Sunday, February 19, 2012

Bawley Point, Batemans Bay & Pambula–15 to 18 February 2012

2012.02.15 at 17h39m46s Racecourse BeachHaving travelled with what felt like our own personal rain cloud since leaving Mooloolaba, Racecourse Beach at Bawley Point was beautiful and sunny.

It is very quiet at this time of year, there was only us and one other caravan.  A walk over the headlands takes you through an Aboriginal heritage area and one of the largest midden sites in Australia.

There is only dam and bore water to drink, we used our tanks. Showers cost 20 cents for three minutes.

From Bawley Point we drove to Pambula via Batemans Bay.

Batemans Bay is very caravan friendly. It has specific caravan parking near the McDonald's which encouraged us to do our shopping then relax and enjoy the town.

We had a lovely walk along the river front, including the day’s drama of a sunken yacht which had brought out the Hazard Recovery Team to contain any diesel from the engine.  They made it clear they were not going to refloat the yacht.  We followed this with a relaxing lunch on the River Clyde with Fresh Oysters straight out of the Clyde river Estuary.
2012.02.16 at 13h28m43s Batemans Bay2012.02.16 at 12h17m42s Batemans Bay2012.02.16 at 12h44m16s Batemans Bay

Our next stop was Pambula which has a campsite right on a wonderful swimming beach with resident Kangaroos who are exceptionally trusting.  Tricia even saw kangaroos going under vans to shelter from the sun.
2012.02.18 at 08h30m10s Pambula2012.02.18 at 08h27m28s Bushtracker, Pambula

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Kiama [Berry & Kangaroo Valley] – 12 to 15 February 2012

2012.02.13 at 17h31m33s Kiama2012.02.13 at 17h52m20s KiamaWe drove to Easts Beach Camping Park in Kiama. Tricia had a sore back and was glad to find a very good masseur as part of the spa complex at the caravan park.  The beach at the caravan park is lovely and very safe.

We took the coastal walk North from the campsite to the little Blowhole and South from the campsite along the headlands.  We also visited The Blowhole which is right by the town of Kiama.

2012.02.13 at 14h22m32s Kiama-4We drove to Berry an historic town which has a lovely deli Cafe with great coffee. From there we drove up to Kangaroo Valley, a very popular, scenic holiday destination.

2012.02.14 at 13h44m59s Kangaroo Valley2012.02.14 at 13h37m35s Kangaroo Valley

We both got leeches on our feet walking through the rainforest to see an old cemetery.

Alongside the road on the verge there are masses of lilies in flower. They seem to grow the whole length of the Princes Highway in New South Wales.
We visited the Cambewarra Mountain Lookout with a magnificent vista of the coast towards the Shoalhaven River.

2012.02.14 at 15h11m27s Cambewarra2012.01.29 at 16h12m07s Trial Bay Gaol

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Sydney [Narrabeen] – 1 to 12 February 2012

2012.02.09 at 15h33m31s Sydney - 12-02 NSW2012.02.09 at 10h46m05s Sydney - 12-02 NSWFrom Anna Bay we drove to Sydney for meetings and to visit friends.  Our campsite was at Narrabeen. This council camping park was an unexpected delight on the mouth of the Narrabeen lagoon in Sydney's Northern Beaches.

Our first trip into Sydney was by car, but it is a challenge to find parking for our 4WD.  With the spare tyres on its roof it exceeded most of the height restrictions in city  parking lots. Thereafter our trips to Sydney were by bus and Manly Ferry, a much more 2012.02.10 at 19h43m27s Narrabeen - 12-02 NSWrelaxing trip of about an hour and a half.  The view from the ferry is an added bonus.2012.02.11 at 11h02m28s Narrabeen - 12-02 NSW

In between times we walked around the locality which is beautiful and swam in the ocean pool built on the rock ledge at the edge of the surf.

