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 2nd 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 2nd gear. So as Scott got a bit more confident with the handling he slipped the beast into 3rd 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.
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