Day 15 - SockGate

Day 15

6am alarm set so we could skype to those back home. It was good to catch up with everyone and even see Oscar! Deb went off for a shower and was going to collect the washing. She came back very unhappy our new trainer socks had been pinched from the washing line! We only bought them in Sydney so was not impressed! The total damage was two pairs of Scott’s and two pairs of Debs! Not happy at all....

We packed up and made our way to a local beach. We were aware that one of these local beaches had a nudist section so we were fully intent in avoiding this at all costs! As we walked on there was a family to the right and a lone male to the left. We decided to go right! We were highly suspicious of the male as he didn’t seem to be wearing anything at all. The curiosity got the better of Scott and under the explanation of needing to find a cache he went to investigate! Scott returned informing Deb that he wasn’t naked but had a black G that didn’t leave much to the imagination!

We left the beach at about midday as we had another long drive ahead. Deb took the wheel and headed towards a little hinterland town of Maclean. It has firm Scottish roots and takes its heritage seriously. Haggis available at the local hotels and tartan was enveloping the lampposts. We headed up the main lookout point for a spot of lunch which had commanding views over towards the ocean and inland to the sugar plantations. Scott took over for the next drive towards our camp at Ballina.

The site at Ballina was small compared to the last few we had been too. It was based on one of the main roots into the town so wasn’t quite as peaceful before. Looking back at the entire trip this was where the New South Wales Coast suddenly became commercialised after the nonstop empty beaches and towns of the south to Sydney. We decided to head out into the town for a walk and see what there was. Ballina is a pretty little town which appears to be quite ‘hip and trendy’ trying its best to compete with its much bigger brother at Byron Bay. As we were walking we discovered a ‘hotel’ and decided to buy our first schooner of the trip! It was very cold and very refreshing on the warm evening. We had a look around the shops and then went to the ‘drive-thru’ bottle shop to pick up a nice cold bottle of wine for dinner which was a Barbie again!

Day 14 - Marsupial Fun!

Day 14

The morning started bright and early and Deb decided to get some bacon cooking on the Barbie! A couple of sandwiches later and we were ready for a day of exploring. We first had a walk along the seafront. The main breakwall has many different drawings on made by locals and visitors. Everyone seems to choose a rock and paint/draw their own individual design. There were some very impressive ones! The walk continued towards the main surf beach where there were atleast 30 people surfing and it was only 8.30am!

After our walk we packed up the van ready for our journey to Coff’s Harbour. Our first stop on the way was at Billabong Koala Sanctuary which was about 20 minutes away. We arrived just in time to catch the end of the ‘koala patting’. This is where several koalas doing not very much sat in trees! It did allow you to give them a gentle stroke though. They are very docile and seemed to be either asleep or eating! Koalas sleep for the majority of the time as eucalypt leaves form the basis of their diet and they are low in protein and high in toxins and indigestible bits. They have a low metabolic rate to compensate so don’t really do much! They are cute and huggable though so it makes up for it! Although, the koala we had to pat seemed to have choose that moment to poo! The little brown bullets were flying out! A concerned child thought the koala had ‘dropped something’!

We continued a look around the park/zoo and met all types of native wildlife. Dingos, peacocks and snakes to name a few. Our favourite part had to be the opportunity to feed the kangaroos and wallabies. We purchased a cup of feed (basically dried corn) and entered their enclosure. They were all just relaxing on the floor and looking interested at who was entering. This enabled the chance to walk up to them and let them feed from your hand. Scott was like the kangaroo whisperer being surrounded by all these Marsupials!

From the zoo we headed towards Nambucca head and up to Captain Cook Lookout. It had beautiful views out towards the ocean. We had some lunch here and a stretch of the legs before continuing the drive up to Coff’s harbour.

We arrived at Coff’s harbour at about 4pm and set up camp. Decided to get some washing done as we were early and there would be some daylight left to try and get things dry. We went for a wander as the sun began to set. We found where the creek meets the ocean and watched the surfers. We got back and found the free WiFi so we arranged a skype call home! Dinner was meatballs on the Barbie washed down with a nice VB! Had more Skype to do early in the morning so went to bed early!

