Road Trip Talks Pt. 3 🚘

A Whimsical Unicorn 🦄

Day 7

Early morning:

Time to pack up for the big trip. Well, actually, I am already packed. Just have to hit the road soon. I’m waiting for my pretty red kettle to boil for my morning tea.

It’s getting really windy in the desert so it’s good timing to get going.

Jack took off early this morning to drive back to Melbourne and follow his path there. I will head in the direction of Byron soon.

I decided to do a longer drive than I initially planned today. There’s not much else to do on a Sunday anyways. It’s difficult for me to know beforehand where my head is at, so I’ll plan, but I’ll also make last minute changes if I feel like it. That flexible mindset has prevented me from a lot of headaches in life.

Today's route

 So anyways, lots of driving ahead but I’m excited because I like driving in Ruby a lot.

What a great adventurous experience this was! I really feel like I went on a little holiday with a friend (which I guess is exactly what I did but it just doesn’t feel like that anymore when it’s all last minute and spontaneous).

Evening:

I parked my car at a rest stop next to the A32 in between Broken Hill and Wilcannia after 6 hours of being on the road. That’s longer than I’ve ever driven by myself, and I did get in some situations where I felt tired and needed to rest, which I did, so go me.

Today, I decided to go for a free camping spot, but I did hope to have some cell reception out there. Luckily, I am not the only one camping here and it feels perfectly safe between the middle-aged adventurers, but I did feel lonely and sad right after I got here. I realised it’s just me now.

Generally, I am bad at goodbyes, and I learned it usually doesn’t affect me until a couple of hours, days, or even weeks later. So, when I said goodbye to Jack, I was excited for my adventure, but it wasn’t until an hour ago that it hit me that it’s really just me now and I left an entire life behind me quite suddenly. The weeks of quick and emotionless goodbyes (from my end) finally caught up with me.

I’m saying this because I want to be honest about these things too. I do find joy in change, and I embrace it much rather than staying stagnant. But I am also subject to emotions so grieving a “past life” or “past experiences” is part of the deal. I felt relieved after the cry. And hungry.

So, I cried while eating a stir fry on Ruby’s tailgate and mesmerised about the past couple of days/weeks. And I realised I am so lucky but also such a unicorn.

I always knew I was different. I've been told calling myself weird has a bit of a "low-selfesteemy ring to it", though, so I go with whimsical now.

I’m a whimsical unicorn 🦄.

Day 8

07:55

It’s a brand new day and I decided I’m going to write the time of day I am journalling.

This whimsical unicorn got up at 06:30 and I must say, I have been sleeping so well in this car it’s almost frightening. Every single time I go to sleep I fall asleep easily and wake up 9 hours later from a deep and revitalising sleep. In the last shared house I lived in I could wake up in the middle of the night and not fall back asleep. Which was annoying.

I think my nervous system knows I’m heading in the right direction and I’m living a life I was supposed to live.

I’m dreaming a lot too. Recognisable dreams about day-to-day events and people I know but completely different settings. As in: they seem familiar because I know what they represent (mostly old workplaces or other sorts of accommodation) but they’re never the exact location I know they are supposed to be.

Anyways. That all sounds pretty vague, even to me. But I like dreams like this a lot because it gives me the idea I am processing subconscious thoughts and impressions in a healthy way. Because the dreams are not scary, they’re just very realistic and always there now.

The place from which I sleep great and dream a lot.

And now on to the next location! I will work on my school assessments and attend a lecture in a library about 3.5 hours from where I am now. Once I get there, I will figure out where I’ll stay tonight as well.

Time to pack up Ruby!

13:37

Couple of things that came to mind while driving today:

-        There are a lot of goats on the side of the roads here

-        Truck drivers are the nicest as they indicate when it’s safe for you to pass

19:24

I’m at a beautiful campsite in Nyngan called Nyngan Riverside Tourist Park. It’s super busy around here now because there’s a festival happening in Broken Hill (where I drove through yesterday) and there are about 5,000 campervans heading that way. I can see them all heading in that direction while I drive to the opposite side on a very long and quiet road. Lovely.

