The Central Coast, Barrington Tops and fishing at last

We wanted to continue our journey along the coast road and the circumnavigation of the country. The area we were aiming for looked lovely on the map...two huge lakes with a small entrance into the sea, bays, lighthouses and beaches! The area was called The Entrance, and we drove eagerly looking for an isolated beach for some fishing and beach walking. What a disappointment...the whole area was just an extension of the Sydney sprawl and was built up, expensive, overcrowded and BUSY! The coast was lovely, but after one night we decided to move on to something more peaceful and unpopulated. We moved to a small hamlet on the northern banks of Port Stephens called Hawks Nest. Port Stephens is a huge bay ( twice as big as Sydney Harbour) with two rivers flowing into the bay which then flows out to sea between two large headlands and numerous small islands...very beautiful. The beaches inside the bay are peaceful and turquoise and there are many playful dolphins in the shallows. The open sea side beaches are long stretches of golden sand and huge waves. We stayed on the quiet side of the bay in a small caravan park right on the beach and surrounded by huge trees and national park and it was so peaceful we stayed there a week (also it rained a lot so then we had to stay indoors). The opposite side of the bay are the trendy and busy touristy places like Nelson and the pretty Shoalwater Bay. There are ferries across the bay hourly so we took one to see the other side and then took a bus to the various little bays across the peninsula. The whole area is green and lush and the beaches are crescent bays with picturesque headlands at each end. We were entranced, but have since realized that this is also the case on the whole central and northern coast of NSW, i.e. big rivers flowing into the sea making estuaries, lakes and bays, with lovely beaches. Since the whole area is volcanic and the Great Dividing Range extends to the sea, the surrounding bays are framed by these wonderful green lush mountains. We did a bit of fishing on the river, and walked in the Nat Park where we saw a few wild Dingoes wandering around and many different bird species. There were even some Brush Turkeys in the camp site.
We intended to meander up the coast, but decided to make another detour inland to see an area called Barrington Tops. This is a World Heritage Area which rises to 1600 meters pretty much from sea level. The “tops” are a series of rocky outcrops on the tops of mountains formed by the huge volcanoes which dominated the area millions of years ago and which have now eroded leaving only the lava cores. The valleys and slopes are covered in subtropical and temperate rain forest and have many endangered species of plants and animals. We stayed in the nearest town which was Gloucester, which had the fast flowing Gloucester River flowing through the caravan park. It had been raining on and off for days but on a day that “they” promised would be clear we started driving to the Nat Park 60ks away. The dirt road was terrible, made worse by recent rains..potholed and slippery. Still we slowly (12 kms an hour) pushed on by the promise of views and hikes. The road climbed and climbed, and when we got to the first lookout we hiked to the edge to look at the view and saw.....milky white cloud!! Only tantalising glimpses of the steep gorge through the mist now and again showed us what we were missing. We drove a bit further, but it started to rain heavily, so we drove all the way back slipping and sliding in the mud without even having had the experience! Still the forest had been wonderful, and we did see a glimpse of what we will see next time. It continued raining ( records broken and floods all over the country at this time), and we nervously watched the big river rising nearer the bridge knowing that only a week before it had covered the bridge and the town was cut off. A walk along the river bank had a memorial erected to the “big flood of 1960 which had the town one and half meters under water”..the town was one km away and on a hillside!! We decided to move on back up the coast.....
Next stop was another lovely collection of Hamlets near Port Macquarie where we stayed in Laurieton. Again, it was at the mouth of a large river and the estuaries and lakes made the area perfect for fishing. There was a steep mountain at the edge of the town called North Brother which rose steeply from the bay to 600 meters and had wonderful views of the area..they did hang gliding from the edge! Paul and I did a lot of fishing in this area as it was so peaceful sitting on the lakes edge watching the sun go down, the pelicans cruising around us, and the bird life. I am getting quite good at casting, baiting, and even rigging the rod..still have nothing edible to prove it though. Caught a lot of Bream but the legal size for them is 30 cms. Paul caught a large long fish with a long beak and nasty teeth..we think it was a type of Barracuda called a Long Tom. We did a trip into Port Macquarie and saw the scenic little bay towns along the way like Bonnie Hills. Lots of rain..but when the sun did come out it was humid. A sure sign that we were heading closer to Queensland and the tropics!
PHOTOS: View of the beach at Shoalwater bay showing the headlands
Paul holding up a Beach Worm we found on the beach being attacked by a crab (normally they are hard to find) ...they grow larger than this one and the fish love them for bait. This beach we found in a Nat Park was about 4 kms of perfect flat white sand....and we were the ONLY people on the whole beach!!
Colleen looking over the lookout in Barrington Tops trying to see the view of the gorge through the mist.
Paul holding up the pine cone of the Bunya Pine tree which is native to the East Coast. The Pine grows to about 45 meters and the cones can weigh up to 10 kg. The kernels which are found in the ripe cone are as big as plums. One has to be careful sitting under these trees as they are quite prolific!

