14th November 2011
We have continued our travels down the East Coast of New South Wales, through Sydney and on to The Australian Capital Territory and Canberra. So many things to see and do, so many places put off for “RON”, (“later on” in Aussie vernacular). This week we are back in Victoria and awaiting our appointment to have the van serviced again before heading home to South Australia by the end of November.
Sunday 16th October
Packed up the van and moved on to Port Macquarie, a popular northern holiday destination. From there we accessed several popular drives around the district. Stopped off at Lake Cathie, a very pretty estuary, quickly becoming a bit of a “Yuppie “ holiday spot, new shops and many houses gone up since our first visit in 2004. North Head is also a pretty spot where we stopped off to enjoy our packed lunch, alongside the breakwater. From the popular Laurieton North Brother Lookout, we had magnificent views of the surrounding hills of the Hinterland and coastal lagoons, down to the river estuary of the harbour. The Don Johnson lookout is a popular hang-gliding launching pad and a better picnic spot than at the harbor.
Travelling the Hinterland, beautiful scenery, the old village of Lorne, on to Wauchope, an old timber town made for a pleasant day out.
Another day out, this time north across the ferry to follow the dirt road to Crescent Head, a popular surfing venue, frequently mentioned in surfing competitions , Crescent Head is popular with the younger set and families. From the headland lookouts, we were again fortunate enough to be able to watch several pods of Humpback Wales on their way south, several with calves that had been born in the warmer northern waters.
At South West Rocks, more surfies, and the near-by location of the Trial Bay Gaol, last used for German Internees, WW11. Now only a shell, the complex is a formidable reminder of how prisoners were accommodated.
Sunday 23rd October
Moving day and decisions needed. We wanted to go to Port Stephens, an area with several holiday destinations around the Karuah River Estuary. Nelson Bay is the major centre on the estuary and there are several caravan parks in the area. Finding one that first, could accommodate our bigger rig, and second, one that only charged a reasonable rate, was the issue. As we are getting close to the major cities of Newcastle, then Sydney, only a couple of hours drive down the freeway, prices are getting up, parks are prone to crowding and have fewer caravan sites. Preferring instead to be offering cabins or on-site vans for the higher paying holiday maker.
We decided that the caravan park at Karuah would suit, off of the main road, still on the estuary within easy reach of the resorts at Nelson Bay and Port Stephens.
Again, from there, we were able to enjoy pleasant drives out to the coastal venues of Tea Gardens, Hawks Nest and Myall Lakes National Park. We encountered several old towns of historical interest on a drive along the Buckets Way, (or is that Bouquet???). We found the old Monkerai Bridge, now unused the second oldest wooden span bridge in NSW. Stroud, named after the UK town; Clarence Town and Dungog, plenty of history to follow up.
On a day visit to Nelson Bay, we stopped off at the Williamtown RAAF Air Force Base; there is a great RAAF museum, Fighter World, which is dedicated to the fighter jets squadron based there. Very interesting and the F/A-18 Hornets we saw taking off probably used more fuel on the runway than we do on our whole trip. In the museum, one could sit in the cockpit of a jet fighter, see how weapons of the air-wars have developed and read about the RAAF pilot heroes of several wars.
Sunday 30th October
Check-out day again and this time, the relatively easy drive down the Newcastle Freeway to Sydney, (easy apart from the two heavy thunder-storms along the way); a short crossing of Parramatta A7 to get on to the 40km of the new M2-M7 Toll Ways. The ability to now get around Sydney to the South is well worth the few dollars that the toll will cost us when it finally gets billed to our Citylink Electronic Tag, worth its weight in gold, the tag works on all toll roads in the country.
