping spot to walk those long expanses of sand, often with our feet in the sea, especially after a long days drive & pinch ourselves that we are doing something we have long talked about, then back to the site for a cool in a pool or a refreshing shower.

Interestingly we have not met anyone our age doing this type of trip (some of you won't be surprised you that)  however we have met lots of wonderful youngsters being  far more ambitious and adventurous than we would ever have been.  For example S&P – 18/19yr olds, who we met in Hervey Bay, who had decided not to go to university for now but worked two jobs to save & are now travelling up the East coast & then flying to Melbourne to work for a year; a German couple – similar age who had worked on a tomato farm for a month to earn money to buy a car, which they had converted the back into a bed so they could travel across Australia; and a whole group of young people from across the world working at a fruit farm for 88 days, which would allow them to extend their visa for another year to Travel. Considering the heat, humidity & flies in some areas we are relieved that we don't need to work on the farms (just yet) but are happy to keep travelling on the open road for now. 

Next stop Fraser Island.