We depart for New South Wales, and Autumn Thunderstorms, Tonight!

Well, we're off to Sydney and then a two and half hour drive to Norah Head, NSW tonight at 10:10 pm. We'll arrive there on Tuesday, April 17 at 6:10 am. Then it's off to Britz by expensive taxi to pick up our campervan and head for the Central Coast.

Unfortunately, it looks like we better bring our boots and rain parkas. This La Nina year has kept California remarkably dry, but the other side of the Pacific has been having record rains and flooding. It looks like that process continues to unfold. Here's the seven day weather forecast for the region around our first campsite:

Weatherzone.com.au Predicts  Possible Showers , Followed by Showers, Rain, and Possible Showers!

Of course the area is gorgeous and the storms will be beautiful, but driving on the wrong side of the road in a 21 foot RV in  a thunderstorm, while jet-lagged, sounds like a bit of a challenge.  At least the adventure will be in full force again. 

Another interesting twist is that we're flying out today on the largest airplane ever used in commercial service, the Airbus A380, which is famously stable in turbulence and quiet in flight and won an Australian design award for its economy class seats and. We'll be, of course, back in "steerage" where seats only cost about $5000 for four people! Premium Economy seats have been on sale lately for about $3200 each! Yikes.

The new Qantas A380 Economy seat - designed by acclaimed international designer Marc Newson - has won Standards Australia's top prize, the 2009 Australian International Design Award of the Year.

The Qantas A380 Economy seat focuses on ergonomics and comfort, featuring:

• The world's first single-beam aircraft seat, allowing more legroom.
• A seat base that moves in conjunction with recline, providing more comfort.
• Multi-adjustable headrest and cushioned armrests.
• Cushioning designed for side-sleep.
• Unique netted "footnet" leg support.
• Business and connectivity features including PC power, USB and internet ports and in-seat telephone with reply SMS functionality.
• State-of-the-art entertainment system and IFE with over 1,000 on-demand audio and video entertainment choices.

The Qantas A380 now operates on selected flights from Sydney and Melbourne to Los Angeles and from Sydney to London via Singapore.

Find out more about Qantas A380 Economy.

Cheers!