The Blue Mountains were my first stop after departing Sydney in my newly acquired Toyota Hiace – designed as a test run before I got too far from civilisation. Leaving later than planned, I stopped by the store to grab some food and a propane tank and took off for the mountains.
I was pleased to find out that Maisie handled the mountain roads without faltering, especially as the sun set and a storm rolled through just as I pulled up to my first camp. I set up my stove and poured my soup in a pan, opened the propane tank and nothing happened. Turns out you need to fill new propane tanks out here, and they are far heavier than the ones I was used to in the States. Cereal had to do for night one.
After my first nights sleep in the van, I carried on to the town of Lithgow – the first major town on the far side of the Blue Mountains – in hopes of finding some propane for a hot meal. Since I had the time, I did some proper shopping, gear runs, and found some propane after striking out a few times. One of the business owners recommended I stay over at Lake Wallace, a free campsite with waterfront views.
Even though the hot meal helped, the 10 degree celsius weather (sub 50F) and whipping wind told me that I should head to the coast where temps were closer to 25C (79F). I took off after 2 relaxing days at Lake Wallace and set a marker on my map for Byron Bay, a 10.5 hour drive which I would break up over a few days. Stop one came after 6 hours of driving through the beautiful wine country, at a tiny town called Moonbi. A rest stop sat atop an independent hill overlooking stunning valleys, with a massive boulder on top that made the perfect place to watch the sunset with a beer in hand.
Kathy, another van dweller, let me know that Kangaroos often gathered in the waking hours right near camp. I managed to sneak a few pictures the following morning before they took off at the sight of me.
The next stop on my trip to the coast would be Guy Fawkes River National Park, supposedly only a 2 hour drive away…