So after stopping Grafton for a refreshing lunch of fish and chips (it was Good Friday after all) we got two keys cut. The key cutter guy was going to charge $85 to come out and do two keys. As we had no change we ended up settling on $80. Which seemed fair to me, as he only had to come to his office. No problems from Grafton onwards after we managed to get petrol. Not as easy as you'd think as the one we wanted to stop at was closed. Still, got back on the open road and things were back to normal. Vanessa took the next shift. Then I took one. Both stints uneventful. Can't remember anything of note. I stop in Kempsey for coffee and to stretch legs. That leaves Vanessa with Kempsey to just after Newcastle where we will need more petrol.
Go through Newcastle and on the far side see a largish petrol station. We figure that this section of road is pretty much like the Brisbane - Gold Coast section in Queensland in that we will have plenty of choice of petrol stations on the way. Nah-uh. I wasn't driving at this point but I'm told that we had about a third of a tank of petrol at that point. Plenty to get to the next servo was the thinking. This is late at night and it's cold with the roof down so I'm huddled under the blanket nice and toasty warm (it's a family thing, we get cold easily). The roof was going up at the next stop. Not really paying attention and Vanessa tells me it's time to start looking for a petrol station as we're getting low. We decide to take the Toronto exit and look for something up that way. Take the exit and immediately think it's a bad idea. There was nothing out there. Went for 2 minutes to find somewhere to turn around (a car was following us) then back on the highway. Decide the petrol situation isn't really that dire and we can manage to go for a bit further until the inevitable next service station.
20 minutes later we start to think that perhaps the tourist drive to the Central Coast is a good idea. Drive past another exit that has nothing apart from streetlights and decide, yes, the tourist drive really is the way to go. Take that exit and start to follow the signs to the hospital (hey, I'd put a service station near a hospital). As the road is dark and is right next to a jail, we re-think our decision. Go back to main road and follow the tourist drive without taking any detours. Eventually find a petrol station. Put the roof up and wipe the bugs off the windscreen. Fill car with petrol. Vanessa at this stage has had enough of driving as things just seem to go wrong when she does it. So I take the wheel for the rest of the drive. Driving back to the highway manage to avoid the black dog that was crossing the road just over the top of a crest (luckily I ate my carrots that day) and we get back on the highway after a half hour detour. First sign that we see says:
"Last petrol on Freeway 2km's"
Literally I hadn't even got up to speed and merged with traffic. Some choice words were used that I won't repeat.
So, we get to Sydney without any further dramas. Hit traffic and traffic lights. At some point early in the discussion about the trip we were told to take a certain tollway which meets up with another tollway and that will be the quickest way to Campbelltown which is where we were staying. I thought we got told the M4. After seeing the sign which was advertising it we decided that wasn't the one. Went past a sign for the M2 which was saying Blue Mountains and Katoomba this way. Even more sure that's not the way. At this point we give up on the tollways as we're following the road to Liverpool. Our memories have kicked in and we're certain we'll get there from Liverpool. It may not be quick but after 14 hours in the car we're not really concerned about quick, we just want to get there.
Driving down the Cunningham Highway (70km speed limit and traffic lights, and they call it a highway??) and we're somewhere near Warwick Farm. I look out to the left and see a Krispy Kreme store, the first one I've ever seen. As some (who am I kidding, all) of you are aware, I am quite partial to a donut or 3. In fact, I once bought a six pack to share and ate 5. And was still hungry. I was a bit disappointed as the store would be closed as it was pretty late at night by this time. But no, there is a 24 hour Krispy Kreme store in Sydney. I don't think Vanessa believed me when I said we were stopping, but stop we did. It is right next to Macdonalds as well and we got to run the gauntlet of bling. I haven't seen that many blinged cars in my life. Luckily they were too busy saying "Fully sik" to each other to laugh at our wind blown hair styles. They were pretty bad by that stage. And just beyond the blinged up cars is a police car taking photos of another car. We're pretty sure it was stolen but can't say for sure.
Anyway, neither of us were hungry but we bought 4 donuts to eat in the morning. Got to the apartment we were staying at with AJ and Tom about 1030. Vanessa rings Cameron to let him know we got there safe and I ring Mum. The first thing Cameron asks is did we watch Nerds FC. Of course not as we were driving. AJ and Tom however did and tell us it was very good. That's the way to make us feel better, tell us about a show we wanted to watch but couldn't after we've spent 15 hours travelling. That's how to make friends and influence people :)
At that point we're dead tired and decide to just go to bed and worry about all this tomorrow. Discover that the beds are softer then quicksand. A bit different but we were alright with it.
Stay Tuned for day 2! Involving naps, shopping and how to buy good cheap wine in Campbelltown!
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