We have two favorite Restaurants, the Ocean Bay Café and Restaurant, which was opposite the campsite, and the Narrow Bean in Narrabeen itself. We both enjoyed rejoining café society.

2012.02.11 at 11h25m16s Narrabeen - 12-02 NSW

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Yamba, South West Rocks & Anna Bay – 29 to 31 January 2012

2012.01.29 at 15h44m06s Trial Bay Gaol2012.01.29 at 07h58m13s Yamba - 12-01 NSWWith all the rain we started south, deciding to drive as far as we could. As it was a wet Sunday with no one on the road it was a good driving day. The road was cut at Grafton so when we got to Yamba, a previous favourite, [see our post of 20 to 24 March 2011] we stopped at the Blue Dolphin Caravan Park and enjoyed the  lovely view over the Estuary of the River Clarence.

The next day the River having subsided temporarily, we were allowed a shortcut around Grafton and drove to South West Rocks a town on Trial Bay named after the brig Trial which was wrecked nearby in 1817.  2012.01.29 at 16h42m47s Smokey Cape Lighthouse2012.01.29 at 16h44m11s Smokey Cape Lighthouse

The many wrecks in the area and the recognition of Trial Bay as a safe refuge for shipping against strong southerly gales led to the decision to construct a breakwater to provide a safe harbor.

Trial Bay Gaol was constructed to house prisoners who would then build the breakwater. This was intended as an experiment in a humane way of rehabilitating prisoners. The job was much harder and thus slower than expected as the granite was extremely hard and only 300m of breakwater was actually constructed before more powerful ships avoided the need for a coastal refuge between Newcastle and Brisbane. The Goal was used to house German internees during WW1, 2012.01.29 at 16h43m18s Smokey Cape Lighthouseand became a thriving place for sport and culture with its own Restaurant. Trial Bay Gaol closed in 1918 and as it had no foreseeable future it was 2012.01.29 at 16h46m40s Smokey Cape Lighthouseallowed to become the [now preserved] ruin seen today.

We also visited Smoky Cape Lighthouse, its stunning views and lighthouse keeper’s house made more dramatic by a scudding rain storm which kept us huddled in the old barn housing exhibits of the lighthouse until the storm passed.

From South West Rocks we drove to Anna Bay near Port Stephens. On the way we stopped at the Akubra factory at Kempsey.  John found a new hat in the colour he wanted and we were offered a tour of the factory.

Anna Bay is a lovely Beachfront location sheltered behind dunes. We had some lovely walks.

2012.01.31 at 11h59m26s Anna Bay

2012.01.30 at 11h13m47s Akubra Kempsey

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Mooloolaba–21 to 29 January 2012

2012.01.25 at 06h35m58s Mooloolaba - 12-01 QueenslandMooloolaba was hot, steamy, rainy and windy. The winds were so strong they whipped the sea into a foam, like froth on a cappuccino and great fun to walk in. We both enjoyed walking in the storms.

So much sand was stirred up the sea went strangely yellow.

It is quiet at this time because this is the wet season. We have seen Mooloolaba in all seasons now and we still like it.  The weather this summer was extreme, with a lot of rain. Visitors to Australia often are surprised that summer in Northern Australia is the wet season, when it is both wet and hot. Winter is milder and dry, and is when most Australian’s travel north.2012.01.25 at 14h44m07s Mooloolaba - 12-01 Queensland, Trish

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

USA, Canada, and Hong Kong–15 November 2011 to 18 January 2012

We returned to the US for Thanksgiving.

We spent Christmas in Buffalo, helping Chris and Monica with their new daughter. The whole family came to Buffalo for Christmas which was a great pleasure.

At year’s end we moved to Niagara Falls and spent time there as John had a meeting in Toronto in early January.  We walked a lot, visited the conservatory where they grow all the plants for the Niagara Park. We visited Niagara on the Lake and the Butterfly House with Jeremy and Chris.The illuminations along the Niagara Parkway were lovely.

