The world was ours.
Or at least the Pacific Highway. We were filled with a sense of optimism and adventure, keen to make the most of our roadtrip experience.
The original plan had been for Mum and Dad to revisit the site of their beach mission days at Nelson Bay, but when we couldn’t find any accommodation in the town for under $600 a night, we opted for the nearest option – the BIG4 Holiday Park in Karuah.
It was nearing sunset when we pulled in and hastily unpacked our belongings. Everyone was keen to explore and we set off in different directions. The jetty was beautiful and peaceful, oysters clinging to every crevice of the rickety wooden structure. We watched as the sun slid below the water and the stars glittered overhead. The kids were filled with excitement at the amenities and made plans to jump into the pool as soon as it opened the next morning. They squeezed in a quick trial run of the huge bouncy dome and checked out the games room.
We decided to be creative with our dinner plans, using whatever we had with us to create epic egg sandwiches, with salad, avocado, cheese, crumpets and dips. The combination was surprisingly delicious. A few board games and trips to the laundromat later and we were ready to turn in for the night.
The next morning dawned wonderfully warm and the kids and my dad made a beeline for the pool. It was while sunning ourselves on the lounges that we found out a few guests from the wedding had tested positive for Covid. We shrugged, thinking little of it, and continued enjoying the tropical paradise surrounding us.
For the next leg of the journey, we decided to take the long way, through Stroud and Gloucester. I had fond memories of these places, despite our rather chaotic stay in a Stroud Bed & Breakfast when Hudson was a baby. We stocked up on groceries and coffee at the tiny town, then high-tailed it out of there after Dave loudly queried whose choice it had been to visit – right in the centre of the main street. Pies and bakery treats were the choice for lunch in Gloucester, and we paused for a moment to recreate a photo with the kids standing on the mosaic platypus after recognising it from our previous trip.
Our destination was North Haven, a picturesque little town a touch below Port Macquarie, with stunning beaches and a wide river winding lazily nearby. Through our apartment window we enjoyed watching the water, set against the backdrop of gorgeous mountains. Before we checked in, we stopped by the ocean – a lack of swimwear presenting little barrier to the kids surrendering to the waves.
I loved our apartment. It was lavishly decorated with quality furnishings, with botanical haircare products from Aurora Spa in St Kilda. The beds were luxuriously soft and the towels fluffy. I soaked in the tub that evening, feeling as if I were in heaven. We enjoyed a BBQ on the balcony and began to set our sights high. With the recent announcement of restrictions being eased in theme parks in Queensland, we pondered, why not go big and extend our trip even more?
Sadly, these heights weren’t to last. Overnight, I tossed and turned. Had I somehow pulled all the muscles in my lower body? I couldn’t get comfortable and, at 4:30am decided that there was only one solution for this pain: exercise. I did my usual workout, trying to stretch my way out of the discomfort.
This was my first mistake.
When I sat down to breakfast the next morning, feeling vaguely rotten, Dave cocked an eyebrow and suggested I do a Covid test. Shrugging, I obliged.
The two lines showed up immediately.
I paced as I waited for him to finish in the shower. What are we going to do? What will happen to our holiday? How long will I have to isolate for? The questions flooded my mind. Dave blinked as I showed him the bad news and then completed a test of his own. It was negative. ‘Okay, we can do this. I’ll take the kids out for the day and you just rest. Try to sleep it off.’
I protested, but knew there wasn’t anything I could really do. I certainly wasn’t going on the day’s outing to Port Macquarie and I wasn’t even sure if my Aunty Louise and Uncle Mark would be happy with us descending on them as planned. After a quick phone call to Mum, who posed the question, it turned out I had little to worry about. ‘Bring it on’ was the fearless response. The kids were informed of the development, but it didn’t appear to worry them too much. Dave switched into hero mode and swept them into the car.
As soon as the apartment was empty, the full wave of exhaustion hit. I spent the better part of the day in bed, alternating between fever and chills, trying to get comfortable with the insidious pain that kept shooting through my quads and lower back muscles. Loading up on supplements and medication I had strategically brought along in bulk, I was hopeful that at least I might be able to kick the virus soon.
Dave and the kids had a marvellous time exploring Port Macquarie. They met up with Mum and Dad at the rock walk, and Dave loaded up on art and reading supplies in the knowledge that we would be spending a lot of time indoors over the next week. They toured a rainforest, ate hot chips and made a new friend at the playground.
By the time they returned, I was feeling quite a bit better, so I took the afternoon/dinner shift while Dave slept. He was starting to plummet and was struggling with nausea. We strapped in for the long haul.
Packing up the next day to get on the road felt like a mammoth effort. At least, we consoled ourselves, we wouldn’t have to go through this rigmarole for another six days. Dave drove the majority of the way as I dozed on and off in the passenger seat. At this point, I still had constant aches, exhaustion and very minimal appetite, but no other symptoms.
When we pulled into the Newrybar estate, the familiar sight of the house was comforting. It felt like coming home. Mum and Dad had already arrived, with Dad also now feeling the effects of the virus. Poor Aunty Louise and Uncle Mark were surrounded. They took it all in their stride in their relaxed way, having been awake to the whole Covid situation since the beginning. We knew we were among kindred spirits and fellow rebels.
It was the perfect place to see out our isolation.