We travelled along the Hume Highway, eventually to book into Moss Vale, another of the historical towns along the many routes throughout NSW. From there, we again took several drives out to tourist venues. We were able to visit several magnificent waterfalls where the rivers fell 80 metres or more from the Escarpment of the inland Great Dividing Range to the coastal plains. Fitzroy, Belmore, and Carrington are three popular, easy to get to and photograph waterfalls of the region. Near Moss Vale are two other historical townships of Bowral and Berrima. The former is the home town of Australia’s most famous cricketer of the century, Don Bradman. Followers of cricket can visit the Don Bradman Museum. We didn’t go, but we were told that it is a most comprehensive collection of cricket memorabilia. At Berrima, we visited the unique old Court House, watched a diorama of one of its more famous trials and were fascinated by the history of the building of the place. Next door, the prominent high stone walls surround the old Berrima Gaol, only recently the abode of 72 female prisoners. Perhaps this too will soon be part of the history tour of the town.
On another drive out, we visited Kiama, on the southern NSW coast and by the old lighthouse, watched the famous “blow-hole” in action as ocean waves forced a huge spray up through the rocks to the delight of many spectators. We headed back via the Macquarie pass that winds up the escarpment; one can only be awed by the thoughts of the original pioneers who built this trading route between the coast and the mountains. After making our way safely, we were to hear the next morning that the Pass was closed because a truck had jack-knifed on one of the tight corners.
Friday 4th November
Moved on to cross the border into the Australian Capital Territory, (ACT), and set up camp at the EPIC Showgrounds. Vicki hasn’t been to Canberra before so this was to be a first for her, just a short visit to see how the Capital of Australia is looking today.
Here we visited the lookout tower at Black Mountain, the Mount Stromlo Observatory and the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex at Tidbinbilla.
At Mt Stromlo, the remains of the two oldest Newtonian telescope housings are a stark reminder of the devastating bush-fires that came to the capital and claimed several lives, many homes and thousands of hectares of forest and farm lands.
The Canberra War Memorial is the highlight of any trip to Canberra; we were there for over three hours and still hadn’t seen all of the exhibits. The new building addition with aircraft G-George, WW11 Bomber, Japanese mini-submarine and videos of Australians at war, too much to take in on one visit. The playing of The Last Post at 5:00pm closing time is quite moving. A definite RON agenda!
The Canberra Mint was another must-see tourist stop. We set off for a visit and down came the rain, bad enough trying to navigate Canberra roads without the added stress of teeming rain. When we got to the mint, we had to sit in the ute for quite a while until the rain eased. The visit was well worth the trouble, history of coinage in Australia, exhibits worth many millions and the gallery for viewing the modern coin stamping processes. The most fascinating was the automatic robot which travelled around to pick up 44 gallon drums of coin blanks to tip them into the counting bin, marks on the parquetry floor showed that “he” didn’t deviate from a perfectly constant line of approach.
One could spend weeks at Canberra, so many highlights, history and events, just a taste for us this time. Thought about extending but the park was fully booked owing to the 70th anniversary Remembrance Day Service 11/11/11, at the Canberra War Memorial, an opportunity missed.
11 November 2011
So on Remembrance Day, we crossed the border back into Victoria, booked into Euroa Caravan Park for a few days. We are close enough now that Vicki’s family and especially grandson Arthur were able to come up and visit, great to see them “live” after last being with them in May. We took a day trip up to the Victorian Alpine Country; we visited Mount Buller, a winter Ski Resort. There we were able to see the idle ski lifts against the rocky back-ground of the mountain and tried to imagine it all covered in snow. In summer, one can drive through the village to near the Summit Ski Lift Terminal. From there, a steep climb up to the summit itself. Of course, we had not prepared for this height, 1805 metres above sea level and it was quite cool. Picture me in my shirt sleeves and shorts, Vicki same. Luckily she carries a fold away jacket and fleecy top; we were able to wrap up a little bit. The climb up the few hundred metres to the cairn and fire-watch tower on the summit, was quite an ordeal, I was panting before too many strides and several times thought about giving up. I am sure that the many photos we took will not adequately show the gradient. Nevertheless, we did get there and were rewarded with magnificent 360 degree Alpine Country vistas. There is not much activity in the village come summer, however, the post-office shop was open to get post cards and the Cattleman’s Cafe did us a welcome hot chocolate.
