Back on the road again

 After managing to tick many of the jobs off my Friday morning list, including double-checking road conditions and confirming that I certainly did not want to drive over the top. Golden Valley to Miena is "caution 4WD only" and yes, I have an AWD Subaru, and there are chains in the car, but it's not a big boy 4WD. I left home around about midday and topped up with petrol and windscreen washer water before hitting the road. 

As I drove past a small flock of sulphur crested cockatoos, I amused myself with a memory of travelling that road with my grandmother, visiting from England, and her remarking that the cockatoos were flying around just like ordinary birds! I knew exactly what she meant but it did seem rather funny. 

I also recalled as I drove past the turnoff to Jericho early trips with the family. It must have been very soon after we arrived in Tasmania and Mum and Dad would take us out for a short drive at the weekend and we'd find somewhere off and on the side of a country road to build a little campfire and cook sausages over it. That was rather a treat for kids straight out from England.

The car was a station wagon with a front bench seat - something not seen these days.

A pit stop at Oatlands gave me a chance to admire large numbers of black swans on Lake Dulverton and eats my lunch time sandwich and sort out some last minute urgent bank tranfers. 

The very restricted views as I drove North vindicated my choice of the Midland Highway over the Lakes Road, as any views of higher ground were very limited. Both the Ben Lomond plateau and the Central Highlands / Western Tiers were totally shrouded by clouds.

Despite the weather forecast, it was dry until just before Tunbridge where I got a brief hail shower and the temperature dropped significantly. Then at Campbelltown a little bit of light rain started. The temperature dropped again and the rain turned to hail for a bit but then settled back to light rain until I got to about Westbury where it started to get really heavy. 

As I drove that route, I reflected on the various bakeries at which I may have stopped for treats in times gone by. The Ross bakery with its Eccles cakes, JJ's at Campbelltown with its Banbury slices and the Westbury bakery with its coffee scrolls. All of which are perfectly delicious, but my body would not thank me for indulging these days unfortunately. I shall just have to fantasise.

A brief respite from the downpour permitted a comfort stop at Parramatta creek before I proceeded on to the ferry terminal.

By 5:30 I was in ensconced in my cabin and ready for a glass of wine and a couple of precautionary travel calm tablets. The purser has just announced that we can expect seas of up to 5 m and the bureau of meteorology has told us that we can expect some pretty serious stormy winds - severe weather warning winds. So it's going to be a rocking, rolling, riding trip.

The public announcement shortly after we departed advised all passengers that seasickness medication is available for purchase from the pantry. Ominous.