The Kronikles of Tony and Ruth
Day 7 - Thursday 6 July 2006
The day is sunny and warm as we leave at 8.30 AM to join the freeway at Raymond Terrace. Immediately we are bogged down in local traffic. It seems that Kurri Kurri, Maitland etc. are all joined up by their suburbs. After averaging out about 30kph for the last hour it’s a joy to accelerate to 110 KPH on Highway 1.
We are flying! We’ll make Evans Head in two hours! Then the road deteriorates: freeway ends, 80KPH pops up, four lanes into two and more small towns. The traffic crawls. At Bulahdelah we down coffee, rest and post letters at a post office where the female assistant seems to be having a great time with the postie. What’s going on?!
As we drive on the speed varies from 110 to 30 KPH. More small towns and a complete halt for 15 minutes as asphalt is laid on the northbound lanes. To the front and back, horizon-to-horizon it’s bumper to bumper.
Nuts, fruit and berries for lunch near Taree then the traffic bogs down through Port Macquarie then Coffs Harbour. This is so bloody irritating! Coffee at Woolgoolga with 150 Ks to go. The gluteus maximuses are protesting!(arse muscles!!) The sun is setting fast. There is no dusk this far north. We stop for a leak at Maclean and I’m shaking. We have been driving for seven hours and there is still 100 K to go. Headlight glare adds to discomfort. It’s a relief to turn off at Woodburn. SMS messages from Rex guide us through Evans Head where we pull up at the pub to check our location. It’s 6.30 PM.
I look up to investigate cheers and noise behind us to behold Rex and Anne’s (see Appendix 4) welcoming waves from their balcony.
Champagne, animated conversation and a Thai meal follow. Darryl and Sue (see Appendix 5) have been and gone with Noel and Marion (see Appendix 6) to arrive tomorrow. The Harris’ apartment is a spacious, brand new, contemporary, three-bedroom place and our bed is soooo inviting. 10.00pm. and we ZZZZZZ .onc.
APPENDIX
White Shoe Brigade – Developers making pots of money.
