Around The World In 80 Waves

Once the hangover from the Lions celebrations has subsided it is time for me to get back on the road. Australia has so many great waves which I’m keen to bag on this tour.

I have secured another campervan for the next month and a half, but before leaving Sydney my first order of business is to go and collect my buddy Neil who is going to be my copilot for the next leg of my travels. He has flown over here on business and to see his family, but has time for a few waves with me.

Apart from being a top bloke generally Neil is the person who has helped me get this blog operational, and has also been the poor sod whose ear I have been bending everytime things stop working.

It is the first time I will be travelling on this trip without flying solo and it is great to have some company while I explore Australia’s east coast. It is already late in the afternoon when I pick Neil up in Sydney so we throw his stuff in the back and then drive north to the Central Coast. There is a lot of traffic on the road so we call time on our journey when we get to a town called Blacksmiths.

Despite our best efforts we cant find a place there to have a celebratory beer in a pub because it is Sunday night. So after drinking what supplies I had put in the fridge before departing we settle in for the night.

The van has two beds, one of which is in the roof space, but we don’t realise how cosy that is until we set it up for the first night. I volunteer for the short straw because Neil is only in the van for a week, but you can see from this picture how cramped it was with a big lump like me in it.

It feels like I am sleeping in a coffin and it takes a few nights to get used to. The ply-wood beneath me is bowing with my weight so I don’t think Neil sleeps too soundly the first night either!