First day on the road.

Colin and I have left home yet again and this time are on our way to the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. Our first stop is Port Macquarie where we have tucked ourselves into a cabin in a big caravan park. What a wonderful location this is! We are only the second cabin back from the walkway along the estuary. When we drove in and parked beside the cabin we noticed all the big painted rocks near by but got quite a surprise when we walked over to them.

My first picture shows what we saw to start with – a grassy bank with a row of big illustrated rocks along the top.

Walking up the embankment we found ourselves on a well used walking/ running/ cycling track along which families and fitness fanatics were travelling in both directions.

All the rocks look as though they have been given a fresh coat of paint and all are really neatly decorated. Here are a couple of examples.

 

I wonder if the painting was done by Port Macquarie individuals or maybe the individuals – holiday makers or residents, submitted a design and paid a fee to some foreshore committee and the artwork undertaken by artists (that, to me, looks to be the case)

We spend about six hours driving today but we always make a point of stopping every two hours for a break. We take a big thermos flask of hot water and make ourselves a cup of tea but come three o clock we pulled into a service station and as well as filling the car, we bought a frothy coffee! It was very welcome and really “hit the spot”!

AJ

Coastal beauty

Once more the sun was shining as we pulled back the curtains this morning but today was not to be a day of exploring, today we had to pack the car and return home because our week in the Timeshare resort was at an end.

Looking back over the week I have mental images of the beautiful coastline and the amazing forests and countryside. I will close my tales of our holiday with three pictures of the beaches we visited.

The first beach photograph was taken while on our walk over Mutton Bird Island right in Coffs Harbour itself. We are looking south along the coast and over the waters of Jetty Beach there is a neck of land and then the bay that reaches from Boambee Creek and south.

The second photo was taken from the headland that overlooks Boambee Creek and shows the creek as it enters the sea.

And finally. a photograph of the beach we visited only yesterday- we went to Woolgoolga and stopped at Arrawarra a little north of Woolgoolga, this beach is on the south side of the headland.

I now have a large collection of Photographs that need to be given names other than the numbers automatically given by the camera so that I will be able to look at them in years to come and know "what and where"!

AJ

From forest to sea

What a variety of activities we have had today. I set out this morning with one aim in mind - that of taking a closer look at the Sikh temple at Woolgoolga, but we did so much more.

I spotted a sign that said simply "Flora Reserve", hand written on a wooden sign. So the car was pointed in that direction and off we went - I am fortunate to have a husband who has no objections to any detour I want to take! Since I am the driver there are never any arguments! The road became narrower and narrower and the bush thicker and thicker but on we drove. It was too beautiful to turn back now! At a fork in the road the bitumen stopped but a small sign pointed to a picnic area to the left.

We took the left fork and only a hundred metres in the forest opened out and we found ourselves in a glorious grassy picnic spot with tables that had shelters over them so with no further ado the flask of hot water and the picnic box was removed from the car and we had our morning "cuppa" in wonderful isolation with the most amazing bird sounds you have ever heard. I did turn on the HD camera but since I haven't loaded it to this laptop yet you will have to wait to hear what we heard!

We walked into the forest with the camera and tossed stones into a small creek to get across but when we came across a wide deep stream we had to turn back. I was not willing to take of my shoes and socks - it was too muddy on the other side to sit down to put them on again.

On the way back to the car I had to flick off a leech from my leg, just above my sock. The another that was on my hand. Once back at the car I told Colin that I was going to take off my shoes to make sure there were no leeches inside. I found two very large ones attached to my socks - they had not bitten me, they were gorging on the wetness that had seeped through my sneakers and into my socks! Colin discovered he had two leeches too! Gosh, every part of you starts to itch after such a discovery! However neither of us lost any blood to the horrible creatures!

From the forest - it is called Sherwood Reserve and is a remnant of lowland rainforest that has never been logged, so is very special - we drove to the coast and found some delightful bays and small hamlets and spoke to one of the residents who told us that the place was idyllic until Easter weekend and the Christmas school holidays, then it was filled with families, fishermen and surfies! Easter starts tomorrow so we have seen it at its quiet time! The place? Arrawarra Headland. Never heard of it? Nor have most people! But is it lovely.

Finally I was able to stop in Woolgoolga and walk over to the Sikh temple and take a couple of shots. Woolgoolga has the largest Indian population of any country town and there are two temples but this one is the most impressive and the newest looking of the two. It has an excellent position in the town too - it is on a hill and can be seen easily from the main Pacific Highway.

Our holiday in Coffs Harbour has come to an end. After cooking our evening meal I shall be packing the cases for a morning departure. We have had a good time exploring all around the district, all our holiday has cost us has been petrol! But I have so many photos that I can now go home and create yet another photo-book of memories!

AJ