We have the van booked into Truelux for its next big service, a few days to spend with Vicki’s family and then we will be heading back to South Australia. Christmas and a visit from the UK of brother Pete and sister-in-law Mavis, going to be a busy time ahead, it’s all happening.
Packed up the van and moved on to Port Macquarie, a popular northern holiday destination. From there we accessed several popular drives around the district. Stopped off at Lake Cathie, a very pretty estuary, quickly becoming a bit of a “Yuppie “ holiday spot, new shops and many houses gone up since our first visit in 2004. North Head is also a pretty spot where we stopped off to enjoy our packed lunch, alongside the breakwater. From the popular Laurieton North Brother Lookout, we had magnificent views of the surrounding hills of the Hinterland and coastal lagoons, down to the river estuary of the harbour. The Don Johnson lookout is a popular hang-gliding launching pad and a better picnic spot than at the harbor.
Travelling the Hinterland, beautiful scenery, the old village of Lorne, on to Wauchope, an old timber town made for a pleasant day out.
Another day out, this time north across the ferry to follow the dirt road to Crescent Head, a popular surfing venue, frequently mentioned in surfing competitions , Crescent Head is popular with the younger set and families. From the headland lookouts, we were again fortunate enough to be able to watch several pods of Humpback Wales on their way south, several with calves that had been born in the warmer northern waters.
At South West Rocks, more surfies, and the near-by location of the Trial Bay Gaol, last used for German Internees, WW11. Now only a shell, the complex is a formidable reminder of how prisoners were accommodated.
Sunday 23rd October
Moving day and decisions needed. We wanted to go to Port Stephens, an area with several holiday destinations around the Karuah River Estuary. Nelson Bay is the major centre on the estuary and there are several caravan parks in the area. Finding one that first, could accommodate our bigger rig, and second, one that only charged a reasonable rate, was the issue. As we are getting close to the major cities of Newcastle, then Sydney, only a couple of hours drive down the freeway, prices are getting up, parks are prone to crowding and have fewer caravan sites. Preferring instead to be offering cabins or on-site vans for the higher paying holiday maker.
We decided that the caravan park at Karuah would suit, off of the main road, still on the estuary within easy reach of the resorts at Nelson Bay and Port Stephens.
Again, from there, we were able to enjoy pleasant drives out to the coastal venues of Tea Gardens, Hawks Nest and Myall Lakes National Park. We encountered several old towns of historical interest on a drive along the Buckets Way, (or is that Bouquet???). We found the old Monkerai Bridge, now unused the second oldest wooden span bridge in NSW. Stroud, named after the UK town; Clarence Town and Dungog, plenty of history to follow up.
On a day visit to Nelson Bay, we stopped off at the Williamtown RAAF Air Force Base; there is a great RAAF museum, Fighter World, which is dedicated to the fighter jets squadron based there. Very interesting and the F/A-18 Hornets we saw taking off probably used more fuel on the runway than we do on our whole trip. In the museum, one could sit in the cockpit of a jet fighter, see how weapons of the air-wars have developed and read about the RAAF pilot heroes of several wars.
Sunday 30th October
Check-out day again and this time, the relatively easy drive down the Newcastle Freeway to Sydney, (easy apart from the two heavy thunder-storms along the way); a short crossing of Parramatta A7 to get on to the 40km of the new M2-M7 Toll Ways. The ability to now get around Sydney to the South is well worth the few dollars that the toll will cost us when it finally gets billed to our Citylink Electronic Tag, worth its weight in gold, the tag works on all toll roads in the country.
We travelled along the Hume Highway, eventually to book into Moss Vale, another of the historical towns along the many routes throughout NSW. From there, we again took several drives out to tourist venues. We were able to visit several magnificent waterfalls where the rivers fell 80 metres or more from the Escarpment of the inland Great Dividing Range to the coastal plains. Fitzroy, Belmore, and Carrington are three popular, easy to get to and photograph waterfalls of the region. Near Moss Vale are two other historical townships of Bowral and Berrima. The former is the home town of Australia’s most famous cricketer of the century, Don Bradman. Followers of cricket can visit the Don Bradman Museum. We didn’t go, but we were told that it is a most comprehensive collection of cricket memorabilia. At Berrima, we visited the unique old Court House, watched a diorama of one of its more famous trials and were fascinated by the history of the building of the place. Next door, the prominent high stone walls surround the old Berrima Gaol, only recently the abode of 72 female prisoners. Perhaps this too will soon be part of the history tour of the town.
