Day 1 - 7/12/13 - Brisbane Q –> Lennox Head NSW

Finally the day had arrived! It all started with an idea and a conversation 5 or 10 years ago and after years of planning and months and months of intense preparation the day had arrived! Just to make sure we had enough to do Jack and Sam both had their last cricket games of the season so...yep we took them to cricket! My mum “MeMe Ma” also came along to watch Sam’s game which was great as we won’t be seeing her for quite a while.

Finally at 11.30 we both arrived home and started the final packing. We were planning to roll out at 1.30 but had resigned ourselves to ‘whenever’ we are ready. As the clock struck 3 “Izzy” our truck backed onto “The Gator” our van and she was hooked up and ready to go. The neighbourhood all came out to wave good bye.

We were about to get some pictures when I asked De if she had my mobile phone. After a 30 minute search we eventually found it neatly tucked away in the safe in the van, which made it impossible to hear when we rang it. Another crack at having photos and we were away. I did feel a little emotional at one stage but the last 4 weeks had been so intense and hectic that at this point all I wanted to do was get in the truck and drive away!

 

De’s mum ‘Nana’ or ‘Lozza’ lives in Lennox Head so it was only a short 200k trip on the first day. On the way down we ticked of the first on our bucket list for the trip – three of the four points of the compass in Australia. We have been to the light house in Byron a few times so as the most easterly point in Australia is was a bit of a formality than a highlight. The Gator is a bit big to drag up to the lighthouse so we settled with Main Beach with the lighthouse in the background!

Nana greeted us with warm hugs and cold beers and wines. After a massive last supper with 2 roast meats and 10 veggies (which is an average number by her standard) a few more wines and even a couple of ports with ‘uncle spook’ we hit the hay (our last in real beds) – on our trip at last!