Beautiful Blue Mountains

On the doorstep of Sydney, about 70 kms west, is the World Heritage Listed Blue Mountains...much of it an impenetrable forest wilderness region. This unique and beautiful region is over a million hectares, much of it so remote and inaccessible that it has never been walked in by humans. The landscape is inconceivably ancient. When the Grand Canyon was still a shallow creek, these cliffs and chasms looked much as they do today. It is a high plateau which has been carved into deep canyons, sheer cliff faces, and huge gorges with waterfalls cascading down their sides, caves and underground rivers. I could not believe that this remote wilderness was on the doorstep of a city of 4 million people!
As we stood on the edge we were struck, like everyone else, by the bluest sort of mist shrouding the mountains, giving them an azure look. Of course it IS a sort of mist because the millions of Blue Gums exude a sort of oil which refracts the light and gives the area its blue haze...gorgeous. As we sat gazing at the view from one of the many lookouts atop a sheer cliff face of over 350 meters, over a valley stretching for miles into the distance, we felt awed and stunned. A few tourists would wander over, and be silent; then after moments of just looking we would hear them say softly,” Wow!”
We have had many “wow” days since the beginning of the trip, but this region was full of “WOW” days! Each day we would head off to see a different part, thinking we could not possibly see anything better, and each day we would come home impressed. We stayed in a little town called Lithgow on the edge of the mountains because it was smaller and cheaper, and had fewer crowds. Only thing was that it was next to the main Rail line from east to west (i.e. Sydney to Perth) and so trains rattled through at all hours..but after a few days we hardly noticed them. We saw a movie on a Giant Screen ( 3 stories high) called “The Edge” all about the Blue Mountains and it was spectacular and well worth it...scenes of the gorges being taken from a helicopter flying dizzyingly over and around the bends. Another day we went to Katoomba which is where the most spectacular Valley has lookouts and cliff walks right around the ridge, including the famous view of the “3 Sisters”. Here also is the “Disneyworld” part of the mountains ..Scenic World. There was a steep cable car ride into the valley floor where they had made a lovely interpretive walkway meandering through the forest of ferns and towering trees. There was also a “skywalk”...a sort of cable car strung between the two cliff faces which goes over the valley floor and right over a waterfall tumbling way down below...all looked at through the open side windows or a Glass Bottomed Floor! Not for those with vertigo! There was also the steepest railway 52 degrees in the world...an old mining rail which they used to haul coal out of the valley 150 yrs ago and which is now used to scare the pants off tourists as it plunges down the gorge though a part through a tunnel to the bottom. Expensive and touristy, but well worth it.
Other days we drove to scenic lookouts, down valleys, and did amazing walks along the edge of the chasms, marvelling at the view at each different place. The region is dotted with small historic towns dating back to pioneer days with convict built buildings, old English gardens, and grand Victorian hotels. We also went to the peak at which the original pioneer, Cox, found his way through the range and opened the route to the West and new farm lands for the colony. We marvelled at how they brought carriages up these slopes, dragging concrete blocks behind them to slow them down on the slopes on the way down, and seeing the marks the convicts made with their picks while hacking through the rocks to make gateways.
Another day we drove into the Wollemi Wilderness part of the mountains which is the most remote and inaccessible (in fact we could not get very far into it ourselves). It was in this part that an adventurer made the most remarkable discovery in 1994..he found a stand of “Dinosaur Trees” which until that moment was thought to have been extinct for more than 6 million years. Discovering them was as likely as finding a dinosaur wandering through the forest in Botanic terms. They are now known as the Wollemi Pines, huge trees of 40 meters tall, and only about 40 in the known universe. Its exact situation is a closely kept secret but who knows what other rare and unknown creatures and plants exist, as it is largely unexplored.
On another day we went for a ride on the ZigZag railway...an engineering wonder of its time. Trying to get coal and goods down the precipice, an engineer designed this railway to go down the gorge in slopes and then reverse the engine and take it down the next slope to the bottom..incredible when you ride on it and see the bridges and tunnels which were build using the most primitive tools.
There was so much to see and do that we were there for 10 days..our record. One of those days was to fix the car which had a few problems, and there were a couple of rainy, misty days too which were well used to do admin, painting and repairs.We left the Blue Mountains reluctantly, and drove through some scary mountain passes in heavy rain and mist..in some places with tyres briefly spun on the steep road, many 180 degree bends. We also took a “short cut” (it wasn’t!) through the mountains and Hawkesbury River valley with 180 degree switchback twisty corners and two ferries (max veh length 7.5 metres permitted) across swollen rivers...all in the rain and mist. Someone had suggested the route as beautiful, which it was, without mentioning that no one should ever take a caravan there. The sad thing was that we couldn’t SEE the beauty either with the mist! On to the next region which is the Central Coast of NSW!!