Day 13 - Oh Brother

Day 13

Woke up early to the sound of waves lapping the shore and kookaburras laughing away! They are amazing birds to look at (think slightly overweight kingfisher) but they are VERY loud. We had a shower in our van which was a bit tight for space but the water pressure is surprisingly good and the water hot so can’t really complain. Decided to make an early move and have breakfast on the move. We had lots planned and hadn’t got a place confirmed at our next camp site so wanted to get there early. The park ranger hadn’t been round to collect the fee so we had camped for free!

We made our way to the ferry at Bombah Point which would whisk us across the lake for a mere $5. The track on the other side was unsealed but we decided to risk the wrath of Britz as the weather had been so good. It would be a 80km round trip otherwise which we didn’t fancy as opposed to the 15km via the ferry. The ferry operator said the road was gravel and in good condition so we went for it!

We reached the other side and made the journey without incidence and got to the Pacific Highway where we continued onto Crowdy Head. Crowdy Head is definitely not named due to a high concentration of people. On the contrary, it is a sleepy little town of about 2000 souls and marks the southern point of Crowdy Bay. The name in fact comes from Captain Cooks description after he noticed a collection of Aborigines congregated on the headland.

We reached the Crowdy Head lighthouse after a short uphill walk from our parking spot where we were met with fantastic views of the ocean. A quick look in another direction and the deserted Crowdy Bay was before us. We went back down the hill to the beach where we walked for about 500m until we were well away from the few scattered people at the entrance to the beach and set up our towels!

After a most relaxing sunbathe and book read Deb noticed some commotion. On some beaches in Oz you are allowed to drive 4wd vehicles as long as they stay away from pedestrians. We noticed half a dozen 4x4 and a tractor pulling a motor boat. Someone was stood in a pick up pointing out to sea and getting quite agitated then shouting to the other vehicles. Suddenly the boat was pushed into the water. Deb was now getting a little worried as the Jaws music entered her head. The boat dropped a net and seemed to be trying to catch something. As the boat came back into the beach several men ran over to help grab a rope. Next thing we realised was them hauling a net onto the beach. Scott by this time had wandered off to look what was happening and could see loads of fish hopping around the beach as the men were putting them into buckets. Two young boys (about 7 ish) found a fish that had escaped the net but was stranded on the beach. They picked this up by its tail with two hands and struggled to carry it as its head dragged along the floor despite them having it held almost at chest height!

After watching all of this we decided to pack up and move on to our next place. As we were walking back down the beach we noticed a dark blemish on the sand and wondered what it was. At first we thought it was a large rock but went for a closer look. After a few seconds we realised it was a stranded jellyfish! The thing was about 45cm in diameter and was still pulsating away! A very quick photo we made off for the safety of the van!

A short drive up the coast and we reached the base of North Brother Mountain. It was named by Captain Cook as he plotted the coastline from his ship. He noticed three mountains that all looked alike and named them the three brothers! It is 487m above sea level which was where Deb’s heart sank until Scott said we were able to drive to the top! Hoorah! The track is steep and windy but provides glimpses through the gum trees of the surrounding landscape. The old chugger was struggling up in 2^nd gear but she hadn’t yet let us down. After about 5km we reached the summit and parked up. We got out of the van and admired the breathtaking scenery. The views from the top were amazing and gave glimpses of places over 100km away.

Next, as the saying goes what goes up must come down, we had to make the steep and tricky descent back to sea level. The van was screaming to be let out of 2^nd gear. So as Scott got a bit more confident with the handling he slipped the beast into 3^rd where it still wasn’t happy but at this level the brakes were doing a lot of extra hard work! As we were approaching the bottom the smell of very hot brakes began diffusing through the van but luckily we were back down to Earth without incident! Much to Deb’s relief!

Another short drive brought us to our camp site for the night, port Macquarie. This was a Big4 site and that means we get a 10% discount being with a Britz van. This pleased Scott a lot! We got a nice pitch and sat in the sunshine with a nice cup of tea and made some plans for the evening.

