Tumby Bay or Bust!

Part of why I was so busy earlier on during the week of March 28th was that Jon and Katie had planned a big road trip for the weekend prior to my sermon. I basically needed to have everything squared away before Friday in order to make it so I could enjoy the trip. I was pretty successful at this, finishing my outline, practicing it several times, and making sure all the aud/vid stuff was organized. Fearing I still wasn't ready, however, I was very worried about going on the trip. Eventually I decided to go anyways and I am very glad I did. I had an amazing time and I will tell you about it in the next couple of posts.

Our destination for the road trip was Tumby Bay (http://www.tumbybay.com/), a small, quaint seaside town about 8 hours away from Adelaide. Tumby Bay had randomly been selected for an annual free concert in Australia called the "One Night Stand." The concert is put on by Triple J, the Australian Broadcasting's adult-contemporary radio station here. Every year, Triple J gathers some of the biggest names in Australian music, brings them to a rural town, and throws a big party for anybody willing to come. Did I mention the concert was free? That was the best part for a cheap guy like me. Tumby Bay is also very important in the history of Hope Valley, as they apparently used to send missions teams there every year. Jon and Katie, who grew up in Hope Valley, knew the area well and knew I would love it.

So on Friday afternoon (4/1), Jon, Katie, Josh, Amy and I took off. I was pretty excited to go, as it meant another trip outside the city of Adelaide. Even though I have a very specific job while I am here at the church, any opportunity to see the country is exciting for me. The car was packed with all of us adults and our luggage. I was fairly uncomfortable. This was soothed, however, by the fact that we had brought a bunch of candy and chips in the car with us. No road trip is complete without junk food!

The country immediately surrounding Adelaide, as I have mentioned before, is very hilly. The scenery is just gorgeous. Past the hills, however, the country flattens out quite a bit. As you continue to drive north, the vegetation becomes sparser and the ground more red (just as in all the famous pictures of the Australian Outback). Though we did not go far enough inland on the trip to get this full effect, I got my first taste of what the flat, sparse, Australian Outback looked like.

Though such scenery is beautiful, it quickly becomes quite boring. We entertained ourselves in the car by playing an epic game of Catch Phrase. As a side note: They do not sell Catch Phrase in Australia. Jon and Katie brought it back with them from the States when last they visited. As such, the game is an instant hit amongst whomever we are playing with.

Jon also let me drive part of the trip. This was a welcome relief from the cramped backseat. Moreover, driving just makes me feel at rest. I am glad he let me do it. The road we were on was extremely flat at points. It literally seemed as if you see forever. Most of the roads in Australia between smaller cities are also not double-lane. Thus, getting stuck behind a slow moving vehicle is vexing. To alleviate this, scattered along the road are small sections where one side of the road widens to two lanes and allows for passing. You need to drive aggressively when this extra space is given! Another interesting thing about driving around Australia is how many warnings they give about driving while tired (perhaps because the land is so flat?). It seemed every other mile or so there was a sign telling you to take a break, that driving tired = driving dead, that there was free coffee offered at the next intersection, etc. I found this interesting.

We stopped for dinner along the way in a tiny town along the coast called Cowhill. I only mention it because the dinner we had there at the pub was really good! Being a small country town, we had expected it to not be the greatest. I ordered a beef schnitzel (thin layer of beef, lightly breaded, fried, and covered with gravy) and it was just perfect. Yum...

In the early evening we arrived at Tumby Bay. The concert was scheduled for the next night, but plenty of people had already arrived to camp in the temporary camp sites and enjoy the town. As we drove into town, Jon was pulled aside at a police checkpoint. Jon told me it was a random alcohol test and that they happened all over Australia. The police officer came up, asked the usual questions, and gave Jon a breathalyzer test right there on the roadside! Jon, of course, passed the test and we drove on our way. The idea of random tests like this baffled me so much. In America, where an officer has to have suspicion of wrong doing before pulling over a car, that would never fly. Jon says they are quite common here. If you are found over the legal limit, your license is taken away immediately. Regardless, I am glad they have such a tough policy on drunk driving.

So Jon showed us around Tumby Bay a bit and then we drove to where we were staying. Jon had actually secured some really cheap lodging for us at a Uniting church campsite a bit north of Tumby called Thuruna. Thuruna was completely off in the middle of nowhere. You drove on dirt roads for about fifteen minutes to this absolutely scary looking concrete building nestled up against the coast and in sight of no other light or building. Inside the building were a ton of rooms with bunks in them for the Uniting churches which do camps and retreats up there. It was a bit freaky having the five of us in this massive building which could easily sleep a few hundred. All we needed was room and a shower though and the price was right ($10 a night per head). It was also quite nice once you got used to it. The building sat a stone's throw away from the ocean and waking up to that view the next morning was perhaps the closest to heaven I have yet been (more on this in my next post).

That night we found a small room in the dormitory with five beds and we all bunked together. We had a wonderful night. I taught Amy and Josh how to play Euchre and they played Jon and Katie. It's good to increase love of the game stiff further ;-).

Bed was welcome after all that driving.

In Christ,

Chris