Since 11th April we have been moving fairly quickly. Within a week we had spent a few days catching up with friends in Newcastle, relaxing by Wallis Lake and spending time with friends in Port Macquarie.
Newcastle
Upon approaching Islington, Newcastle we were grateful that our mates Bon and Paul had cleared a small runway so we could gently land Yokel and the caravan right in front of their house. The whole neighbourhood consists of a mixture of quaint and modern terrace houses along narrow streets so Paul and Bon made the landing experience easier than anticipated. After a few greetings Mali proceeded to spend every waking minute practicing her acrobatics on Jarrah’s swing in the backyard. She went from gently swinging back and forth to standing up, hanging on with one leg and one hand and dismounting mid-swing. With all her encouragement for us to swing her higher we thought she might glide through the kitchen fly screen and land in the sink…but that never happened. We enjoyed some cycling into Honeysuckle and Newcastle City along Throsby Creek and The Hunter River, enjoying a quick visit to the Newcastle Museum. Bonnie also took us to Blackbutt Nature Reserve in Kotara. This is a Council managed reserve containing 182 hectares of natural bushland with nature trails, wildlife exhibits, children’s playgrounds and picnic areas. It was a little gem in the middle of Newcastle. Oh, and we spent the next few days eating the passionfruit from Bonnie’s vine – divine! Thanks Bon, Paul and Jarrah!
Wallis Lake/Forster
Next, we ventured 140km north to Tiona Holiday Park, on the eastern shore of Wallis Lake and 12km south of Forster. We spent a good hour reversing and setting up the caravan – it was a tricky spot and a heavily sloping site. We managed to rig it up well for 3 days of beach visits, fishing, surfing and enjoying sunsets over Wallis Lake at the Green Cathedral, a magnificent natural cathedral with large palms, log pews and a stunning lake backdrop where many weddings take place. Despite the swarms of mosquitoes that followed us Mali and I visited the site each night for sunset before dinner whilst Craig wrestled with sting rays on the beach - he spent 40 minutes trying to reel in a sting ray in order to cut it free. Now that’s a conscious recreational fisherman. The Forster Ocean Baths, adjacent to the patrolled Main Beach, were also a delight. It was built back in 1936 and you can swim right up to the algae encrusted ocean wall which feels like you’re swimming in an infinity pool. Simply gorgeous!!
The Tiona Holiday Park offered some awesome activities over the school holidays including free SUP hire, free yoga, live music and more. There are also some lovely walks along the lakeshore and a short little hike around to Shelly Beach (the local nude beach). I thought about joining in but failed. I sauntered into the beautiful blue water and thought how odd it felt to be overdressed in a swimming costume. Perhaps I shouldn’t have bothered getting dressed so discretely on the beach. I am determined to join in on the nudist activities at a secluded location during this trip.
Port Macquarie
We left Wallis Lake and travelled another 124 km to Port Macquarie. As soon as we set up the caravan at the NRMA Port Macquarie Breakwall Caravan Park (Winner of several Tourism Awards and no surprise) I unhooked my bike and headed south to the Jolly Nose Mountain Bike Park for some trail fun. The trails were in bad shape after the rains and the day I arrived (16th April) was the first day the State Forest has been opened in weeks. I made the most of it knowing I’ll only have occasional opportunities to ride when trails are nearby. The next day we set off for our beach driving initiation with Rick and Marlene, our local friends. By the time we reached Hat Head the tide was coming up so quick there wasn’t much beach left. Nevertheless, we dropped the air in the tyres, did a quick lap up & down the beach (with multiple 'woohoos' from Mali in the back seat) and then proceeded to drive back to Crescent Head so the boys could catch a few waves whilst I caught up with Marlene and rolled 114 sand protein balls for Mali to dust with sand flour. To top off our awesome few days in Port Macquaire we all cooked up some homemade lobster ravioli (thanks for the lobster meat Dad!) at Rick and Marlene’s and watched the air show right from their balcony (in celebration of the Port Macquarie-Hastings Bicentenary). We were also treated to fireworks, only a few 100 metres from our camp site, so enjoyed this in the comfort of our pyjamas without having to leave the caravan. Thanks for the show Port Macquarie!!
Next stop – Friday Creek Retreat, Coffs Harbour, to visit Grandad and Judy and then Yamba for some surfing and fishing.
Check out the gallery for more photos!
Cool!
Amazing!!! get nude!!!