Sometimes when you're traveling, plans can rapidly change.
Yesterday, Anna and I made a big decision based on a great opportunity that came our way. Basically, we scored an awesome weekly rate in a condo right on the beach in Mooloolaba, and have decided to make it our homebase for the next six weeks (in which case this blog will temporarily be called "Living out of a Condominium"). Yes, we totally loved being in the tent, and no, we're not abandoning our other plans at all... We just figured out after doing the math and soul-searching on what we really want out of this trip, that this made the most sense. At least I can give you a better idea of our itinerary now:
The next six weeks:
Mooloolaba and surrounding environs, with day trips out to various places, and maybe some short-term jaunts to locations like Cairns (for the Great Barrier Reef) or Alice Springs (for the Outback and Ayers Rock). We've discovered that flying is way cheaper than driving, and while we do miss out on the sights of a roadtrip, in the end we're going to get to some remote locations than had we attempted by car.
After the six weeks (about Nov 1):
Sydney and Wollongong for 2 weeks, Melbourne and some of Victoria for another week, and then probably off to New Zealand, either via Tasmania or Maroochy so we can see Ryan and Christen.
Whew, that's a lot of details. Photos to follow, I promise!
After 28 hours of flights, layovers, trains, and cars, Anna and I made it to our lovely little camp site in Maroochydore yesterday. Actually, we first re-familiarized ourselves with some of our old haunts around town, like the Sunshine Plaza mall (where we had our first photo together), one of the YWAM base houses (where we first met) to grab Ryan Kirk's tent (thanks again Ryan and Christen!), and the Mooloolaba boardwalk (where we had our first convo, in particular about how much I dislike wind). We also visited the Australian version of Target, which is like a shady cousin of the great American store, and some other places. Finally, we hit up the camping store and after inspecting the overpriced sleeping pads, we passed on them and bought an inflatable double-sized mattress for less than the price of one pad. A purchase I share never regret.
All in all though, it was a little overwhelming to do some shopping and prepping once we got here, and we were super tired. We were in our sleeping bags by 6pm and asleep at 6:03pm, and didn't get up until the choir of tropical birds starting chirping at 5:30am. A morning spent at a cafe and walking around town has completed our re-energizing, and now we're just trying to sort out our next mode of transportation.
I'll try to get some pics up soon, but there aren't many yet.
Today Anna and I selected where were going to lay our heads on the first night of our trip. We intend on keeping a pretty strict budget while we travel, so camping is likely for many nights. But being the first week of our trip, we felt we needed to break ourselves in a little, so it was clear that the only choice was the fantastic looking Maroochy Palms Holiday Village.
This place has it all: proximity to the beaches, pool, gym, BBQs, day-trips, and all for a pretty good price. Plus, it's only about 4km to the areas we used to hang out in (when we first met), so it's close to familiar territory. At least we know our first week will be awesome!
Photos to follow in about 2 weeks.
Hey, thanks for visiting.
Anna and I have been slowly putting together plans for our big trip, and feeling our excitement starting to boil like my Anglo-Saxon/Viking skin in the sun. Actually, we've both been enjoying a summer in the deep south (Alabama), so to say that I don't have a bit of a tan already would be a lie. Life has been good for this Campbell clan lately and it's about to get even better!
For those interested, our rough itinerary (as best as we've figured so far) is as follows:
1. Take an awkward series of flights to Australia - Huntsville, AL > Charlotte, NC > Los Angeles, CA > Brisbane, Australia.
2. Head up to Maroochydore (Sunshine Coast) for a week or two to get our bearings and make further plans. And to do nothing on the beach.
3. With possession of our own vehicle, head north over the next month or until Cairns and surrounding environs.
4. Head west to the Red Centre - Uluru (Ayers Rock), Alice Springs, etc.
5. Head south and reach Adelaide.
6. Start moving back east, moving closer and further from the coastline as we try to visit Melbourne, Broken Hill, Canberra, and maybe even Tasmania if we can swing it.
7. Head back north and spend a few days in Sydney visiting friends.
8. Back up to Brisbane and Sunshine Coast to spend some time with Ryan and Christen Kirk (hopefully!).
9. Take a flight to NZ and start the tour there... this is where the plans are pretty foggy.
We only have 2.5 months to cover those 8 stages, so hopefully we can fit it all in. More to come as we prepare!