We decided to head out looking for a seafood restaurant. However, ‘seafood’ seems to mean ‘fish n chips’ so we were a little disappointed! All this wonderful fish around and they all want to batter it! We eventually found a lovely looking Tapas place which was doing paella so we ordered enough for us both and were amazed at the prawns and mussels that were served! We decided the perfect way to end the night would be with an ice cream as we walked along the breakwall and made our way back to camp.

Day 12 - Myall Lakes

Day 12

As we woke we had a gentle start to the day. We showered and got ready and prepared the van for travel. The Myall Lakes national Park would be the closest thing we would get to ‘slumming it’ this road trip! There is no electricity, running water or flushing toilets so the van would have to store all we would need. We loaded the water tank and emptied the grey water ready for the journey. The campsite is on a first come first served basis as there is no one to make a reservation with! It is government owned and a ranger comes round to collect the fee when you turn up.

For the morning we decided to have an explore/sunbathe of One Mile Beach (Deb did get her choice eventually!). We found a sheltered spot out of the steady breeze and laid down the towels. We had an hour or so of sunbathing time and decided it would be best to get to the campsite early so decided to pack up and set off.

We went through a couple of sleepy towns with cute names of Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest. On the route through Tea Gardens there was a house surrounded by hundreds of buoys (see photos)! We reached Hawks Nest and decided on a beach break. Bennetts beach had excellent surf and as such had a surf club on site. The surf looked brilliant as we watched from our position on the sand.

We eventually picked our stuff up after an hour or so and went back to the van to continue our journey to Mungo Brush Camping site in the Myall Lakes. As we arrived we rounded the corner. Deb (jokingly) said ‘oh look there’s a dingo!’ thinking it was a fellow camper’s pet dog. Scott then told her it was a dingo as pets are banned! We unpacked our belongings after choosing a suitable spot with excellent views of the lake. Cracked open a couple of tins and admired the wonderful views at 3pm in the afternoon. We spotted another couple of dingoes wandering about but they appear to be very shy animals that are quick to hide back in the bushland.

We went for a short walk through the rainforest but had to turn back early as Deb felt she was dish of the day for the local biting insects club (and she was). We spotted a few bush turkeys that didn’t take to kindly to Scott following them for a photo opportunity! We returned to the van and prepared for an early dinner as we didn’t fancy having to cook in the pitch black we expected there to be! The dingoes also prefer to hunt at dusk and nightfall! We were sure they would fancy a bit of rump steak!

We had a feast of steak, prawns and veg and settled in for the night. There were dingoes howling in the background. Felt just like having Oscar out in the back garden!

Day 11 - The camera returns!

Day 11

We woke up not feeling too bad! Our fears of a crushing hangover seemed unfounded! We got up and went for a walk along the beach front to have an explore of the area around us as we hadn’t had chance the previous day. As the camera had been poorly the previous day we decided we would try and fix the problem with a new memory card instead of a whole new camera in the first instance! We asked where would be open on a Sunday and went to an out of town shopping centre. We got to the shopping centre and struggled to find somewhere to park the beast of a van. Underground parking and a minimum clearance of 2.8m do not mix very well! We eventually found somewhere to park and wandered into the shops. We found a map and located the one and only camera shop but when we got there it was boarded up! We instead started a search for mobile phone stores in the hope they would have SD memory cards. One of them did and after spending $10 the camera was working again!! We stocked up on more supplies and left starting our journey to Port Stephens. Deb took to the wheel and off we went!

We arrived at our campsite at about midday and had a lovely location away from all the other sites under the dappled shade of the gum trees. We had lunch and planned activities for the rest of the day. Scott wanted to visit Tomaree National Park for a walk whilst Deb wanted to go to One Mile Beach! Scott won this one!

We set off in the van as it was about 8km away and we rounded the corner. The shock on Deb’s face was a picture as Scott pointed out the hill (Deb says mountain) he intended us both to climb. It was a mere 161m above sea level. The route was actually quite short at under 1km but it is near enough vertical climbing rock paths and metal ‘ladders’ that had been bolted onto the cliff surface. The views became more and more impressive as we climbed. It was possible to see the opposite side of Port Stephens, Hawks Nest and Tea Gardens, where we would visit tomorrow. We also looked southwest towards the massive Stockton beach in the distance which is the largest moving sand mass in the southern hemisphere. The surfing Zenith beach was much closer and provided the sound of crashing waves even this far up. We were both thoroughly impressed with the views and reluctantly returned back down to sea level.

