Driving on the wrong side of the road

So today was the big day....would I managed to successfully get the car out of Cairns and down to Townsville without running head first into a transport truck. And the answer is yes, we arrived safe and sound. Of course, there was the odd scary moment or so.

First off, we're driving some kind of Hyundai that I've never heard of before. An Indira or something along those lines. And, of course, it's silver. I'll never understand rental agencies and their fascination for silver cars. But anyway. The only hitch we had with the rental was that we were planning on renting a GPS unit to go along with the car, except they were all out. The road between Cairns and Brisbane is a straight shot with only a few detours, so it shouldn't be a problem. However, we already had one glitch today, so we'll see.

Anyway, driving on the left hand side is deeply weird and paranoia inducing. I swear to god it took about an hour for the muscles in my shoulders to unclench. Once we were on the Bruce Highway and I could just follow a car in front of me, all was good. But getting out of Cairns had its moments. Bloody roundabouts. Plus, I have the habit of drifting over to the left hand side of the road, which occasionally freaks Cathy out. Oh, and I also keep flipping on the wipers when I mean to hit the signal light. That's bloody annoying.

But we're in Townsville. Now, most of the trip has been well planned, but we didn't have a place arranged to stay here. We just figured we would wing it. Which was a bit of a mistake as we took a scenic tour of Townsville trying to find a place to stay. The lack of GPS was a nuisance. But on the up side, I can navigate in a city without causing mass havoc, so that's a good thing.

Tomorrow we're off to a zoo in the morning where Cathy is hoping to be able to hug a koala for a little bit. And then we're off to Airle Beach in the Whitsundays, where we'll be located for the next five days. Time to lay on a beach and do some sea Kayaking. Should be fun.

More tomorrow...