The Inside Story

As we go along we meet all kinds in the caravan parks..mostly grey nomads. From bald pear shaped couples in their little fold ups, to lithe, tanned and sinewy couples in their huge 5th wheelers that are as high as ours is long with lounges, bathrooms and even washing machines. Many of them are going round for years, and in fact have sold up their homes and are using the vans as their “retirement homes”,so that each day is an adventure and they can follow the weather, festivals and displays along the way. They seem blissfully happy, and seem to have everything they need, including a positive and healthy outlook on life.
I wondered what they did with all their “STUFF”? You know what I mean..we have a house full of stuff at home, yet we seem to have everything we need for daily life here in this van and all the comforts. Do we really NEED it all, and is the accumulation of all that stuff an asset or a liability to enjoying our autumn years?
But while thinking of it I realised that I LIKED having all our pictures, comfy furniture, and memories around us. Also, we like having our community around us..our parish, neighbours and friends, and a sense of belonging which you can’t get when you don’t stay in any place for long. But most importantly is being close to family...we like having children, grandchildren and close family pop in for lunch, special occasions and for a spot of babysitting. Seeing them once a year as we swung into their part of the world would not be enough for me. So although it sounds romantic and fun, we will stick to caravanning as our recreation and not a permanent lifestyle.
Since a few people have asked about the actual nitty gritty of our trip, I will try and answer a few Q.
We have a 2002 Commodore and tow a 15 foot Pop up caravan (the type where the topmost roof section pops up and has zip vents for cross draughts) It has all the comforts of home except our own shower and loo. There is a gas stove and oven, sink, microwave, two beds, TV with DVD player which tucks away on a extendable arm , Sat dish, radio and of course our laptop with wireless internet (the BEST invention!) We also have a reverse cycle air con which is great for those hot days. We had a special annex (side tent) made which is not the usual canvas, but a plasticised shade cloth type fabric which allows the fresh air to flow in but keeps the goggas out. We only put the annex up when we know we are going to be in one site for a few days, cos although it is all very streamlined, it does take extra time. We also now only put the sat dish up when we know we will be in one place for a few days cos it does take time and is not worth it for an overnight stop. Generally we don’t even unhitch when we do an overnight stop, but if we are going to do any touring then we level the van and free up the car! Although Paul has rigged the van up with 12 V and also 240 V, we have not camped in the bush on this trip. We have a deep cycle battery which we could use to have power in those cases, and generally it copes with most things except heavy users like microwaves. There are many wonderful free campsites and basic campsites in National Parks where we would normally have stayed, but this time we have used our little portable freezer which needs power to stay frozen so we have been reluctant to stay where there is no power. I must say it is nice to have hot showers and loos, but of course that does mean we are paying for accommodation every night.
Caravan Parks vary from quite plush with pools, spas, tennis courts etc, to very basic with just a shower and loo. All have been clean and adequate...of course you pay for the extras. Also, school holidays and public holidays play a big part in the cost...some vary from 25.00 (= empty parks ) a night to 45.00 (and packed like sardines) a night depending on season. We never book ahead cos sometimes we look at a map and think that an area looks great to stay in, but when we get there it’s a barren place with Caravan Park on the main road..so we would rather take chances and just be gypsies. Fuel -planned 5,000kms but done 11,000 kms, at $1.32 - $1.48 even in Sydney.
We eat well and we don’t eat out of tins or takeaways. I have the microwave, a wok, a griller as well as the usual toaster/kettle etc. We eat outdoors when we can and light candles and candlewood sticks for the mozzies. A lightweight table and two deck chairs with side tables completes the comfort.
There is enough storage space if we only take what we need..that is the million dollar Q..what do we really need? Under one bunk Paul has all his tools..angle grinder/drill/tool box etc. With those he has already fixed many things in the van that needed doing. It also has our hiking gear and various spare parts. Under the other bunk is my painting kit in one container, all the paperwork and books in another, and clothes from the next season in a corner. The last bunk has fishing rods, axe, and wet weather gear..with a corner for the beers and wine! The pantry has three shelves for foodstuffs, a cupboard for pots and pans and overhead cupboards for crockery etc. The clothes wardrobe is a bit mean with only 4 narrow shelves, and another small cupboard for shoes. (Not nearly enough for my liking!)The Sat box and other equipment go on top the wardrobe.
Although we are living in a small place we don’t seem to get in each other’s way...although we do have to pass in the passage sideways – a delight indeed. Somehow we each have our roles and we each have our routines and so there is harmony..most of the time. Only when the roles or leadership issues are transgressed do things get heated. The biggest cause of heated discussion has been helped immensely with the new GPS with screen and speech instructions..but believe it or not , even “she” is not infallible and there have been cases of us going round in circles getting heated. A lot of the time we are out sightseeing, and even when we are van bound cos of rain there is always lots to do to keep our interest. We have lovely CD’s, DVD’s, the Sat dish, books, planning our short term itinery, painting.....and of course the internet! Also repairing and maintaining car and van.Best buy..the GPS and wireless internet. Worst buy..a small portable washing machine which works well by turning the handle. But it still needs to be wrung out and it takes up a fair bit of room. With washing machines and driers in all caravan parks for a couple of dollars it was not worth it. So the local St Vincent’s got a donation. So far, so good. We learn all the time!