During our descent we went via an old World War II gun emplacement. The old bunkers no longer hold guns but Deb was impressed with the 156mm which could fire about 15km or so. As we returned we wandered along the break wall to the headland to admire the views in the setting sun.

We returned to our camp site and set about preparing dinner. As we felt a bit “red meated out” we thought we would experiment with chicken fajitas on the BBQ! They were an overwhelming yummy success!

Tomorrow was only going to be a short drive to Myall Lakes National Park so it was going to be a well earned lay-in until at least 7.30am!!

Day 10 - The Hunter Valley

Day 10
We were again up early to get ready for the wine tour! We had to catch the Stockton-Newcastle ferry at 8am to get a connecting bus to the Hunter Valley. As Scott was getting all the paperwork ready he noticed in one of the emails that he was supposed to have paid 2 days before! Oops! We decided to still take a chance and hoped they hadn’t filled our spaces. We had a pleasant walk in the morning sunshine down to the ferry wharf which was about 20 minutes away. We bought our tickets and joined the two other people who were making the 5 minute journey across the hunter river. We then took the short walk towards the bus terminal and could see the 20 seater Wine Rover Coach waiting!

We boarded the coach and were very relieved that Brian the coach driver had 3 spaces! We only needed the two so quickly took our seats! We didn’t have the cash for him but he said there was an ATM in the Hunter so could pay him then. Brian said he was waiting for five more to pick up from Newcastle before setting off for the Hunter. As the minutes ticked by we were still waiting. Two of them appeared who were in there mid twenties and said the others were on the way. Another one appeared five minutes later and hopped on. The last two were late and this was a sign of things to come. They eventually turned up at 8:35 with Brian threatening to leave them behind if they weren’t there on time. They had all brought a picnic which Deb was very jealous of as we had just brought ourselves. We set off for the hour journey to the Hunter and Brian helpfully gave us an itinerary for the day: wine, olives, wine, liquors, lunch, wine, wine, cheese, beer, chocolate. This sounded like heaven to us!

As we approached the Hunter we picked up a group of 4 middle aged women who seemed to have made it their mission to outcompete the younger girls on volume. The high pitched wailing was almost too much to bare and we were pleased to be nearing our first tasting of the day. However, we still had four couples to pick up. The first was a young Dutch couple from a caravan site and was quickly followed by an Aussie couple and then two more couples from a five star resort everyone on the bus was jealous of! Then it was off for our 10am appointment at Kevin Sobels Winery. The scenery of the hunter is vineyards that stretch endlessly up the hill sides with occasional gaps. We later learn that the hunter has 27 different soil types and not all are suitable for grapes! These are left for general farming.

As we entered Sobels we were met by Gus who is a huge St Bernard! We were directed to a back room which had glasses lined up on the bar and jugs of water. Once everyone had filed in were able to sample a selection of wines including four whites. As you should do with wine tasting you begin with the driest whites and work up to the sweeter fruity outfits. The Semillon was first which is what the Hunter is world renowned for. Very crisp and acidic so is perfect accompament with seafood. Next were a Chardonnay then a Verdelho (tasted like pineapple juice!) and finally a Gewurtztraminer. Gewurtz is the German for spicy so indicates how the Hunter Traminer is different from its cousins elsewhere in the world. They explained how to taste wine in three easy steps.

1. Look – White wine begins clear and becomes lemon and more green as it ages. It can become brown if left too long! Reds often become deeper and darker as they mature.
2. Swirl and Sniff – Hold the stem and give it a swirl and decide what the aromas are. Berries or green apples or maybe more exotic like passion fruit and pineapple??
3. Taste – Have a sip and swill around the mouth to reach all the taste buds. You should expect at least three tastes before getting the full flavour!