2012.01.27 at 15h52m25s Bushtracker, Mooloolaba - 12-01 QueenslandWe flew out of Toronto and returned to Mooloolaba via Hong Kong. It is always a pleasure to be back in Asia and we enjoy Hong Kong very much. We walked along the waterfront, visited a friend and enjoyed the view of the Harbour from our Hotel.

Then we returned to Australia, visited Geoff and Sue and then reunited with our caravan at Mooloolaba.

Monday, November 14, 2011

USA and United Kingdom–5 October to 14 November 2011

2011.10.26 at 21h19m29s TyntesfieldWe returned to Washington for some meetings and then flew to London, in John’s quest to see a bit of the world which he had visited so often he thought it was all airport lounges and meeting rooms. 
In London we visited the National Art Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery, saw a west end show and caught up with friends.
We visited our friends in Bristol, doing among other things, a lovely walk through the Welsh country side with a great pub lunch and visiting Tyntesfield a grand mansion, now belonging to the National Trust.

We then followed the Capital City route through the North of England. This is from the Lonely Planet Guide.  All the cities, Cardiff, Caernarvon, Manchester, York, Edinburgh and Stirling  were capitals at sometime. 
2011.10.31 at 02h20m09s Caernarfon
2011.11.05 at 01h53m07s Edinburgh2011.11.06 at 21h49m09s Carlisle Castle
Travelling south we visited Castle Howard, Goathead Rail Station [made famous by Harry Potter]  and Whitby. Having seen many of Captain Cook’s destinations we wanted to see  the town closely associated with him and his ship Endeavour. It was a gray and misty day and quite different to Cooktown half a world away.

2011.11.08 at 23h55m05s Castle Howard2011.11.08 at 21h38m36s Goathead Rail Station
We spent time in Oxford with John’s Aunt Mollie and catching up with friends who were over from Australia. While there we visited Blenheim Palace and  Bletchley Park where we saw the home of the Enigma machines used to break the German codes in World War II.  A lot of things happened at Bletchley and it provided a fascinating day. The first computer in the world was built there. A lot of the actual machines were destroyed after the war but they are being returned to working order by a band of enthusiasts.
2011.11.10 at 22h00m22s Blenheim Palace

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Maroochydore & Mooloolaba–27 September to 5 October 2011

2011.10.02 at 11h46m17s Boerkamp's, Mooloolaba - 11-10 Queensland, Staziuk'sMooloolaba being unavailable we stopped at the Maroochy Palms Caravan Park in Maroochydore  for John to meet his date with dental destiny.

Our Melbourne dentist had recommended a very good dentist at Kawana and John had his dental problems fixed. 

Tricia was exceedingly glad we had taken a medical travel kit with us as we were able to treat John’s infected tooth in spite of being in very remote areas, continue our travels and get to a dentist of our choice.2011.10.02 at 08h53m39s Boerkamp's, Mooloolaba - 11-10 Queensland, Staziuk's

 

 

 

2011.10.02 at 08h50m40s Boerkamp's, Mooloolaba - 11-10 QueenslandMaroochydore is a nice place and has a pleasant walk along the river. We like to bike ride there.

From Maroochydore we drove the 5 kms to our prebooked site at Mooloolaba to pack up our van prior to leaving Australia. Once again we enjoyed it very much.  Some of our friends from Melbourne came to visit and we had a great weekend. They stayed in an apartment but we think we have the better location right on the foreshore.

We left on 5 October for the United States.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Hervey Bay [Whale Watching] – 25 to 27 September 2011

2011.09.26 at 15h12m55s Hervey Bay2011.09.26 at 15h16m45s Hervey Bay2011.09.26 at 15h44m32s Hervey Bay-8We schedule in a rest day now and then, so on the 26th we went Whale Watching on the Wind Song Whale tour. We were very lucky as the whales were playing and we saw them breaching, slapping the water with their tails and waving their pectoral fins. There was a female with her calf and support whale.