On another drive out, we visited Kiama, on the southern NSW coast and by the old lighthouse, watched the famous “blow-hole” in action as ocean waves forced a huge spray up through the rocks to the delight of many spectators. We headed back via the Macquarie pass that winds up the escarpment; one can only be awed by the thoughts of the original pioneers who built this trading route between the coast and the mountains. After making our way safely, we were to hear the next morning that the Pass was closed because a truck had jack-knifed on one of the tight corners.
Friday 4th November
Moved on to cross the border into the Australian Capital Territory, (ACT), and set up camp at the EPIC Showgrounds. Vicki hasn’t been to Canberra before so this was to be a first for her, just a short visit to see how the Capital of Australia is looking today.
Here we visited the lookout tower at Black Mountain, the Mount Stromlo Observatory and the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex at Tidbinbilla.
At Mt Stromlo, the remains of the two oldest Newtonian telescope housings are a stark reminder of the devastating bush-fires that came to the capital and claimed several lives, many homes and thousands of hectares of forest and farm lands.
The Canberra War Memorial is the highlight of any trip to Canberra; we were there for over three hours and still hadn’t seen all of the exhibits. The new building addition with aircraft G-George, WW11 Bomber, Japanese mini-submarine and videos of Australians at war, too much to take in on one visit. The playing of The Last Post at 5:00pm closing time is quite moving. A definite RON agenda!
The Canberra Mint was another must-see tourist stop. We set off for a visit and down came the rain, bad enough trying to navigate Canberra roads without the added stress of teeming rain. When we got to the mint, we had to sit in the ute for quite a while until the rain eased. The visit was well worth the trouble, history of coinage in Australia, exhibits worth many millions and the gallery for viewing the modern coin stamping processes. The most fascinating was the automatic robot which travelled around to pick up 44 gallon drums of coin blanks to tip them into the counting bin, marks on the parquetry floor showed that “he” didn’t deviate from a perfectly constant line of approach.
One could spend weeks at Canberra, so many highlights, history and events, just a taste for us this time. Thought about extending but the park was fully booked owing to the 70th anniversary Remembrance Day Service 11/11/11, at the Canberra War Memorial, an opportunity missed.
11 November 2011
So on Remembrance Day, we crossed the border back into Victoria, booked into Euroa Caravan Park for a few days. We are close enough now that Vicki’s family and especially grandson Arthur were able to come up and visit, great to see them “live” after last being with them in May. We took a day trip up to the Victorian Alpine Country; we visited Mount Buller, a winter Ski Resort. There we were able to see the idle ski lifts against the rocky back-ground of the mountain and tried to imagine it all covered in snow. In summer, one can drive through the village to near the Summit Ski Lift Terminal. From there, a steep climb up to the summit itself. Of course, we had not prepared for this height, 1805 metres above sea level and it was quite cool. Picture me in my shirt sleeves and shorts, Vicki same. Luckily she carries a fold away jacket and fleecy top; we were able to wrap up a little bit. The climb up the few hundred metres to the cairn and fire-watch tower on the summit, was quite an ordeal, I was panting before too many strides and several times thought about giving up. I am sure that the many photos we took will not adequately show the gradient. Nevertheless, we did get there and were rewarded with magnificent 360 degree Alpine Country vistas. There is not much activity in the village come summer, however, the post-office shop was open to get post cards and the Cattleman’s Cafe did us a welcome hot chocolate.
We have the van booked into Truelux for its next big service, a few days to spend with Vicki’s family and then we will be heading back to South Australia. Christmas and a visit from the UK of brother Pete and sister-in-law Mavis, going to be a busy time ahead, it’s all happening.
Click on the link below to view some of the magnificant array of photos in our next album.
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