Next we moved on to the reds. A glass of water to cleanse the pallet was required. The reds you taste from the fruity sweet varieties and finish with the full bodied reds. The apparent opposite way round to the whites! We started with a chilled red called ‘Sweet ‘n’ Luverly’ which did exactly what it said on the tin; this is perfect with a BBQ sat in the sunshine. We had two more reds. The first was a Merlot and then a Shiraz which is the most common red variety grown in the Hunter as it is so perfectly suited to the climate creating great wines. We finally finished with the fortified wine and tried a tawny port. This is one of the best ports we have tried!! It was toffee tasting with an almost velvety quality in the mouth. How do they make Port I hear you all ask?? You take a grape (Cab Sav in this case) then add a fine quality Brandy to it! This ups the alcohol content and ceases the fermentation process. It also halts any oxidisation so in theory will keep for a very very long time even if opened! We finished here and moved on feeling a little intoxicated after having the equivalent of two glasses of wine in the space of about 40 minutes!

Next stop was the Olive centre which was a nice break from the alcohol. They had a huge selection of Olives, Jams, Preserves, Oils, etc... All very tasty. Deb’s particular favourite was the lemon butter! A very velvety lemon curd was Deb’s description! You were able to dunk big chunks of bread in all the products (Double dips NOT allowed). Before we arrived Brian described a speciality product of the centre, The Ring of Fire. It is a chilli paste which has four stages.

1. Immediate – A burn on the tongue
2. Seconds – The burn moves through the throat and sometimes induces a cough
3. Minutes – The sinuses and eyes water
4. Next Day – It’s how it gets its name!

The girls with the picnic bought some extra supplies and we all got back on the bus! We next moved to another winery. This one was called Tulloch. The vineyard was created by a Scottish family and has been in the family ever since now in the fourth generation. We were ushered into a room with an appearance of a board room and grabbed our tasting glasses. The chap leading the tasting must have been in his seventies and had lots of tall stories to share! However, by this time the girls were getting louder and louder and beginning to start talking over the bloke leading the tasting. We tried a huge range on wines here including a white and pink fizz followed by four whites and four reds. We even tried the two ports! We bought a fizz keeper from here as we think it means we won’t need to finish an entire bottle in the future and can save it for the following evening!

Next was a visit to Golden Grape which specialise in the high alcohol liquors. Just what we needed before lunch after all that wine! We tried many different types starting from brandy based “Baileys” to Butterscotch schnapps and other variations in between. The crowning glory is a chilli schnapps by the name of Dragon Breath. Everyone tries this as a shot. It really burns the back of the throat as it goes down! Although Deb later admitted that she threw most of hers in the swill bucket! Scott actually quite liked it and someone else had another as a long drink! We left the Golden Grape and went for lunch.

Lunch was at a fairly new built place called Hunter Gardens. It seemed to give the place a center and had several restaurants and other little stores. We got some cash from an ATM to pay Brian and went for dinner! We found a place called Oscars and felt obliged to eat there! We both had BLTs which were made from the largest wedge of white bloomer bread we had ever seen! The sun was shining and there was live music playing. We decided on soft drinks instead of any more alcohol! We went back to the bus early as Brian had threatened to leave people behind if they were late and come back for them after the next tasting. As the clocked ticked by you can guess who was late! He decided to close the doors and drive off (but was actually just turning the bus!). Then suddenly the girls appeared as if by magic! We were still short of two of the middle aged women who were paying the bill. On closer inspection they were stood near a fountain. They eventually sauntered down to the bus and got on leaving us ‘only’ 10 minutes late for the next place!

We arrived late at Tintilla Estate which is owned by a vascular surgeon who lets his wife and children run it! They make some award winning wines including a very tasty Semillon. They have a white fizz named ‘Lizzie’ which was made by a son and unveiled on his wedding day for all the guests in honour of his wife! The wife of the surgeon led the tasting and had lots of interesting information but we were unable to hear everything as the table was long and the girls were getting even more vocal! Scott was particularly fond of the white port made from Semillon but only just resisted spending the $25 on a bottle!

