New South Wales and ACT tour, part 1

Saturday 18th

The temperature hit 40C. This was HOT! And humid too in Sydney. The heat hits you like a wall and all you want to do is sit in a pool of cold water. Wendi, Derek and I had to go shopping in Hornsby to stock up the camper van. Later on, we set off Vic and Tova's house in South Maroota - about 40 minutes drive away, through the Galston Gorge. I travelled in the Volvo with Derek. Wendi still had to finish packing up the camper van for our trip so she left after us and drove up alone. We drove with the top down through the fierce heat. Derek pointed out a thunderhead of cloud building up and later on we had a view of sheet lightning over on the horizon from Vic and Tova's house.

As we drove through Galston Gorge, Derek told me that when north Sydney is hit by bushfires - as it was about 5 years ago (bad fiires - covered a lot of acreage) - Galston Gorge is closed to traffic in order to allow emergency vehicles access. Everyone else has to go the long way round to and from home.