Coffs Harbour to Byron Bay

Sunday, Oct. 20 - On Sunday, we continued driving north from Coffs Harbour, heading toward Brisbane. Part of the drive was reminiscent of south Louisiana. There was a river (bayou) on one side, some tropical-looking bushes and shrubs along the river, some homes that looked like camps, and some fields of sugar cane growing on the other side of the road. We had our first kangaroo sighting. Well, actually, I saw the kangaroo while Joe was driving. It was off the side of the road about 25 or 30 feet among some trees. We passed by a place that advertised Crocodile pies for sale. Some things they grow here are bananas and macadamia nuts. In fact, we passed by the "Big Banana" and the "Macadamia Castle". Some more things of interest: People say "No worries" here a lot. It means something like "no problem", or after you say "thank you", they might respond with "No worries". Gas is called Petrol, and you purchase it at the Petrol Station. The hotels are very energy-conscious and you have to place your card-key in a slot in the room in order to operate the lights or the air-conditioner. That way, they turn off when you take your card and leave the room. Campers are called caravans, and a campground is a Caravan Park. A liquor store is called a Bottle Shop. Fish and Chips (french fries) are very popular here. Some breakfast foods are called Brekky; for example, you can purchase a "Brekky muffin" or a "Brekky roll". We passed by a Cricket match taking place yesterday.