Australia 2011: Day 19 - Gold Coast through Sydney

Oct. 4th

While we enjoyed our brief respite in one place, we knew the road was calling us again, and we still had a lot to see along the way. We had a long drive this day, heading south and not really stopping for much beyond getting gas and attempting to visit a few wineries that either didn’t exist, or were within 10 minutes of closing and didn’t want to bother with us. Rude!

On our travels, we noted the lack of expressway systems across Australia. While the US has interstates spanning from coast to coast, Australia’s main roads are merely two-lane highways, and therefore getting around seems to take longer. Our drive between Brisbane and Sydney was no exception. It took an eternity, and the two of us were getting really frustrated with not seeing anything on this long drive.

We really had no intention of going to Sydney, considering how stressful city driving and crowds can be, but since we hadn’t seen much on this leg of the trip, Nate suggested we attempt to at least see the Opera House, since we were going to be so close. It would be a shame to come all the way to Oz and not see its most famous sight. Plus, by the time we’d get there, it would be so late at night, surely the traffic wouldn’t be too bad. I agreed wholeheartedly, and we altered our route slightly, taking us right into the heart of Sydney.

The drive there wasn’t too bad until we really started getting to the downtown area, or central business district (CBD) as Aussies like to call it. The sudden road changes and some confusion between the Garmin and our real-life road perceptions kept us on the edge of our seats, but somehow we managed to make it there around 9pm. Once the Garmin indicated we were in the right vicinity, we parked at the first garage we could find and walked down to the harbor where we admired the bridge and the Opera House from afar. We took a lot of pictures, and we were doubly excited when we were able to spot Sydney’s Luna Park across the harbor. It was aglow with thousands upon thousands of brilliant lights, looking like something out of a bygone era.

We headed around the harbor toward the Sydney Opera House and were delighted to discover it was open for people! So we went inside and explored as much of the lobby as was accessible. We also walked around outside and took pictures of the stunning architecture. I was so glad we were able to see this incredible structure up close! After we’d seen all we possibly could, we headed back to our car around 11pm. Upon arriving at the parking garage, we were met with a rather startling find. The gate was closed and our car was locked away! Oh no!! There was no obvious way of accessing it, and we started to worry about where we’d sleep that night. Luckily, we were eventually able to track down a number, and they opened the gate for us. Relieved, we retrieved our car and headed back down the road.

I’d attempted unsuccessfully to find us an open motel, but we resigned ourselves to the fact that nothing would be available, and we decided to continue on down to Wollongong and find a place to sleep in the car. By the time we arrived, it was well after midnight, and we were, as always, exhausted. We drove around in vain, trying to find a place to pull off and sleep, but we wound up just sleeping on the street in a residential area, hoping no one would complain. It was a cold, uncomfortable night, but at least we didn’t have to waste money on a motel room!