Time certainly flies when you are retired and on a very long holiday!! We left Dolphin Ave only one hour past Mark’s ETD – well the precise time wasn’t on the excel spreadsheet so I took a few liberties in getting ready! After a very arduous drive of 3 plus hours stopping for lunch along the way we made it to Yuragir National Park and our first stop at Red Cliff camp site. Found a beautiful isolated setting in bushland with the ocean on the other side. Very quiet – just us and a few nosy kangaroos. Funnily enough a big red cliff to walk up and admire the views! Amazingly everything worked in the van even a hot shower! Long walk along the beach next morning just us and a lone fisherman.
Another long 3 hour drive to beautiful Trial bay where we set up in the campground with the Trial Bay Gaol overlooking us. The bay is named after a boat that sunk there in 1816 - it had been stolen by convicts fleeing Sydney. The Gaol was built between 1877 and 1896 to house convicts who were brought in to build a breakwater. It then housed Germans and and Austrians who were interred during WW1. Did a self guided walk through the gaol- would not like to have been a convict there but those interred during the war fared better. Famous for their baking that the locals even enjoyed. A truly gorgeous place with the bay partially protected from the northerly wind (which followed us wherever we went for quite a few days), an amazing sunset and more kangaroos. And the best was the refrigerated oyster van that came around just in time for a pre- dinner drink and snack! Unfortunately while getting petrol as leaving Trial Bay Mark decided to get petrol and drove into the petrol station saying I think we will fit under this ( remember that Mark has 3 boards, the top one with the foil sticking up making it very high) and I was saying its only 3.5 metres high and clunk right into the fascia of the petrol station canopy. Damage to this and the foil and board!!! And turns out the contents insurance he took out exactly for this only covers the inside of the van or things permanently attached to it which was not disclosed to him at the time. So an expensive mistake!
Next stop Crescent Head where the northerly wind was in full force making any beach activities pretty much impossible. The next day we decided to move onto Port Stephens a few hours down the road. Stayed at Fingal Bay which was protected from the winds and made for a lovely late afternoon at the beach. Water freezing!!! We are spoilt on the Gold Coast. We hired a car and drove around all the bays and beaches, ate at nice cafes, one where the dolphins were jumping pout of the water and surfing in the waves alongside the humans. At the beach we were surprised to see a line of camels taking tourists (mostly Chinese) into the sand dunes. we did some bike riding and hill climbing - trying to make up for all the food and wine we are consuming.
Then onto Newcastle for a stay with Mark's brother Hugh and wife Margaret. More food and wine!! In between walking their dog through a forest near their house, walks along the beach and Mark enjoying a sail with Hugh on his yacht in Lake Macquarie - lots of wind for them! In the middle of one night we were woken up by the loudest most mournful cry of a bird- went on for a while. Advised the following day that this bird is only from Papua New Guinea and only visits Newcastle for 3 months of the year and that it is only heard calling for its lady friend from the bedroom we were staying in !!! Driving the van out of Hugh's driveway managed to back into the gutter of the the next door house - pulling a bit off! His new name is Captain Chaos and Arvi is the Wrecking Ball!!
We headed a few hours inland from Newcastle to a small quaint town called Taralga to dine at the Argyle Inn a lovely old hotel which has been beautifully restored. Unfortunately even though booking the dinner several months ago, we were unable to book one of the rooms to stay in. Never mind the show grounds has powered campsites. We arrived to find the show grounds full to bursting with horses floats and horsey people who were competing in an area wide competition. Unable to contact anyone on their mobiles we were starting to get worried about where we might stay. Luckily one of the horsey people helped us and directed us to the very back of the show grounds where there were 2 other vans and 4 people also going to dinner at the Argyle Inn! So there we were, with floats and horses around us whinnying. We changed into our going out clothes and walked through the horse poo to dinner. Which was fabulous - the dinner I mean. Staggered back to the whinnying.The next morning we watched the horses- it involved 2 people on horseback working together trying to herd steers (large male calves) from one pen to another. 2 minutes for 10 steers and they had to be done in numbered order. Some managed one, the very skillful managed the 10 - with a bit of luck and co-operative steers. Then departed to head back to the coast via a rainforest walk at Minnamurra Falls. All good until the lightening and thunder and then the rain! Soaked!! Memo to selves - backpack must contain water, binoculars, (previous experience led to those being put into the back pack) and now rain jackets!
So we are now set up in a beachside campground in Gerroa which is about 2 hours south of Sydney. We have travelled about 12 hours from home in 10 days. That's why when we are asked when will we be home for good it's hard to know!!
Sally and Captain Chaos.
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