The Camper Van Adventures..

Chapter 3.. 'Please keep your arms, legs and plugs inside the van at all times...'

We were due a disaster- one week since 'the day we drove miles and got no where' and things had been going
too smoothly. Lodge decided to liven things up a bit and somehow managed to close the side door with one end
of our power lead hanging out...

About 3km down the road- we were on our way to Byron Bay at this point- we finally got the hint from people
around us that we should pull over. Turned out the banging we'd started to hear..and presumed were caused by
a rogue saucepan.. was actually caused by our power lead and plug bashing about along the road.. !! Super !

About five minutes later I got pulled over and breathalysed by the police- I'm pretty sure these incidents were
unrelated but there is the possibility news had travelled about the rogue plug and, let's face it, you've got to be
pretty stupid- or maybe drunk- not to realise a 10 meter long bright orange lead is hanging outside your car and
bashing the side!

Upon arrival in Byron Bay a new plug was a necessity, Lodge has a new phone, which needed charging. Her
Blackberry tragically died in an incident with a glass of wine and she is now the envy of the town with her top of the
range Motorola..it even has a calculator ! But obviously using high tech gadgets like this with all their powerful
functions (did I mention it also has a calendar and you can play Snake on it ?!) the battery needs frequent
charging !!

So anyway, we were advised we could get a new lead for $50 or just a new plug for $6..only thing was we'd need to
fit the plug ourselves. No problem, we have pliers, a stanley knife and the knowledge to change a plug.. Well, the
man in the caravan opposite did ! The unhelpful campsite receptionist had suggested we call an electrician. Sod
paying an electrician, all it needed was to send Lodge over to the neighbours in her bikini and problem solved..
We had power again !!

While we were in Byron Bay the weather was glorious- in the 30's everyday- so we made the most of the tanning
opportunities and spent 3 days on the beach. Our campsite was conveniently located right on Clarke Beach, which
is just along from Main Beach- both were absolutely beautiful. The sea wasn't too rough either, like some of the
surfer beaches are and so we could have a nice swim to cool down, which we frequently needed to in the
temperature and without any shade in sight !

The campsite, like almost all we've stayed at, was nice. However it was overrun with weird large creatures. A family
of turkey looking birds, who seemed to like being within very close proximity to us, kept bullying us and one little
b***** even got into our kitchen and tried to steal some food but I foiled the little b****** before he munched
anything more than a little hole in our rubbish bag! As well as the turkeys, and more worryingly, was the dragon/
dinosaur creatures..three of them, all about five foot long and wondering around the site.. Fabulous, just what you
want to encounter on your way to the toilet in the dark!

Byron Bay itself was a really lovely, chilled out surfer town (people go shopping half dressed and shoeless..) Plus
it was a good night out. As you all know we're not great fans of drinking, going out or generally having fun...but
seeing as we were there we, reluctantly, went out and tried our best to enjoy ourselves. It was tough, but we
managed to have a lovely time !!

All the normal happenings to report really- danced on tables (no routine this time!) met some weirdo's, bumped
into random stranger in street and Lodge jumped on his shoulders (so she could touch the supermarket ceiling ..
obviously!) and generally had a mad time, laughed and made new friends. Oh, and got invited to a house party in
Brisbane.. Which we might even go to !

While in Byron we also booked our trips to Fraser Island and the Whitsundays, which look AMAZING.. But more
about them to come in a later blog.

After Byron- on the way to Surfers Paradise- we went to possibly the strangest place on earth I've ever been to..
Nimbin.

Now, where to start with Nimbin.. As you drive in to it, there is a sign that says 'Home of the 1973 Aquarius Festival
(whatever the bloody hell that is!) And it looked as if the whole place and its people were still living in 1973. The
place is billed as the Amsterdam of Australia..basically everyone has tattoos, dreadlocks, facial piercings and are
totally stoned off their faces 24/7.. Plus they wear an alarming amount of tie dye. It was all very strange, a bit
creepy and at times we felt a bit uncomfortable. The campsite was weird too- we awoke to our neighbours
meditating on the lawn- and we were pretty pleased to get out of there and a very bumpy road it was too. I don't
think they'd filled the potholes since 1973 either! Poor Dolly.

So, on to Surfers Paradise, which ironically isn't a great place to surf and, while we were there at least, wasn't too
much like paradise !! The name is more of a tourist trap than anything else and unfortunately when we were there
it rained a lot. Essentially, it is a built up beach resort with high rise hotels, shopping centres, bars and clubs stretch
along the beach front. We were there for two nights and although it looked like it would be a good night out, the
tropical rain storms we had each night put us off going anywhere so instead we stayed in with Dolly, drank a fair
amount of Goon and had random chats about everything and nothing. We awoke on Monday a bit hung over from
too much wine and staying up late talking about the film Uncle Buck (who knows why!) and seeing as it was a bit
miserable we headed to Harbour Town to do a bit of shopping.

A couple of hours later having bought a new bikini, some PJ bottoms, various random toiletries (we got over excited
at a discount pharmacy!) and some animal shaped rubber bands, we headed home to give Dolly a make over.
We had a few snaps of our adventure so far printed and they are now stuck to the ceiling, she also has a boy wall
of hotties cut of out a magazine and up front sits Partner, Roger, two rubber ducks and a Thomas the Tank Engine
toy...how homely!

We left Surfers on Tuesday bound for Brisbane and on the way we spent the day at Wet & Wild. Thankfully, the
weather had cheered up and we had a brilliant time on all the rides like the pair of kids that we are! On the
Kamikaze - where you sit in a two person rubber ring facing eachother and drop down a sheer drop U-shape slide
- we screamed our heads off. On the black hole I had to sing to Lodge as she was scared of the dark (yes, my
singing helped believe it or not) and on the gentle family ring ride Lodge had a bikini bottom malfunction upon
exiting the boat which gave the male staff member collecting up the boats quite an eye full! All in all, a really good
day.

Time to move on again, week 2 and almost 2000km in Dolly done, lets see what Brisbane has in store....