A while back, when we were working, we had time for a three-week vacation; we decided we would go to Australia and rent a camper and see as much of that very large, beautiful country as possible. It was a little farfetched, but we thought we could pull it off. We had to be back because our jobs needed us.
We found a company who would rent us a camper that we could pick up in Sydney, but we had to return it there as well. We made our reservation for the camper, airlines, and a hotel for when we arrived. All of this was done before Google and cell phones became popular.
We arrived as scheduled and checked into the hotel in Sydney, Australia. We had a room on the third floor, and they had an elevator. After we got settled, we were anxious to see Sydney. We got on the elevator and had a surprise. We were off the floor as the elevator fell three floors and bounced on the springs on the bottom. After we recovered from the fall and pried the doors open, we went to the counter and told them of the incident. They kind of ho-hummed it so we decided to walk the stairs in the future.
Sydney is the largest city in Australia and is their chief port on the Pacific Ocean. We got to the top of the bridge over the harbor for a fantastic view, took a harbor cruise where you could get off the boat and board again later, and we got to see the famed Opera House. This was truly spectacular. The design came from an international competition to design an Opera House for that specific location. The curved design by a young Danish Architect was spectacular and still is.
It is now time to pick up our camper. It was very nice. It looked like it was almost new, a little longer than most vehicles and the top popped up. You could stand up inside the vehicle when the top was up, and it had all the comforts of home. A nice bed, small closet, table, potty and an alcohol stove. Pretty neat. They told us that the middle of Australia was wild and that we would enjoy staying near the coast, so that was our plan. The beaches were beautiful and reminded us of the east coast of the States but with less people. In fact, Australia made us think of America fifty years earlier.
Australia started as a colony where the British brought their convicts. Gold was discovered in 1850, leading to the gold rush. In 1901 Australia became a nation. People refer to Australia as “down under” because she is in the southern hemisphere. In other words when it is cold here in the states it is warm in Australia. We found all the people to be friendly and welcoming. They shared easily and so did we. Marianne had a lot of US coins, and all the kids loved them.
Our camper worked out beautifully. We got to see so much more than we would have otherwise. We visited many parks and saw animals we had only read about. The kangaroos and koalas were special. And the wombat, echidna, and many various types of birds all in their natural habitats were special. We also got to a Eucalyptus Forest which is indigenous to Australia. The tall trees were spectacular, and the smell was wonderful.
Our plan was to continue to the Great Barrier Reef and return to Sydney on a different route. But things were about to change. We read in the newspaper that there was going to be a gas strike in Sydney and there would not be any gas available. So, out with the maps and calculator figuring out where was the last place where we could get gas and still get the camper back to check in.
We made it with less than a gallon in the tank. Our plane was on time, and we made it to work as planned. It was a fantastic trip, and we gave God the credit for being with us and guiding us.
We loved our time in Australia and plan on returning when we have more time available.
