Solo Road Trip'n

23/11/13

Phase three of my endless travel went very smoothly. This trip actually started with my level 4 Ka Huna massage course, but I will leave those experiences for my spiritual blogs. This Ka Huna massage is an ancient Hawaiian healing art, and heals deep to the soul. Man was I on an absolute high after this course, after spending the first couple of days integrating back into society in the bushlands of Imbil, it was time to set off on yet another road trip.

Coolum beach was the first stop, with surf board, mountain bike, swag and massage table packed, this was sure to be a great trip. I spent one night camping on the beach… in a tent, with Cailin. I was keen to get my board in the water again, but nervous looking at these monstrous waves, I can’t even use this board, how the hell am I meant to get out the back? So we have a drink to ease the nerves, then out we go. Wave after wave I get washed off my board, then finally I make it out there, exhausted! I soon realised that I was not quite ready for these waves as I still could not stand up on my 6.4 inch short board. So I played like a kid in the white water.

I was ever so lucky to have my parents staying at Coolum at the same time, so again, free accommodation, this time for two nights at a resort. I payed for my room and meals through massage, yep, mum and dad got a nice long Ka Huna massage as I got to try out my new moves. I could have stayed in this paradise for the whole week, but I had 1700 kilometres of road trip’n to do, oh yeah, and friends to visit. It seems weird to say this, but even though I have a whole year off work, I am just as busy as I always have been. With so much to fit in before leaving for Canada, I did not have a day to myself, no chill out day. I guess that is how I live my life though, in a constant state of change and adventuring.

Next stop was Blackwater to catch up with a very special friend from school. This day I spent nearly nine hours on the road, but I was still flying high from my massage retreat and relaxing beach time, so to my amazement I only needed one coffee. This is unheard of for me, as I have fallen asleep at the wheel a few times before, as I get driver fatigue pretty badly when I drive alone, but not this time! My head was full of dreams and thoughts of the future, I felt unstoppable.

I spent a few days in Blackwater, spreading the aloha spirit through massage to my two friends who were amazing hosts. Once again, so blessed to have free accommodation and cheap, healthy food.  Also, there may not be much in Blackwater, but they do have an amazing National Park. It was in this National Park that I found one of the best swimming holes I have experienced, and that is saying a lot after spending two years in tropical Far North Queensland.

Once again, I had a bit of a tight schedule, so after only two days in Blackwater it was time to head off again. Another nine hour drive, but this time to Kingaroy to see my paramedic friends whom I had worked with for the past year. These friends mean a lot to me, as they had become my family while in Kingaroy. The days spent with them brought me in touch with my emotional side, as I realised how all my travel had distanced me from those who I care about. I often get lonely in my travels, because as soon as I settle into a place, it is time to leave already. But this is my path in this world, there is too much to learn and experience to stay in the one place for too long.

So with a heavy heart, I left my Kingaroy family again and headed to the big smoke. Off to Brisbane to see my friends one last time, before I embark on my overseas travel. I always love visiting Brisbane, because it means massage swaps, dream sharing and inspiring, and mountain biking. Yeah, I have a pretty good life. 

East Coast

23/10/13

From the red dust to the ritzy Melbourne, what a contrast. I arrive into Melbourne airport with my bag and swag and make my way to the city to meet up with a friend. I enjoy the fine dining Melbourne has to offer, such a novelty after a year of living out west. Then it is off to catch up with my road trip’n friend Cailin. We are travelling buddies from way back, covering New Zealand, Vietnam and Japan and soon to be Whistler, all for the love of snow boarding, except for Vietnam that is.

So we leave Melbourne with surf boards packed and limited camping gear and head for Wollongong. We are very grateful to have some free accommodation and food thanks to Cailin’s family. Now we are both living a year without a wage, any money saved is a massive bonus.

From the beautiful beaches of Wollongong to the quiet national park of Bootie Bootie near Forster. This was an interesting day… with 2 hours of delays and detours due to the devastating fires round Newcastle we were glad to get to our next camp before sunset. Of course the craziness did not end there. We attempt to set up camp on the beach, but get absolutely mauled by mosquitos. Like I said earlier, we had very limited camping gear, we kinda lacked the most important thing… a tent. We soon realised this was not going to work, so we lugged our gear back to the car and looked for some backpacker accommodation. We thought we had found a place, until we arrived to find what almost looked like a retirement village in Forster. So we bailed on this booking, and booked into a cabin in the national park. Now the irony here is that it was a Christian camp with a big sign saying how alcohol ruins lives, so we had to “sneak” our two cartons of grog into the cabin and hide our empty bottles. The alcohol helped numb the irritation from our mosquito bites, cause we were covered in itchy bites.

The next day we were off to Byron Bay. Finally we had a chance to get out our surf boards. I had bought a second hand short board in Wollongong, so this was going to be hilarious with an amateur surfer trying to stand up on a short board, but hey, I gave it a go. So one night in a backpackers and it was time to head home. A whirl wind trip, but it was nice to see 2000 kilometers of beautiful Australian landscapes as well as some amazing beaches.

Home Base

15/10/13

First stop of course was home base, our grain farm near Goondiwindi. From the moment I got home it was go, go, go. With harvest beginning I was straight into the truck to carry 20 tone loads of wheat, linseed and chickpeas from the paddock to the silos. Now trucks are built for men, so driving these rusty old paddock trucks is not an easy job. Sitting on the edge of the seat, hanging off the stirring wheel, fully loaded almost creates as must adrenaline for me as driving the ambulance code one, lights and sirens through the city. Then there are the long days, 12 hours, 14 hours every day for two weeks, in the hot sun with a red dust tan. Many might think this sounds crazy, but man do I love it!

New Beginnings

7/10/13

It has begun, my year of travel. One month ago I left my paramedic job in Kingaroy to begin my journey. With my car packed to the roof with my worldly possessions, I moved on, but this time for the first time in my life, I left with no single destination. This was the start of living out of my backpack, living on the go, free at last.

My 6 years of constant moving has payed off, for now I have many friends all over Australia. From my home town of Goondiwindi, to Brisbane, Mossman, Cairns and Kingaroy, I now have an abundance of opportunity for travel within my own country. And that is how my year of travel begins, in my own country.