Itemizing the itinerary

Three weeks seems like a long time. Waiting for spring break, Christmas, ahem, the weeks leading up to a vacation, but it's really not long at all. It's a wink. I just blinked and I was there and back already. 

I'm finding more and more three weeks just isn't long enough to really explore new territory--much less a country the size of Australia. (And I plan to just hug the coast. No Uluru this time.) To think I'd originally planned to tackle a 1600 mile road trip in two weeks. Doable sure, but at the cost of sprinting through without really getting to know any one place or the people that inhabit them. Now here my three weeks seems to come up short. 

In attempt to add the more specific details of my itinerary such as hostels, local eateries (BBQ roo at one place), and bus times, I have indeed encountered a wrinkle in time. Calculating dates and bus schedules left me with an 11 hour bus ride from Byron Bay to Sydney, missing several cities in-between. 

As a journalist who can appreciate the severity of crushing deadlines, I understand time management is a crucial skill. The problem is, and perhaps always has been, my sense of curiosity. "OOO, what's down this trail?" Then, "OOO, what's over this rock?" And, "OOO, Where does THIS ravine go!?" And suddenly I'm miles away from civilization, in a ditch in a gorge with the sun setting and no idea which way is up. Dingos howling in the background. I want to see it all simply because it's there, which is neither sensible nor plausible. But DUDE it's Australia! The inner turmoil in a nutshell. 

I HAVE to be in Sydney to catch the tail end of the Sydney Writer's Festival May 26. No exceptions. (Plus, I found an Opera House show I'd like to attend that evening; a modernized version of Shakespeare's Henry 4-- because the Beethoven symphony performance is sold out. Also I won't be there in time for that one.)

So my stitch in time will be to eliminate a city in Queensland to grant me an extra day in New South Wales, which still ends up being somewhat of a push. See below.

Yes, the trip outline is actually somewhat far. (Image borrowed from here.)

But how to choose?? I'll have to work what I've fondly referred to as executive ability to make a decisive, don't-look-back decision and pour over bus schedules again. Hopefully I can lock all the details by tomorrow.

Quick, fetch my space-time continuum iron and my ironing board!