The next stop was Mistletoe which has won many awards achieving the best rating four years running. They have an excellent bubbly rosé. There was no formal tasting session here and you just ordered a taste from the bar! They were very nice but it wasn’t quite as much fun as the other places! The owner has a big interest in art and buys a lot from the local university. He has a sculpture garden which includes a steel pair of giant stilettos worth $24,000!!

We were all back on the bus and headed to Binnorie Diary which specialises in soft cheeses. We tried all on offer whilst half of the group (guess which half!) were watching the wedding taking place in the grounds! We really enjoyed a cow’s milk based feta cheese which we bought to go with our dinner!

Our final schedules stop was at Blue Tongue Brewery where we bought a cold refreshing lager for a change to the pallet! You were able to buy a tasting pallet of 6 beers including a light, dark and even an alcoholic ginger beer! The sun was warm on our backs as we relaxed and toasted to what had been a lovely day. As we returned back to Newcastle we had just enough time to stop at The Chocolate Shop which gave us a few samples to try.

The journey back was very very loud and we were very pleased once the middle aged women had got off as they were really beginning to grate on us! Half of the young girls were then sound asleep as the competition to shout had gone and the alcohol had taken its toll on them. Brian even remarked it had gone very quiet in the back! We were back in Newcastle for 6.30pm and thought it would be best to eat something before heading back to the ferry. We found a pizza restaurant on the harbour front that looked nice and had a pleasant dinner (with soft drinks!). We got the ferry back and retired early to bed.

We were heading to Port Stephens the next day but decided that we wouldn’t set the alarm clock for the following morning!

The more observant amongst you will notice there are no photos for the day in the Hunter Valley! The camera was poorly and needed a new memory card to work. We got one the next day so you will have to wait for Day 11 photos instead! The Hunter Valley was more about the tasting and the camera can't capture that!

Day 9 - The long and winding road

We were awoken by bright sunshine streaming into our van. The skies were clear and we were met with a fabulous view over Curranbene Creek which flows into Jervis Bay. It was very calm and beautiful with some kids already up and having a swim in its crystal clear waters. We got ourselves up and ready and set off for a morning at the beach! Deb was finally getting to dip her feet into the sea 9 days into the holiday! This just shows how busy we have been doing ‘the tourist thing’.

We headed towards Orion beach which was in Vincentia the next town from where we were staying. We found a pull in for our van and headed to the beach. We were met with views of a deserted beach with an endless stretch of golden sand. The sea was sparkling clear and was crying out for us to populate this sparse area. Out came the towels and we set up camp for the next few hours. Deb proceeded to soak up some rays whilst Scott wandered off to find another cache just around the corner! Unfortunately this area of beach was populated with lots of people so he returned and joined Deb enjoying the sun.

We picked up our towels and wandered back to the van where we drove around to a different area of Jervis Bay. We walked down White Sands Walk which allegedly overlooks a beach with the whitest sand in the world. Difficult to tell really but we will take their word for it! After the failure of before another cache was called for. We went wandering over rocks and met a nice local who obliged in taking a photo of us for us. Once he moved along we began our search and eventually came up with a find! Deb was shocked with the discovery of a gigantic spider which quickly encouraged us both to make a return to the van and the long journey ahead. Deb took the wheel and at one stage even clocked 100km/hour which made a change to the crawling along at 60 in the middle lane! After the first 100km or so we stopped off a Wollongong which has a beautiful botanical gardens. We prepared and ate lunch followed by a toilet stop and a brief exploration of the park to stretch the legs before continuing the journey north through Sydney.

Scott took to the wheel for the evening drive through Sydney’s notoriously busy suburbs. We ploughed through with Deb navigating us around the toll roads that surround Sydney. We had one ‘minor detour’ from the planned route which was again due to poor signage as opposed to Deb’s lack of navigational skill! We finally arrived at our campsite at about 7.30pm. The journey into Stockton was pleasant but was obscured by the night sky. We set up camp and got dinner ready. This time it was a barbie again with a huge piece of rump steak that we had to share. This was preceeded with some excellent corn on the cob.

We got to bed quickly after dinner as we had to be up early again for our wine tour into the Hunter valley!