Day 46 - A thoughtful hour

10.02.23

Waking up without an alarm clock, we enjoy breakfast at the campsite in Byron Bay. Even this morning, Marco can't eat completely relaxed. The turkeys (Gubelgubel) are also hungry and try to steal some of our food. Thanks to Marco, Sarah can have a peaceful and enjoyable breakfast.

The journey continues and Brisbane is getting closer. Our last planned stop is the Gold Coast, specifically Surfers Paradise. But before we conquer paradise, we make a stop in Tweed Heads. On foot, we stroll through the town until we reach the sea. A beautiful beach is waiting for us there. We continue walking around the next corners and discover Rainbow Beach. No rainbow in sight, but turquoise blue sea, many surfers, and high waves. It's a place to linger. But the heat is starting to get to us and we head back to the slightly windy promenade. It's getting hotter and we're just trudging along. There, ahead, there is energy! A cozy beach cafe invites us to take a break in the shade. Energized, we make our way back to Vicky, because we still need a campsite for the last three days. Marco quickly calls a campground (after 4 minutes of waiting) and reserves a spot for us. Nothing was available online. An hour later, we check in and park Vicky between two tents. It's windy and the place doesn't feel comfortable. Plus, our neighbors seem a bit suspicious... We pack our beach gear and walk about 3km to the center of Surfers Paradise. Meanwhile, the mood swings from joy to uneasiness... the assigned spot doesn't suit us and it's still very windy. What should we do? Everyone is lost in their thoughts and trying to cope with the situation. To avoid wandering aimlessly, we position ourselves on the beach and try to find a solution. That's when Sarah realizes she's hungry and would appreciate a dinner soon. Then we notice that we have gained a whole hour. When we crossed the last state border (analogous to a cantonal border) from New South Wales to Queensland, it suddenly became 16:30 instead of 17:30 - we hadn't realized that. Since the campground office is open until 18:00, we walk back and decide on the way to ask for a different spot. After an initial 'uhhh', it's 'let's see what we can do' and finally 'ok, take site nr. 14'. Yihaaa :D

Hastily, we pack up Vicky and temporarily leave the campground. We have dinner at Doug Jennings Park with an unexpected sunset - imagine that. As it continues to be quite windy, we return to the campground after sunset (18:25 in summer!). Two spots, two worlds. We feel comfortable and go to take a shower. Back at the spot, ironically, it doesn't seem to be windy anymore. But a look at the old spot tells us otherwise. It doesn't matter, now we're happy and enjoy the rest of the evening.