It is awesome to see 25 tons of Hump Back whale fly through the air. We also saw the calf breaching. It was so cute all 2 tons of it. 2011.09.26 at 15h12m10s Hervey Bay

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Rockhampton to Hervey Bay–24 to 25 September 2011

2011.09.25 at 08h55m47s RockhamptonWe left Midge Point travelling south on the Bruce Highway to Rockhampton, stopping for lunch at Flaggy Rock Ice Creamery which has good home made food and easy parking. We stayed overnight at Rockhampton at the Tropical Wanderer Resort.

Rockhampton is caravan friendly with a good supermarket complex.  Kershaw Gardens is nice for a self catered lunch.  We had dinner at Saigon on the River which is a very good quality Chinese Restaurant.2011.09.25 at 09h02m00s Rockhampton

The next day we drove to Hervey Bay stopping  for morning tea at Calliope Market. This is amazingly busy. They have good products and good coffee.
2011.09.25 at 12h36m30s Miriam ValeWe had lunch at Miriam. The Star Roadhouse at the Northern end of Miriam has home made bakery products, mud crab sandwiches made with their own bread and good coffee. The nice thing to do is to drive into Miriam Main Street which is off the Bruce Highway and have lunch on the railway reservation under a tree. Parking is easy.

Childers is an attractive town for an afternoon tea stop. Mammino Ice cream has a shop there which sells ice-creams and coffee. Parking is easy and it is a good break. We stayed at the Big 4 Fraser Lodge in Torquay near Hervey Bay.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Midge Point [Proserpine & Whitsundays] - 17 to 24 September 2011

2011.09.17 at 15h48m13s Midge Point - 11-09 Queensland2011.09.22 at 13h36m06s Midge Point - 11-09 QueenslandWe returned to the Travellers Rest at Midge Point. It is so quiet and we have our resident wallabies and kookaburras.

The great joy here is the large tide range and at low tide one can walk for miles on the sandbars. It is good to have an accurate tide chart as the tide comes in rapidly and in half an hour dry sand can be up to your waist in water.

 

 2011.09.23 at 13h33m37s Midge Point - 11-09 Queensland2011.09.23 at 07h52m19s Midge Point - 11-09 Queensland2011.09.22 at 13h57m57s Midge Point - 11-09 Queensland
2011.09.22 at 13h33m35s Midge Point - 11-09 Queensland

The Japanese earthquake meant a shortage of Toyota parts, and although Toyota’s customer support was excellent in locating dealers with the brake pads and protective rubber boots we needed after two years on the road, it did mean our our travel schedule became a tour of Toyota Dealers in Cairns and Townsville with the front brakes pads finally replaced in Proserpine.

2011.09.19 at 14h02m29s Proserpine2011.09.19 at 13h53m29s ProserpineThis is a small cane town. The Sugar Mill has been running since 1897. The mill now uses the cane waste (bagasse) to power its operation with a small amount sold back to the grid, making it extremely energy efficient.  What is coming out of the chimneys is steam. All the sugar produced is exported. Tricia thinks this is a good example of when you convince people of the need to change they do without government intervention. It is a win win situation for everyone. 
2011.09.21 at 11h59m45s Airlie BeachWe went in to Aireys Inlet to have our camp chairs repaired at a sail loft. While we waited we drove to Shute Harbor the takeoff for the Islands in the Whitsundays. Captain Cook named the Whitsunday Passage as he thought he was sailing through on Whitsunday. Owing to an error in his log he was actually sailing through on Whit-Monday. The islands are in the Cumberland group of Islands.

Some of the Islands of the Whitsundays are very popular Resorts and the area is also very popular for sailing.

We had lunch by the lagoon, protective from marine stingers (jelly fish) at a lovely pizzeria.2011.09.21 at 13h58m53s Airlie Beach