Australia is a big country and I have been fortunate to have travelled some parts of it. I have however not travelled any furtherer north than Bundaberg as the thought of more heat and humidity have put me off. In 2008 after some stress related issues when I had to take stress leave from work, I needed a break from Brisbane. Brisbane can be suffocating at times as you can become trapped in its conformity. So with this in mind as well as needing stress leave which was also due to a long distance relationship break up, I journeyed from Brisbane to Jarvis Bay. My main intention was to drive to Sydney but as I drove down the Pacific Highway enjoying the spectacular beaches and scenery which the rest of the world knows very little about, I arrived at my first stop of Ballina. Ballina is a picturesque coastal town approximately 2 and a half hours south of Brisbane. It was here that I walked a long the beach and enjoyed mostly untouched coastal beaches. The next leg of the journey heading Sydney bound was to Port Macquarie. Another spectacular place on the beach. The journey from Brisbane to Sydney a long the coast road is by no doubt the best in the world. You tavel a long the coastal route making your way over the Northern New South Wales Rivers through Coffs Harbour, Yamba, Evans Head and then onto Port Macquarie. As you edge closer to Sydney you notice things become busier. Driving through Newcastle for instance as I headed towards Gosford which is north of Sydney brings you to the Central Coast of New South Wales. It is only then a matter of reaching Sydney itself. Driving through Sydney with GPS made life easier. By the time I got to Gosford I became ambitious and thought I would drive down to the South Coast of New South Wales. This coastline is much sleeper and the beaches different. The beaches and scenery reminded me of some parts of the South Island of New Zealand. There is a town on the South Coast called Eden. Although I would have liked to have gone there, time was against me and I only made it as far as Nowra to stop over and to Jarvis Bay to observe.
I have always had a fascination with lighthouses. In Jarvis Bay there is a lighthouse which I observed in the distance. It would have been interesting to actually see it but it involved navigation a long a dirt windy road. However I did get to see a bit of Jarvis Bay and put up with the cooler winds from the Tasman Sea. I liked the sleepy and laid back coastline of the South Coast of New South Wales and I hope one day to drive down the coast to Melbourne. Just outside Nowra there is a lighthouse and it was disused. It was a very tranquil location. A lot of people think of Australia as being a vast and empty dry land but it does have scenery. Upon my return from Jarvis Bay, I returned to Brisvegas through Lithgow on the Blue Mountains, and Gunnedah. I drove the car I still have which endured a slight mechanical problem hitting a dead wallaby on the road before I reached Gunnedah. Gunnedah seemed remote from anywhere and I saw kangaroos on the side of the road on ocassions. Kangaroos can be dangerous for they can suddenly hop out in front of you and cause serious injury to both you and your car. Anyhow that was the trip I did to Jarvis Bay.
I have also met Aspies in Melbourne. I met Bridget and Anthony. Anthony showed me around Melbourne and it was cool catching up with him. I attended a bbq on the side of Port Phillip Bay in Melbourne and caught up with some German friends who used to live next door to our family home in Brisbane. I have met Aspies in the United Kingdom and the United States also and it is always good to meet others where possible. I have been fortunate to have travelled to Tasmania (Hobart), Norfolk Island, Western Australia (Perth) Adelaide, Canberra (not missing much) and Sydney. Never been to Darwin and have no desire to heat and humidity wise as Brisbane is bad enough for 4 months let alone having to endure it double strength. I remember the airport on Norfolk Island which was small and all lights were turned on with a single power switch. Warnambool in Victoria was good except for the Bogan motel I stayed in as I thought to myself the motel owner looked like he had served time in a Melbourne jail. Anyhow this is my trip to Jarvis Bay and to some other places. Oh I have been to New Zealand also but would never go on a tour again. I did a week of the South Island only to find the tour guide an unhelpful drunkard bogan. she actually could not take the tour and had to hand over to the coach driver a proud kiwi who actually did a better job. I have to say on the tour that the New Zealanders were better than the Aussies as this tour guide was not a gleaning Australian example. I have no desire to do Asia really but so long as one can remain somewhat sedated the trip to Europe is always worth it. Traveling is good fun but remember to avoid the wet floors in the European Hotel Bathrooms to avoid a possible broken leg like I almost did in Portugal. Luckily I avoided injury. I hope once again to return to the UK and possibly do Germany and some other parts of Europe. I just hope Julia's tax doesnt cripple the savings? Anyhow an Aspie can travel but it is just a matter of preparation and enthusiasm for the journey ahead. It is good to know some contacts across the Tasman and it would be great to meet them one day if at all possible. I know that some will be visiting next year's conference to help with the awareness cause ;)!
I have always had a fascination with lighthouses. In Jarvis Bay there is a lighthouse which I observed in the distance. It would have been interesting to actually see it but it involved navigation a long a dirt windy road. However I did get to see a bit of Jarvis Bay and put up with the cooler winds from the Tasman Sea. I liked the sleepy and laid back coastline of the South Coast of New South Wales and I hope one day to drive down the coast to Melbourne. Just outside Nowra there is a lighthouse and it was disused. It was a very tranquil location. A lot of people think of Australia as being a vast and empty dry land but it does have scenery. Upon my return from Jarvis Bay, I returned to Brisvegas through Lithgow on the Blue Mountains, and Gunnedah. I drove the car I still have which endured a slight mechanical problem hitting a dead wallaby on the road before I reached Gunnedah. Gunnedah seemed remote from anywhere and I saw kangaroos on the side of the road on ocassions. Kangaroos can be dangerous for they can suddenly hop out in front of you and cause serious injury to both you and your car. Anyhow that was the trip I did to Jarvis Bay.
I have also met Aspies in Melbourne. I met Bridget and Anthony. Anthony showed me around Melbourne and it was cool catching up with him. I attended a bbq on the side of Port Phillip Bay in Melbourne and caught up with some German friends who used to live next door to our family home in Brisbane. I have met Aspies in the United Kingdom and the United States also and it is always good to meet others where possible. I have been fortunate to have travelled to Tasmania (Hobart), Norfolk Island, Western Australia (Perth) Adelaide, Canberra (not missing much) and Sydney. Never been to Darwin and have no desire to heat and humidity wise as Brisbane is bad enough for 4 months let alone having to endure it double strength. I remember the airport on Norfolk Island which was small and all lights were turned on with a single power switch. Warnambool in Victoria was good except for the Bogan motel I stayed in as I thought to myself the motel owner looked like he had served time in a Melbourne jail. Anyhow this is my trip to Jarvis Bay and to some other places. Oh I have been to New Zealand also but would never go on a tour again. I did a week of the South Island only to find the tour guide an unhelpful drunkard bogan. she actually could not take the tour and had to hand over to the coach driver a proud kiwi who actually did a better job. I have to say on the tour that the New Zealanders were better than the Aussies as this tour guide was not a gleaning Australian example. I have no desire to do Asia really but so long as one can remain somewhat sedated the trip to Europe is always worth it. Traveling is good fun but remember to avoid the wet floors in the European Hotel Bathrooms to avoid a possible broken leg like I almost did in Portugal. Luckily I avoided injury. I hope once again to return to the UK and possibly do Germany and some other parts of Europe. I just hope Julia's tax doesnt cripple the savings? Anyhow an Aspie can travel but it is just a matter of preparation and enthusiasm for the journey ahead. It is good to know some contacts across the Tasman and it would be great to meet them one day if at all possible. I know that some will be visiting next year's conference to help with the awareness cause ;)!
