Not a full bus, so I managed to have two seats to myself, but it was difficult sleeping well on a bus. Managed some sleep, but woke up a little stiff necked.
Pouring rain in Canberra, so I threw on my raincoat, and headed for somewhere to check my bag – since there were no lockers at the bus depot. I got the brilliant idea of checking my bag at one of the museums in town, but it was still too early, so I headed to a cafe where I could plug in my computer and write out some journal entries and organize photos – I was a little behind, as I’m sure you know.
I asked a security guard in the mall the best way to get to the National Museum of Australia, and it turned out that he once worked there, so he told me what not to miss. He did give me the wrong bus number, but I managed to figure that out before I got on board. At the museum, I checked my bag, and latched onto a tour that was just starting. There were only two of us on the tour, so we were able to ask any questions without worrying about slowing down a big group.
Lots in the museum on various Australians, and their history. Pretty interesting, actually. They’re an odd mob, these Australians.
I had the notion of renting a car, so I headed to a few car rental places. Sadly they were mostly booked out, but I managed to find an SUV that wasn’t much more than a regular car, and was available that day. I booked it, and then headed to the Australian War Memorial
Had a probably-too-quick look around then headed to Capitol Hill to check out Parliament House. It was the opening day of Parliament, but other than a rally for tomorrow’s National Day of Apology, it was pretty quiet. The national day of apology was for the Stolen Generations, Aboriginal children taken from their family to slowly eradicate the Aboriginal culture. Sad stuff, and the apology is a long time coming.
From Parliament House I bid adieu to Canberra, and headed south to the coast, to Bateman’s Bay. My plan was to drive up to Jervis Bay, but the easiest way to get there was to go south first. I bypassed Bateman’s Bay and took a quite scenic drive along Highway 1, up the coast. The road didn’t hug the coast very much, but it did pass through some amazing National Parks. I managed to avoid hitting any kangaroos, and fumbled with the radio stations for a couple of hours until I reached Jervis Bay.
I hoped to spend the night in Jervis Bay, but everything was closed up. My guess is it’s too quiet during the week. I drove through Jervis Bay, and stayed for about an hour. Saw a wallaby on the road, and came across a school soccer field with a bunch of kangaroos. Passed through a bunch of towns, and stopped in Kaima for some dinner. Kept on trekking, and eventually reached Wollongong, where I hoped I might find a hostel. No luck in that regard, although I asked a couple of locals, just in case I’d missed them. Sydney was only 100kms away, so I fought my tiredness and headed back to Louvelle’s.
Got to Louvelle’s at about 10:30pm, and let Louvelle drive the rental around for a bit. She hasn’t had much experience in a left-side driving car. She tends to drive a little too close to the left, which is what I find myself doing too. We found a great parking space near the house, and headed back inside. Had a much needed (as confirmed by Louvelle) shower, then headed to bed.