This was also the first spot where there was a spectacular ocean view... they'd put a function centre and restaurant there. I hear people like that sort of thing... looking at water while they eat.
What had started of as a warm summer day in the City had gotten a little cooler and overcast by the time we started the descent down the mountain to the coast but the low clouds made for some spectacular colours and scenery. As the bends in the road came up, Stephen and I could hear the boxes of Mangos and cherries in Butch's ENORMOUS boot moving around... at which point, the most quotable quote of the day was uttered in panic... "Don't squash the mangos!!!!"
As we approached the tiny but picturesque Austinmer Beach, the need for food was getting to us- Stephen must have been delirious with hunger because he doesn't remember it, but he said something about Gourmet Burgers and my foot suddenly found the brake. A revelation as we waited for our food- "True Heaven" was suspiciously close to a Ford Focus TDCi ;)
We did the take-away thing and ate at the headland overlooking Austinmer- Food always tastes better with a view. Maybe that's what the owners of that function centre were going by... And then....
RABBITS!! Obviously the rare East coast breed of killer rabbit because as were eating lunch and talking like, oh, normal people do, Stephen stopped mid sentence and screamed "RABBITS!! TWO RABBITS!" and I almost choked on my burger.
Full from lunch, and recovered from the shock of the killer rabbits, we headed through the hilly, winding roads typical of most Australian coastal towns and over the ocean on the most spectacular coast road. This has gotta be Greater Sydney's answer to Victoria's Great Ocean Road and all that was going through my head was "I wish I hadn't sold my Helicopter on Ebay... this would be a stunning shot of Butch in action for an ad!" The 60km speed limit was a godsend, giving me time to enjoy the scenery.
The overcast day meant that the beginning of the drive up back up the mountain looked like a scene from Twilight. A little eerie, but quite lovely. Butch handled well on the climb and there was no a hint of a struggle on the hills or any kind of fuss at all really! (ie. extra engine noise when changing down gears) On a couple of straight bits of road, I took the liberty of putting my foot down and he jumped into action like it was the most natural thing in the world. The 2 litre Turbo Diesel seemed to be made for this kind of drive and the handling was solid and sturdy on bend after bend... after bend... after bend (you get the idea!) Steve's verdict was that Butch was quite "Zippy" compared with his Jeep which, while powerful, would lumber up the hills steadily.
The biggest and most pleasant surprise for me was how easy the drive was. I was on an unfamiliar, narrow, winding road, joking around and chatting (I drive alone mostly) yet the drive was stress-free and I barely had to think about what I was doing. It was like Butch was holding onto the road and refusing to let go. Something i'd never experienced on the same kind of trip in the Laser.
Coming up the hill, we'd spotted some hang gliders above us and found a little lookout next to their take-off point.
The drive back to the Inner West was uneventful but another pleasant surprise I got when I dropped Stephen off was that the Diesel engine smelt almost unnaturally clean... I've known in theory for years that modern Diesel engines were cleaner and better for the environment but the lack of engine smell is something you just have to experience to understand. It's quite amazing... especially with the nice beefy 'chug chug chug' noise of the Diesel engine reminding you it's on.
A great afternoon all 'round really despite the obvious crises which we so skillfully averted ;) The killer rabbits seemed to be more scared of us than we were of them and the Mangos, Cherries, Stephen, Butch and I all arrived home safe, relaxed and most definitely NOT squashed! Looking forward to 10 more days...
