Along this stretch speed was limited to 80k's and there were many very large trucks as well. Once stuck behind one of these large trucks, that was where you stayed!
But then the road opened up to be dual highway for most of the rest of the drive all the way down to Newcastle. When roadworks are completed in a year or so it should be dual highway for the 1000k trip from Caloundra to Sydney.
Our two days in Newcastle were great catching up with friends. After two nights there, it was time for our longest driving stretch, just under 1000 k's for Newcastle to Attwood, a norther suburb of Melbourne where we spent a night with the Chris Thomas family.
It sure is great to catch up with family and friends which has been the major focus of this trip (as well as to get to a few AFL matches and use my MCC membership).
We have been staying with Kate Arj and the grand kids for much of the remainder of our time here. Arj, James and I all went to a footy match together and saw Richmond and Carlton along with around 85,000 others. The next night it was back to the MCG again this time with grandson Andrew a fellow Geelong barracker. We went home unexpectedly very happy after the game.
Needless to say eating Asian food has been high on the agenda as well. The local huge Fountain Gate Shopping Centre nearby has a small eatery called China Bar which sells our favoured Malaysian dishes. So the occasional quick trip to Fountain Gate has resulted in yet another sampling of crispy skin chicken or Char Kway Teow or Chicken Curry and Rice.
Speaking of Asian food we have also managed trips to Clayton and Malaysia Garden as well as to Springvale where we find fantastic Vietnamese food and all so inexpensive.
Trips to Indented Head where my brother lives and Drouin where other great friends now reside have occurred as well. I have had too much to drink on numerous occasions and it has been a great time for Trish and me. Our stay here has been interspersed with AFD's (alcohol free days) days of doing very little. Perhaps we are beginning to show our age or that at last that we are maturing!
The family BBQ which we had at Kate's along with Arj's great BBQ skills was a day to remember. Our youngest daughter Kim attended along with Brad and it was really great to have the whole family together. However the following day was a very quiet one for us.
One day to remember was the day we went out to lunch with my brother Geoff and Jeanette while staying with them at Indented Head. We were going out somewhere for lunch. After around 30 minutes or so we arrived at GMHBA Stadium, the home ground of my AFL footy team, Geelong. There was a small cafe there where they sold OK meals and there was the possible chance we may run into a Geelong footy player.
As we entered the cafe there sitting at several tables were Joel Selwood, Scott Selwood, Paddy Dangerfield, Tom Hawkins and another 6 or so of the players from the footy team. We were all gob smacked. I loved being there and being so close to many of the players. It was a special occasion.
So our time in this part of the world is coming to a close. Today is pretty cold and wet as the photo above shows but Trish and Kate and several others are off to Arj's singing gig tonight at a restaurant here in Berwick. Possibly the terrible weather today will keep some others who were coming away.
I am doing the baby sitting with James and Charli tonight but then my footy team's match is live on TV so I will have to watch it I suppose. Tomorrow the weather is expected to clear a little with some sunshine as Trish, Kim, Brad and I are again to the MCG this time to see Trish and Kim's team Hawthorn play Footscray. If the weather is OK it should be a fun day.
We are back on the road again Monday morning but this time heading for home via Omeo where my sister Judy and Peter live. After a 350k drive to Omeo we will have a two night stop over before finally heading on the road again but this time back north again on Wednesday. We hope to arrive home in Caloundra before lunch on Friday.
We will have achieved many of the aims we set out with when we first headed this way a few weeks ago. I have caught up with my brother and sister and managed great times with good friends as well.
As one gets a little older these times we can spend with family and friends becomes even more important. However the lure of warmer weather, our own shower and en-suite and our own beds is becoming more attractive the longer we spend away.
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