Queensland Holiday Day 6-CAMPER VAN DAY!!!!

Two of us have loaded photos to this post over various WiFi connections.  The photos are completely out of order.  So, today's post will moonlight as a crosswalking exercise.

We started the day off in our apartment and headed to Skypoint Observation Deck in Surfer's Paradise.

It was very likely one of the single most foolish things Dave has ever done in our lives.

He took me to a place where I love the climate Queensland) and then up a great big building where I could essentially see a whole bunch of tremendous real estate possibilities.

 We checked out of our apartment, hopped in the Micra and headed for Brisbane.   

traded the teeny tiny Micra for the enormous campervan and the journey was ON!

Before leaving we found the "free stuff people have left behind" bin at the campervan place and we grabbed assorted items like salt, ketchup (tomato sauce to the Australians), dishwasher liquid, jasmine rice and assorted oils and vinegars.

It takes much longer to pick up a campervan than it does a car and it was about all Big C could do to wait.  He knew that he was just steps away from his dream becoming a reality.

I've never driven anything larger than a Ford Explorer.  This whole thing was new to me.  Whatever.  I hopped in and we were OFF! 

Some observations:

The campervan is a Ford.  This apparently means that the indicator and windshield wipers are back on the sides where I am accustomed to finding them.  Awesome.  It took me no time at all to take to that like a duck to water.

Checking my blind spot to change lanes is a hopeless endeavor that ends with me looking either at the wall behind my right shoulder or the closed main door of the cabin over my left shoulder. 

Today the van used over a 1/4 tank of diesel fuel to cover 150km. 

While we drive something rattles.  I have no idea what it is.  All I can think if the entire time is that my mother, who has often had bits of tissue tucked in to places in her vehicles, would have been in the back of this thing finding the noise and making it stop.  It bothered me less while I chuckled at the vision of that (I am safe from repercussions of that comment for a day or two as she flies home).

Today we covered 213km of the journey.  Only 1500km or so to go.  Tonight as we sat and chatted with other people in the camp kitchen we were told, for what will not be the last time, that we have not left ourselves enough time to see everything this area (Noosa) has to offer.  We know that, we wish we had more time, but we are working with what we have and seeing what we can as we fly by.

After driving this thing for less than two hours I was responsible to reverse it in to a space next to a concert slab and have it line up pretty closely.  I was to do this with the help of Dave who stood in my blind spot (see comments above) and a reversing camera which allows me to see straight down from the roof as opposed to what is actually to the rear of my vehicle).  Dave made some rude comments but if you look at the first photo of this post I would argue that I did a reasonable job ON MY FIRST TRY, all things considered.

So tonight it would appear that BigCs plan when he booked this thing was that Dave and I would share a double bed (we have a king in Canada) while he and Monkey each get their own.  There are three bunks on this thing.  We'll start with his plan for tonight and see where things lead in the evenings to come.