Sydney and Surrounds

Canberra was fantastic and we were so lucky to able to stay here and do trips using this as a base. Not only did we travel to the Snowy Mts, but also to the south coast to Merimbula and up to Batemans Bay...all gorgeous. We then decided to drive to Sydney which is 3 hours away and leave the caravan in Canberra. The challenge we have is that the East Coast is very busy during the January School holidays and without a booking we would not get in anywhere on the coast. We stayed with our wonderful niece and nephew who have a sweet apartment in Manly. They kindly took us up the coast to Palm Beach (where they shoot “Home and Away”) and also to North Head for a picnic. Each bay has high headlands overlooking the crescent bays, blue water and full of moored boats, each more scenic than the last. The Manly Ferry was such fun as it goes right across the gorgeous Sydney Bay to the centre of Sydney and we went into the city most days to see all the museums, galleries and various sights. Standing on the steps of the Opera House is such a buzz after seeing it on all the pictures, and walking through the famous Domain and Botanic Gardens was such fun. It is a very busy, rushed city and traffic and parking is a nightmare ($8.00 to park on a beach, about $600 plus a month for a parking bay in the city), but very beautiful, with bays, water and forests everywhere. The heritage buildings were lovely, and of course the mansions on the bay are breathtaking. We had a weekly Ferry pass which enabled us to use ferries and buses as much as we wanted, so we took the ferry’s to all corners of the Sydney area i.e. Darling Harbour, South Head, Parramatta etc. We loved every minute of staying there. We also stayed with Paul’s wonderful cousin and his wife and they took us to Bondi and surrounding beaches, and we they took us on a long walk with them along the very pretty Bay side walks with yachts bobbing, water dragons sunning themselves on rocks, lovely birds in the trees. Such a lovely place..we were just so lucky to be able to experience it without having to drive in long distances from a remote campsite.
When we left Sydney (a feat in itself going over The Harbour Bridge in peak hour traffic and getting stuck in the inner city! at 8.30 am) we drove down the south coast looking at all the many scenic places along the way..Kangaroo Valley, Jervis Bay (supposedly the best beach in the world cos of the white sands) and of course the Pacific Highway a part that is built out into the ocean. There are many rivers that flow into the sea along the route and each one forms a lagoon and huge bay..ideal holiday spots for families and each one was chokabloc with caravans and wall to wall people.
So back to Canberra to fetch our caravan and head off to the Blue Mountains.We will do our next Blog on the Inside Story as requested!

