Campervan Leg 1 - Sydney to Nelson Bay

Before our first day driving we slept in the van as it was more comfortable than the floor or sofa in Jess' place. The first day driving in the van started with lies and deceit. Pete was tired having been up most of the night to watch Spurs in the city centre and so was reluctant to move from the bed in the back. Not knowing the laws on driving with unbelted passengers in the back of a van me and Jess said we would go to check. The internet place we planned to check at was closed so instead of telling him this we made up a story of a $500 fine and a loss of licence for the driver. That combined with telling him it was after 10 (when it was before 9) got us straight onto the road. Needless to say he wasn’t impressed upon discovering the truth…

We had a quick stop off in Newcastle for a walk around in the drizzle and fish and chips for lunch. We spent most of the time bitching about the weather and how it made the place feel like it could be any English seaside town. For the night we had to carry on up the coast to a place called Stockton as this was the nearest camp site. It was here that we first discovered that camp site prices are for 2 people only and you have to pay at least another $10 for an extra person!

The next day we carried on up the coast to a town called Nelson Bay. Pete wasn't happy about this as the only reason me and Jess had for visiting was that we shared the name. We think he was just bitter that there are no towns called Philippou in Australia, or anywhere. It turned out that his bitterness was misplaced as we managed to find a dolphin viewing boat trip. As amazing as it was to ride on a boat with dolphins swimming along with it, it seems it doesn't make it easy to take photos of them.