21 August 2025
We are in the final stages of this 2 month adventure. We have had a few days on the coast and are now in Brisbane. Next it’s the four day traverse of NSW and a return to normality and the end of winter.
Since the trip to Lady Elliott Island and snorkelling we have ventured further down the coast to quieter environs and fewer people. This is more our style, less of the big towns and more of trees.
The odd bike ride has continued along with the opportunity for paddling a SUP. I tried the ‘stand up’ bit but wind and waves conspired to bring me down. Sitting down allowed me to cover more distance. It’s amazing just how far you can go with the wind on your back. The scary thing is when you turn around for home and discover the return trip will be into the wind. You suddenly realise just how far you have travelled as the waves slop over your board.
The latest challenge we have risen to is understanding where stuff is in every new supermarket. You might assume the layout is the same as the last country store but you would be deluding yourself. And so the hunter gatherer DNA kicks in and in no time you are able to find the eggs and honey. They are never where you thought they would be.
At the risk of repeating an observation I made some time ago I feel compelled to again bring this issue into your consciousness.
In the past many country towns boasted 3 or 4 pubs. There was the Commercial, the Cricketer’s Arms, the Railway and the Royal Oak. Every town had a top pub and a bottom pub. This classification referred to altitude rather than quality. These establishments were very successful, catering to a large manual, agricultural workforce. Times have changed and many of these old pubs are struggling to stay afloat.
The replacement food service and hospitality businesses are now bakeries and coffee shops. No longer is it a midi or a schooner. Now it’s a flat white, a long black or a latte. Our grandparents would roll their eyes.
That old saying of he who has the most toys wins is very evident in our travels. Gone are the days of simple camping setups. Now it’s a satellite dish, more refrigeration, ebikes, SUPs, kayaks, more TVs, and a barbecue and that’s just one campsite. It’s amazing what the early pioneers achieved without Starlink.
Next week we are on our way home and so it is at this time I start thinking of the projects that await me. Of course these projects get rapidly forgotten when the pressures of daily commitments fill the available time.
A Traveller's Tale 
What great adventures! No chores at home, no chores at home…keep repeating that and sometimes they just go away.
The riding and SUPs sound fun. Sitting down on both makes sense.
One observation I’ve made in travels and is apparently international – evidenced by one of your Country Food Outlets photos: in order to be authentic, there must be misspellings on signs in some form. Otherwise it is too perfect, too commercial. As a designer it is in my nature to want to perfect signs like that by correcting spelling, making sure fonts are legible, ensuring the right contrast between foreground and background elements, etc. But then my practical, non-designer, anti-slick-marketing, plain ol’ consumer side kicks in and I realize I would ruin the authenticity by fixing the spelling of “Guinness” or “kidney” and cleaning up signs so much that the store and its offerings may appear expensive even before walking in. I think mistakes in store signs convince you that you’re going to get a better deal, because if they can’t spell, maybe they can’t count as well. Unless, of course, “kideny” or “kideng” is actually a thing, and I’ve confused the entire situation. Sometimes it best to stay out of it.
Glad to hear you are having a great time!
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