Canberra and aroundabout

Our stay in Canberra has been wonderful! Our cousins Debbie and Brett kindly let us housesit while they were in Perth, so we had a base to see the region and our Capital. What a lovely city, and the attractions were fantastic. We have spent a week or so here and know that we want to come back some day. There are so many things here that make us proud to be Australian, and such interesting museums and venues that one could spend weeks looking at them. Parliament house was a real eye opener, and we were able to wander around completely freely to see the many famous places, the Houses of Senate and Representatives, and the valuable exhibits. Looking down the Anzac Parade to the War memorial from the heights of the roof of Parliament house is breathtaking and made us feel very proud. The flag pole is 20 stories high (80mtrs) and flag the size of a double decker bus. The War Memorial is amazing, and of course there are all the “National” things like Museums, Art Galleries, Library, Archives etc all set in park like surroundings with wonderful buildings. Highly recommended. All this is surrounded by hills and mountains and is so scenic.
We took this opportunity to visit the south coast of NSW to visit some old South African friends of ours. We drove through Bega to Merimbula and stayed in a little beach side community of Tura beach. It was SO like the South African Cape region with its high hills surrounding the bays, huge rivers flowing into the sea via lagoons and lots of forest. Made us quite homesick for the old country, and we were so impressed that we would have sold up and moved there if we had not been so imbedded in WA. After our visit, where we celebrated New Year with our friends, we drove up through many seaside resorts, each prettier than the last, to Batemans Bay. The only trouble with travelling in such a lovely area on New Year’s Day is that the whole of Sydney seemed to be there on the beaches and lagoons..it was SO crowded! Not a parking or spot to be had. We selfishly wished that the school holidays would be over so we could have the place to ourselves again! This is one area we are going to return to on our “next” time around!
Back to Canberra for a few days of catch up, painting and cricket. We are now going to take the opportunity to visit Sydney and leave our caravan in Canberra (only 3 hours drive on Freeway). With the school hols we fear that caravan parks will be chockers and expensive, so this is a chance to see the Big Smoke without the van. We will stay with relatives for a few days and then return to Canberra to resume the big circuit.
Due to repeated requests we will write a “inside story” segment on the Blog for those, like Chris, who are interested. But there is not much time when we are having fun...next time!

Christmas on Top of the World!

