Coffs Harbor, Australia 5/9/02

Coffs Harbor, Australia 5/9/02

A good opening line fails to come to mind. I have been in country for 3 days and I have yet to stop smiling. Well almost 3 days. This is actually the start of day 3 but I’m confident I’ll still be smiling at the end of the day. I love this place!

Dave met me at the Hertz counter at 7 a.m. on Tuesday morning and we have been on the move ever since. We spent the first day sightseeing in Sydney and words can not begin to describe how much I enjoyed it.

Sydney is huge! Probably not the biggest city I have ever been to but still I could not get used to how many buildings there are. I think it’s because of the many hills and harbors. It’s not your standard straight coastline. You are constantly getting a different look, a different angle, at the skyline. I managed to kick the jetlag and we spent a full day wandering the City.

Day two was mostly spent in the car but it was quite enjoyable just the same. Keeping with my tradition of making a trip not taking one and getting somewhere can be just as fun as the place you are going we intentionally get off the main roads as soon as we were outside of Sydney. Wandering back roads and getting off the beaten path is a little more difficult in Australia than it is in the States though. There are just not as many roads. But then again the beaten path isn’t very beaten.

Our main road North is Pacific Highway 1 but it is far from a Freeway feel. To me it feels more like sections of US1 through the Florida Keys will less water. We still managed to find one “side” road even less beaten than the Pacific Highway to wander up for awhile. The detour took us for a nice 2 hour jaunt through the country side before meeting back up with the highway. I was in awe of most of it; very beautiful landscape, high rolling hills, lush valleys with green grass, a narrow winding road flowing up, down and around the hills, and a creek to cross every 10 steps practically.

Each creek seemed to be named too. I found that very odd but still loved it. Half the time we could not tell what road we were on or what town was ahead but if we crossed a 2 foot wide strip of water you can bet there would be a nice bright sign letting us know what creek it was.

We ended the day here in Coffs Harbor and got a room at Hoey Boey’s Back Packers. A quick stroll through the town made it apparent that we were no longer in an urban center like Sydney. This is a quite town. It's a beach town not to different from the ones that line the Florida coast. I’m still searching for a surf shop though to test my theory as described in my previous Hermosa Beach entry.

They seem to cater to tourists here though differently than the Florida beach towns. Everything here is designed mostly for the backpacker on a budget rather than the family and screaming kids. Gone are the big signs boasting t-shirts, maps, discount tickets & souvenirs. Needless to say I don’t miss them.

This is my first stay at a backpackers place or hostel if you will, and I am a little saddened by it. They offer all the things you need for a wandering road trip oasis including great company from fellow wanders all at a cheap rate. What saddens me then? The fact that I am just now discovering them.

This place screams “Mat & MJ heaven!” Well the old Mat & MJ. Back when we were wandering the US from about 1991 to 2001, sleeping in cars, beaches, airports, or the occasional boxcar. Oh well I’m not going to get sentimental. I just have to stay positive and hope there are more great trips like that in my future. Maybe I can drag another couple along with my girlfriend and me as we backpack Europe or something.

I have run everyday that I have been in Australia and I feel great. My two runs in Sydney were amazing and I now think even if I wasn’t training for a marathon running in a new place is just about the best way to see it.

My first run was about 4 to 5 miles. It took me across the Sydney Harbor Bridge and then through a few residential neighborhoods on the other side. I hit a few dead ends, ran into the Prime Ministers house, and then finally found a nice coastal path to follow before heading back over the bridge.

Before heading out of Sydney the next day I woke early, probably thanks to the jetlag, and set out of a good 10 to 11k (oh ya, I’m blending! J) This route took me along the harbor under the bridge around the Opera House, through the Botanical Gardens, into the center of Sydney and then back the same way. It was beautiful and I loved every minute of it; seeing the sun low in the sky, just peeking over the houses that line the islands at the mouth of the harbor, passing dozens of other early morning runners.

The entire route was great and I was soaking up every step. Then on the way back probably at about kilometer 8 or so I had just entered back into the Botanical Gardens and the path took me down a set of long shallow stairs and under a canopy of gorgeous trees. As I looked at the bright green grass around me, the path winding ahead of me, and the older trees lining the sides, there upper branches merging into canopy of leaves and branches that acted like a web catching sunlight above me, I started to laugh without breaking a stride. I spread my arms out wide and ran through laughing. It was perfect. Sure I probably looked like an idiot but I don’t care. I felt great and the memory of that run will be with me for a long time.

Today’s run through Coffs Harbor was very different but still enjoyable. It took me over and around a pond and then into the hills and banana fields. The country side is not at all like I imagined. I guess when you picture Australia all you see is the outback. All I’ve seen is tropical stuff. Big country!

Today we push onto Surfers Paradise as we make our way up the coast. I knew it before I arrived but with every experience it becomes clearer, 2 weeks is not going to be near enough time!

MJF