Thursday, November 29, 2012

30 November 2012 - Sydney Tourist Park, Miranda, NSW


Murphy’s Law decreed that it should dawn fine the day we elected to leave, however regret is a wasted emotion and so I shall simply add that we have had a good look around Wollongong, and would be happy to return and to the excellent camping ground we patronized.

We had woken earlier than usual, and while this was not intentional, it did allow us to watch most of Channel Ten’s very last Breakfast show hosted by New Zealand’s own Paul Henry and his offsider, the lovely Kathryn Robinson. Although we rarely caught more than ten minutes or so on any one weekday morning, particularly after the producers reduced it back to an 8.30 finish, we always enjoyed his quirky humour and provocative style. We read somewhere that New Zealand is welcoming him back into their fold, despite the faux pas of the past, so perhaps we shall catch him at some future time.

Despite the extended television viewing, we were away from the camp before 9 am, and driving south toward the centre of Wollongong in search of the Southern Freeway, preferring to ascend the steep escarpment on this more major road than the Bulli Pass of yesterday. This more southern incline is still long and slow, particularly when one is towing a two and a half tonne caravan with a standard non-turbo Landcruiser, and then stuck behind a couple of heavily laden trucks. However, my husband did not utter one negative word or any comment about the other vehicles that flew past us; my stern words of the last whinging session obviously have had effect, for now, until the next time.

We passed over the same plateau we had walked just yesterday to the falls, on through expanses of wooded plain, and up and down more hills than we have encountered all the way up the coast, and that is saying something!

It was just after 10 am when we pulled into the camp here at Miranda. The office is closed between 10 am and 4 pm, so the most obliging Brigitte was a little miffed to have us check in so early. And then to top it off, we didn’t like the site she allocated to us. We were unlikely to receive television reception stuck under the tree, the nectar from the flowers was bound to turn the caravan a spotty yellow and there was also an ant problem, according to the immediate neighbour. We were moved to another sit, a little begrudgingly. This is the first time we have had personal dealings with Brigitte; our previous dealings have all been by email and most efficient. I need to butter her up somehow because I need her to open some mail that will come here for us and email details from the documents. Will she oblige? Will I dare ask? Watch this space.

This morning the weather reports all over the state warned of extreme heat, equal to that experienced across South Australia over the past few days. It is indeed warm,  currently 30 degrees in the shade of our caravan, and quite muggy. We still managed to walk up to the centre of Miranda and pickup a rail timetable, check out the cinema schedule and buy a couple of grocery items and a refreshing McDonald’s soft serve ice-cream. The shopping centre is about a kilometre up the hill, a direct route with good road crossings, all familiar to us since it is only five months since we were here last time. It is a bit like coming home.

The final cricket test between the South Africans and the Australians is underway in Perth. My husband is happy to have good television reception and a touring schedule that works around that. The forecasted afternoon storm has yet to arrive; perhaps tonight.

No comments:

Post a Comment