Australia Day 1 (Fri 28 Nov: arrive Sydney, then to Port Stephens)

Weather - Cool with sun, then passing showers in the afternoon and evening.

We picked up our car direct from the Sydney International Airport. We booked through vroomvroomvroom.com - cost AUD238 for 5 days without insurance. Being 1st time drivers in Australia, we decided to purchase the insurance that give max coverage at AUD35/day. This was more expensive than car rental itself but with this, it meant that we need not be liable for any damages hehe... We had ordered a basic compact auto Toyota Hatch (smallest in the category) but were told it was not available so they gave us a free upgrade to Toyota Sportivo! Great car, but tad too big for just 2 persons lah hahah!! Of course this meant more fuel consumption. Think a full tank would easily cost us AUD60-70!

Anyway, we took the car and relied on the printed map I had, and attempted to drive to my cousin's place in the suburb (Homebush Bay). Wah liao eh... by right, the drive should only take 35min but it took us 2hrs! KNS! Somemore, we didn't manage to find her place! We were going round and round some Highway, then managed to get near Homebush Bay but it was the business park. In the end, we decided to just stop and call for help! Hahah!! We called my cousin's bf (Zee, who just got off work) and he came round to find us and brought us to their place, which was only 5min away from where we were stranded! Sigh... Quite an adventure but a very stressful one! The signs in Sydney were really not enough to get you around if you are new. I'm not kidding!

Patiently waiting in the car for Zee's rescue at Bombay St

After a late lunch at 4pm, we headed up to Port Stephens, our next destination. Thank God for Zee and his GPS! It was our lifeline!!! We managed our way to Port Stephens but it was late.. almost 9pm (part of the delay was because of peak hours in Sydney + it was raining!). Though it was summer and daylight was longer, it wasn't a very pleasant experience driving in the dark (small roads without lamps leh...). We really thank God for keeping us safe! By then, we were too tired to do anything, not even dinner!

Accommodation - Marina Resort Nelson Bay AUD99/night. Room # 007 - Ground floor, 2nd room next to the Reception. Rating: 5/10Cheap accommodation so didn't expect much. Basic, and room is spacious but seriously need to be refurbished. Found 2 dying crickets in the bathroom haha!

External view - very old! Needs refurbishment!

Bedroom

Toilet