Murramarang National Park

As the night falls, the rain starts as a slow patter, and then starts to become a miserable downpour. However luckily for my best mate and I, a little weather wasn’t going to stop us from camping tonight. Making a gourmet whole roast chicken (thanks supermarket) with a tricolore salad, we sat out by torchlight under the shelter and listened to the waves crashing nearby and the wildlife chatter itself to sleep.

The rain was a little bit of an issue for the tent set up in a car park, as patchy puddles started to form around our pitch. Nevertheless we persevered and ended up with a nice cosy shelter from the cold. “127 Hours” probably wasn’t the best film to watch in times like these, right before bed, but I actually thoroughly enjoyed the private tent cinema we had going (I urge you to try it too).

Waking up to glorious sunshine and the sound of pleasant birdsong, and greeted by a hungry kangaroo at our tent, was blissful. I love camping.

The golden sands beach nearby was called Pebbly Beach. An appropriately named beach looking at the sand at the shores… Looking around the rock pools and examining discarded sea shells, I felt connected with natures energy at this beach, and commenced a yoga session prior to jumping into the sea and body surfing the waves. The sea was still as warm as a bath.

Our mission today was to arrive in Sydney in the late afternoon.

Looking up the directions, I snigger like a 15 year old boy…

We were about to pass a town called Cockwhy.

Just… Why… Cockwhy did they name it that?!

That’s not the only name I’ve had to do a double take at since I’ve been here…

So this one to an Aussie is normal, pronounced “Wolomoloo”. But to my British friend Dave and I, this sign is pronounced “sheep toilet cow toilet”.

Apparently Australians can tell a foreigner from a native by the way we pronounce indigenous place names.

Although naming a mountain, Mount Disappointment may put hikers off. Nice job Aussies.

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Sydney

After many hours driving, and a couple of strategic rest stops along the way, we arrived in Sydney!

Welcomed into Annika and Dave’s homely pad in the centre of the university district in Sydney, we stop for a tea before they excitedly hurry us off to a beautiful viewpoint of the cityscape called…

Balls Head.

….Really? Who comes up with these names?!

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