SYDNEY :  Thursday, 20th May.

Since Monday, 17th we have been staying with our family in Sydney, having driven from Morisset on the M1 on that morning with a coffee break at Mooney Mooney, our only stop until we crossed the Taren Point Bridge on the Georges River, a distance of 142kms.  This quick trip was made possible by use of the new (to us) 6km long M1 Tunnel followed by 18kms of the M2, then through Lane Cove Tunnel, the Harbour Tunnel, the Domain Tunnel and the Eastern Distributor, and then  managing to fluke green traffic lights for most of the rest of the way through the suburbs.  We arrived at the caravan park where we stored the caravan last month and where it is parked once again, at 11.55am and after transferring the belongings required for the next few days from the caravan to the car, we headed for lunch at the little cafe we discovered last month.  By the time we'd driven to the family's home, school was out and their street was chokkers as parents park there every afternoon to collect their children from the nearby school, but we managed to sneak a temporary spot in front of next door's driveway (he said it was okay) while we unloaded the car.  Parked in front of us was a mobile mechanic, Mike spoke to him and teed up a car service for the next day - very fortuitous!  Our granddaughter had sent us a very funny video via phone, indicating where house and granny flat keys were to be found and having found them and settled in, all we had to do was wait until they all arrived home from work/school.

Whizzing by Botany Bay

Our caravan is dwarfed by the others being stored!

While the family's been at work and school during the day, we have spent our time reading, relaxing, going for walks and enjoying doing very little.  The days have been pleasantly warm and sunny, the nights have been cold.  We met old friends on Wednesday night at a Cronulla pub where we participated in a Trivia night - I'm afraid we didn't do very well but we had fun and it was good to catch up with them again.

This afternoon we had lunch in a cafe at Dolls Point, a small suburb 17km south of the Sydney CBD and part of the St George area.  After lunch, we walked through the next door park where we admired the mosaics on the outside walls of the public toilets

Botany Bay from Dolls Point

Tomorrow (Friday, 21st), we will leave Sydney and begin the homeward journey.  At this stage, the plan is to head south, towards the NSW/Vic border, then turn right and head west to SA and ultimately WA.  Our plans, as is usual, are subject to change at a moment's notice and we will most likely make them up as we go along.