The campsite is quite luxurious and has great facilities. That’s why I’m setting up shop for 2 nights instead of one to give myself some time to relax and work on school stuff and getting these blogs up for you to read!

Fun fact: if I put my fold-up chair across the tailgate of the car, I can make myself a little working space! So, if it doesn’t rain, I can work relatively ergonomically wherever I go. What a find!

Good night for now!

Day 9

10:44

TRAVEL TIP: an extension cord is one of the key items I buy when I move to a new place and will bring with me to the next place. Same goes for a hand mirror and a bedside lamp.

But today I’m raving about the extension cord. Why? Because I work on my laptop quite a bit and sometimes, I end up in place where there is a powerpoint but it requires me to sit in a really awkward spot. So, I have an extension cord and a split head so I can plug in 2 things at once. It has also helped me be more creative with room decorating in places with limited plugs. Such a life hack.

19:35

Loneliness is kicking in. And hormones.

This is part of this lifestyle just as much as all the fun stuff.

I realised a moment ago that I seek out solitude rather than social events, even though I crave companionship just like everyone else. The difference is, I prefer companionship with people I can actually connect with. If that’s not the case, it feels like it’s really not worth my time, so I naturally block it off. But then I need to deal with this sense of loneliness sometimes. It’s one or the other.

This is a typical INFJ train of thought, by the way.

Day 10

08:06

It’s a rainy day today. The first rain of the trip.

So, I’m sitting in a campsite kitchen where it’s nice and dry. 4 hours of driving ahead today and I’m debating whether I’ll book an indoor accommodation or wing it with the rain.

Keep you posted.

19:09

I’m winging it in the rain!

Currently in bed at 7 PM at a campsite in Gunnedah. I’m getting closer to the coast now and I could really see the landscape change for the past 300 kilometers. It went from outback to hilly all of the sudden. With rocky roads and lots of rain. So, challenging for myself and Ruby.

I am feeling pretty hormonal today, so I ate an ice cream at McDonalds after a pasta dish for 2 (for 1) and walked around for a bit while talking to my mum on the phone.

Some things never change.

Day 11

12:18

So, the roads are still rocky but also with a million twists and hills Ruby has trouble climbing. And I have a difficult time focusing.

Maybe I shouldn’t have decided to drive to Coffs Harbour before heading up to Byron but hey, it’s only 1 more hour and 45 minutes of driving until I get to a very luxurious campsite in Coffs Harbour where I’ll stay for 2 nights so I can finish my school assessment and buy some things I need at Kmart.

I am currently sipping a chai in a charming roadside café, and I’ll start driving again soon for the last stretch of this trip.

After this, it’s only 2.5 hours to Byron. Or actually, Suffolk Park, because that’s where I’ll live.

16:08

I checked into the last campsite of this trip and it’s a good one! It’s right next to the ocean and speaking of the ocean, I’m so happy to be close to the water again!

Day 13

08:39

Looks like I skipped a day. Woops.

The last campsite is a good one and lucky for me, I’m all the way in the back at a quiet spot because there are a lot of kids around. A LOT. And for those who don’t know me that well: I’m a “kids are cute, but from a distance” type of person.

I woke up to a general message from the police yesterday that a 32-year-old brunette and her car (with an SA license plate) disappeared from a town just north of where I am, and it made my start of the day a bit strange. All of the sudden I felt uncomfortable travelling on my own even though I crossed the entire country on my own for the past week.

So, yeah. Reality kicked in for a little bit. I hope the woman gets found soon.

Yesterday I went for a bit of a walk to Little Muttonbird Island, which is a tiny island attached by a jetty just off the beach where my campsite is. I loved it. It made me realise how much I love the east coast as much as I would like to dislike it because it’s so touristy.

Other than that, I bought new sheets, did some washing, read a few pages of a book, had chai, and just hung out and I was so relaxed.

Today is the last day of driving and I will reach my final destination this afternoon. I watched the sunrise this morning, because that’s a thing now that I’m on the east coast again and felt so grateful for everything.

My new life (and coincidentally my new cycle) is about to start, and I am so excited!!

And to close the loop on this road trip adventure, I made a Tiny Joys with Domi video about it. Enjoy!

Xoxo, Domi