First time on a new coastline

Thank goodness the sun does not come up early because I was able to step outside onto the veranda of our motel room and take a photograph of the view with beautiful half light and the distinctive sound of a flock of galahs passing by on their way to their feeding grounds. Sorry I did not think to record the sound for you!

  click on the photo and you should be able to see the birds!

We are staying in a large three storied motel that is situated right on the edge of a bay but sheltered from the winds from the water by a strip of trees. The motel also has a restaurant and convention rooms which should give you an idea as to its size.

The sea facing side of part of the Salamander Shores Resort

While my son was away with the bus picking up more people who are on this tour with me, I wandered off with my camera and had a wonderful time taking photographs and exploring the beach front properties. I had just emerged from a bakery where I had picked up a cinnamon twist for our morning tea when the Bombora bus sailed past – with big waves to show that I had been spotted. A few short minutes later it returned and my son Steven stopped and picked me up and we went off on our own private tour of Nelson Bay. The couple that had just been picked up from the airport had been deposited safely in their room and the bus needed fuel for the next few days touring. (Today is arrival day, not a touring day). Before stopping for diesel we looked around.

Port Stevens coastguard and light house cottage

I didn’t think the narrow road was wide enough for our bus – a coach certainly would have struggled! But we drove up to the lighthouse.

We didn’t see a lighthouse though! We did see lots of coastguard radio aerials that created an interesting skyline and the old light keeper’s house which is now a museum and café. The view from the lighthouse hill is rather stunning and well worth going up to see.

Views do not get much better than this!

Further round Nelson Bay we drove and again I exercised the shutter release on the camera but will only show you one of the shots – The sky is rich blue and some of the bays are sheltered and smooth as glass while others are exposed to the wind and have small white capped waves on them. All the water in these bays is sheltered water though. There is a small gap between two headlands that creates a bar between the bays and the open sea.

 Another beautiful beach - and no one on it!

So that is how I have spent my morning. My son has left to pick up the remaining members of the tour from the airport in Newcastle (only 35 minutes away) and I will head off to find more things to aim my camera at!

AJ