After couple of months of being settled in Sydney we were delighted to find out that we would be on the road again, if only for a weekend! Joe had come up with the idea for us all to head south to Wollongong, the third biggest city in New South Wales for the Easter weekend. We never really heard of Wollongong but we were excited about venturing into the unknown. Due to working commitments Conor was not able to make the trip south with us but it might have been for the best, he would have hated the sleeping arrangements!
The day of the trip we found out that we wouldn’t be staying in cabins but in tents and we had to get them before we left at one o’clock. We raced into every shop in Bondi Junction that might possibly sell tents but couldn’t find anything! Stores like Target and K-Mart seemed to sell everything except for tents! Everyone must be going camping this weekend! While tent searching we spotted another cast member from Home and Away, Tony in Target. Gary wanted a photo with him but I talked him out of it because he was with his son! He’s no Alf Stewart anyway! We had found out the previous week that there would be no trains going to Wollongong this weekend because of track work. What are the odds of this happening the one weekend we decide to go?!?
When we arrived at Central station we were pleased to find out there were regular buses leaving every half an hour so we decided to head to the pub for a “pint”(they’re not really pints over here, they’re stupid schooners), some pool and big steaks! We waited here for Charlie, Ro and Dee while Joe and Dani drove to Wollongong with the tents and all the camping gear!
The bus journey took about an hour and forty minutes and was hilarious. There were three old Italian women on the bus and they wanted the bus driver to let there husbands on! The bus driver was having none of it, wouldn’t open the door and said “I have to go now, I’m not opening the door”, while the women screamed abuse at him in Italian! There was an awkward five minute silence on the bus until the women calmed down!
When we arrived at the bus station Joe had to make two separate trips to the campsite so me, Gary and Charlie headed to an Irish pub for more “pints” and pool. Any excuse!
When we arrived at the campsite we were shocked to see the four of them had managed to make the tents without us. We were surrounded by families on the campsite and I don’t think they were too happy when they saw eight Irish people drinking and listening to music. The campsite was also right beside a 2 kilometre long beach. It was a lot different to Bondi, not a soul in sight.
We quickly dug into all our snacks and drink while listening to Charlie’s iPod on loudspeaker. To be honest I can’t remember what we talked about but I remember it being funny. We then headed down to the beach to light a fire and sing songs. Unfortunately Charlie’s guitar string broke so he was forced to play with five strings. We even tried to write a song about our Wollongong adventure but it can’t be written down, it has to be heard it’s that amazing! Some other campers helped us start the fire and Joe and Charlie even jumped over it!
Me, Gary and Tom left the rest of them down at the beach to watch Man United against Sunderland. Federico Macheda did it again scoring the winner as we won 2-1. When we arrived back the campsite everyone had gotten a lot drunker since we left, climbing on top of the truck and kicking footballs at the tents. Tom somehow got in a tent with Ro and Dee so I was in the truck with Gary. Easy to say it was the worst night’s sleep we’ve gotten since we left home! The less said the better!
The morning after a big breakfast was badly needed after all the shit we ate the night before. Bacon and eggs was the only thing on the menu so eight of them were ordered as quickly as possible. We noticed a motel beside Oscars (the bar and concert venue) and decided it would be wise to book a room to avoid a repeat of the night before. Turned out to be the best decision ever!
We managed to get in a game of football that day too and afterwards most of the lads were nursing big blisters on the bottom of their feet after playing barefoot!
There was a band playing that night and we managed to sneak in for the end of it.
The Villains were playing and they were all dressed like bad guys from movies/comic books. There was a The Riddler, Catwoman, Darth Vader and a Heath Ledger inspired Joker were all on show. The crowd seemed to love it!
After drinks in the hotel and running into a Hugh Hefner lookalike (above) who loved the Irish we headed back to the room for Aston Villa against Everton and drinking games. I could go on all night about the rules to the different games. Let’s just say a good night was had by all, and a much better night’s sleep!
The morning after we were suffering from hangovers and watched the Simpsons in bed for what seemed like four hours before heading to the steam room, jacuzzi and swimming pool to relax.
We grabbed a quick Subway and got our bus back to Sydney as the rain poured down.
It reminded us of getting a bus back to Galway from Dublin.
We wouldn’t forget our weekend in a hurry and are already looking forward to returning here at some stage.
Sleepy Mike
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