I mentioned before that our friend, Heather, came to visit and that part of the visit included a round-about drive from Sydney to Adelaide. We started driving much later on the first day of our trip then we intended, as Heather was still recovering from food poisoning and Kaylee's doctor visits the day before had severely limited my ability to complete the packing. It didn't affect our plans too drastically, but did mean that most of our first day of driving was actually done in the dark and we didn't arrive at our hotel in Marimbula until almost midnight, not stopping to see any of the sights along the way. The only place we stopped was Wollongong, for some dinner.
It was about a six hour drive, and was a "jump in feet first" kind of approach to having Kaylee in her car seat for six days. But we were prepared! She had an iPad with Shaun the Sheep episodes, a comfy chair, and snacks.
There was enough daylight to give us a sense that we "weren't in Kansas anymore." Though the view was mostly farm and forest, just like driving at home would be, then you looked close and realized that the forest was eucalyptus. Though not completely unheard of in the States, it felt different.
And we learned that Kaylee sleeps pretty well in cars.
I admit to sleeping through much of the drive. Anyone who has ever driven any distance with me will not be surprised by that. But it means I did miss the kangaroo by the side of the road. Other night time wildlife: a wombat, hundreds of flying foxes, and something that looked like a fox.
Day two of the trip was Thanksgiving Day. This was a realization that never really hit me, through our weeks of planning, until we started packing for the trip. Being in Australia, of course, it just wasn't anything we were thinking of or seeing in stores or on TV every day. And I just hadn't put 2 plus 2 together. I didn't mind much, though, when it meant we got to spend the morning walking through a beautiful little beach town and along a gorgeous sandy beach.
Before leaving town, we stopped at the Eden Killer Whale Museum. The whole museum was developed around a skeleton of "Old Tom" a killer whale who had developed a relationship with the whalers who lived and worked in the town until the 1930s. His pod would help chase baleen whales into the bay to make it easier for the whalers to harpoon. The benefit for them was that after the whalers harvested the blubber for oil, the remainder of the whale would become food for the orcas. The pod disappeared after Old Tom passed away, though the decrease in migrating baleen whales had reduced the pods numbers over the years. According to the signs, Old Tom's teeth (below) were worn down from grabbing the lines on the harpoons to help pull on them, wearing out the baleen whales sooner.
Leaving Marimbula for points farther south... Just keep following the signs for Princes Hwy.
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