Driving in Oz for the First Time

This week Matthew joined GoGet, the local car share company, and today we went driving for the first time in Australia!

This morning we got a Ute from GoGet so we could pick up the linen chest and the dining chairs from the two eBay auctions we won. A ute is basically a car-truck, like an El Camino. This one was a little more heavy duty; it had a tray back for hauling.

I forgot to take a photo of the car share one; here's a photo similar to the one M drove today.

Photo from www.used-cars-adelaide.com.au

So, we woke up early and it was raining really heavily! Not ideal, but we'd already made arrangements with the sellers, and the car was reserved, so oh well! First stop before even picking up the Ute, we went to K-Mart and bought a tarp and some tie-downs. Then we picked up the Ute nearby and went for our first drive on the wrong side of the road!

So, first time out, and it's raining, but Matthew was a champ! We allowed plenty of time and arrived about 30 minutes early to the first stop to pick up the cedar chest. Thank goodness we had the tarp to keep our stuff dry, and we only had to stop once to readjust to keep it from flying away. Then we arrived right on time to pick up the dining chairs from seller #2. Finally, we drove back home, unloaded everything at our apartment, and drove the Ute back to its parking spot. Unfortunately, someone had illegally parked in the spot reserved for the car share. So, we had to find somewhere else to park, and then call the car share company to tell them where we had to leave it. A minor annoyance to end the odyssey.

However, overall it was quite a success. It was strange for us that everything was backwards, but Matthew did a great job driving!

And, it's wonderful to have a dining table and chairs now! For the past month, we've been eating all our meals on our laps while sitting on the futon, so it's quite a luxury to sit at the table. ;) Will try to post some pics, once we get everything arranged.