We arrived in Canberra and were so blessed to be able to stay with our lovely cousins Debbie and Brett. We stashed the caravan in a side parking and for the first time in weeks did not sleep on wheels and had a bathroom near us..bliss. Thank you!!Canberra is a wonderful city, our Capital ..but first to Christmas.
We decided to do something completely different this year as I knew we would miss the family and togetherness which we have always had on Christmas day. So we decided to drive to the Snowy Mountains and climb Australia’s highest peak to have a toast to us all from there. The Australian Alps have many ski resorts and more snow than Switzerland in winter ( bigger area). The biggest rivers also have their source in these mountains, including the Murray, the Murrumbidgee and of course the Snowy River. The latter has been made into the biggest Hydro scheme in Australia hailed as one of the engineering wonders of the modern world. It is a complex infrastructure with 16 major dams, seven power stations (two underground), pumping stations, 145 kms of interconnected tunnels and 80 kms of aqueducts. To build this scheme in these wilderness mountains with unforgiving weather is a true marvel, and when you see the size of the tunnels and pipes (30ft inside) it is breathtaking.
We stayed in a caravan park overnight and on Christmas morning drove into the heart of the mountains to Thredbo which is a ski resort with multiple chair lifts etc in winter. We took the chair lift 500 odd meters to the top of the ridge, then hiked the 6 and half kms to the top of Mt Kosciuszko at 2229 meters. While that does not sound all that high, most of Australia is very flat and low, so these mountains rise abruptly from the plains and we could see 360 deg views of the mountains. The lower parts of the slopes had amazing wildflowers growing among the granite tors, looking truly like God’s Garden. However as we climbed higher there was only spongy alpine moss and grasses with patches of snow. Being at the top was an exhilarating experience, and we felt a real sense of achievement. Christmas lunch was smoked salmon sandwiches, fresh cherries, nuts, and a swig or two of Port! We got a real buzz from being able to phone Joe and Geoff from the peak to wish them Happy Christmas, because believe it or not there was a signal (intermittent but usable).We thought we would be one of the few people daft enough to do something like this on Christmas day, but there were quite a few other brave souls and the atmosphere was festive! The weather was a brisk 10 deg (less with wind-chill) but bright blue skies..magic! We felt for our Perth family who were sweating it out in a heat wave of 40 deg. The trip down was great with views all around us, and we also got a buzz from standing at the source of the Snowy River! I used Australia’s highest loo with views of Kosciusko. From the chairlift we could see for miles (and even saw a little echidna scuttling around below us). We drove back and had a spa at the caravan park which eased our muscles!
The next day we drove back to Canberra through the centre of the Great Dividing Range with wonderful views, hairpin bends, and saw the highest reservoir, the highest town in Australia ( Cabramurra), and some historic mountain huts straight out of “The Man from Snowy River”.
It was a wonderful and very different Christmas!

The Lakes, and the Croajingolong National Park

We headed east resolutely and aimed for the Lakes District. These are 3 huge inland fresh water lakes into which 5 rivers flow enroute to the sea. In actual fact they are really big lagoons, but are the biggest fresh water expanses of fresh water in the Australia, and support a huge fishing industry and tourism. As we passed a little town called Bairnsdale we stopped off at the Catholic Church of St Mary’s as we had been told that it was worth a visit. The church was not huge, and was about 150 yrs old and big for a small town with soaring ceilings and alcove over the altar. But what made it special were the frescos decorating the ceilings and walls. An Italian artist had come out to Australia after WW1 and during the depression had to find work. The local priest offered him a job to paint the ceiling of the church and this he did..the whole ceiling is covered with murals of saints, angels, scenes from the Bible etc. The Altar area had depictions of the judgement and heaven..very impressive. It was not the Sistine Chapel, but very inspiring none the less.
We drove by the main town of Lakes Entrance intending to stop further along the road and return the next day. However we decided it was too touristy and that we had seen what we needed to see and so pushed on towards the NSW border. The whole south eastern corner of Victoria is covered by National Park called the Croajingolong and is a wilderness coast. It covers a huge area and most of it has never been cleared or logged so is untouched. Only a few roads penetrate into the temperate rain forests to the coast, and the whole area is thick and wild. We stayed at a little fishing village called Bemm River where the river flows into a huge lagoon, and went for a walk into the forests on the few overgrown tracks to the river banks. We heard and saw lots of bird life, but not much fauna (most of the Australian wildlife is nocturnal) except for FLIES! We also drove to the beach past the lagoon on a rutted track and then had to scramble through thick overgrown bush to get to the beach which was utterly beautiful and completely deserted...it is called the 90 mile beach and you feel like you are the only person to ever have walked on it. We decided to try our hand at fishing for Bream in the river with what they told us was the local fish delicacy..sand worms. These sea creatures are dug out of the sand using a small prawn or cockle as temptation before they peep out and are nabbed by the experienced sand wormer. They look disgusting..small red/orange things with lots of wriggling legs and big mouths...ugh. Anyhow, the Bream were not that interested, but we had lots of fun anyway. As we sat on the banks in this isolated spot, every now and then a huge fish (18 inches plus long) which we were told were some kind of mullet would suddenly LEAP out of the water quite a height and then flop back into it with a huge splash. Not sure why, probably to catch the mossies and flies. This happened randomly every couple of min or so, and we had great fun trying to predict with the camera where the next splash would be. It rained most of the time, but we still managed to see quite a bit.
And so to Canberra.....