A Day at the Beach

Coffs Harbour....what a gorgeous place. Started our day with a delicious breakfast at the local Surf Club which overlooks the ocean. We took a looooong walk on the beach and on the headlands, watching sea birds and herons and even some sort of small raptor wind surfing without the aid of a parachute. We snacked on fresh oysters and watched all the young surfers master the waves. A much needed rest day from driving.  Next stop: Brunswick Heads via Red Rock

A Quick Geography Lesson

Many of you great friends have warned us of an approaching cyclone. Not to worry,  it's on the west coast and we're on the east.

😘

Wamgi Wangi to Coffs Harbour

 

  After an incredible seafood lunch with the family (thank you, Jerry 💗), and an afternoon of movies at Dan and Farida's, we slept fast and took off this morning for Coffs Harbour in northern New South Wales.

     We stopped at Port Macquarie which was about the halfway mark and had peppered squid and salad for lunch at the patio bar at the Royal Hotel. This hotel was established by ancestors of Marg's late sister-in-law in 1841, burned and rebuilt in the mid-1880's. It overlooks the Hastings River and was a great recommendation.  

     Port Macquarie was originally established as a penal colony in 1821, and many of the convicts suffered severe treatment (100 lashes) for what we would say were minor offenses. Some of the convict buildings, such as the Courthouse, still stand today. A great stop before arriving in Coffs Harbour.

Driving Distance: 261 miles

Driving Time: 4.5 hours

Happy Easter in Wangi Wangi

     

We arrived at the home of Marg's brother Jerry on Good Friday afternoon.  Jerry lives in the peninsular town of Wangi Wangi, NSW, and his beautiful home overlooks beautiful Lake Macquarie.  Wangi Wangi is an aboriginal name with a few possible meanings: place of much water, many night owls or many dark green trees. While we haven't seen any owls, we have seen LOTS of water surrounded by beautiful trees. Lake Macquarie is the largest coastal saltwater lagoon in the Southern Hemisphere and about four times the size of Sydney Harbour. 

     We were in good company all weekend.  Marg's nephew Dan and his wife Farida live nearby, and Lovely Frida wowed us several times with her amazing Indonesian cooking. Marg's sister Jane arrived for the holiday, and their niece Laura and husband Andy prepared a fabulous Easter meal of roast lamb, potatoes roasted with duck fat and beautiful salads. We finally met great-nephew Harry and great-nieces Evie and Flossie who never stopped entertaining us with their games,  laughter and hugs. 

     We finished the weekend with lake walks, star-gazing (Marg finally found the Southern Cross with a little help), a morning in nearby Newcastle to breakfast and then hike above the beaches, a party at Dan and Frida's with their delightful Indonesian friends (and tons of Indonesian food) and lots of sharing of stories and memories.  What a wonderful way to celebrate Easter in Autumn!

Distance from Kiama: 199.5 miles

Driving Time: 5.5 hours

Next stop: Coffs Harbour 

 

Tathra to Kiama

An easy day. More winding roads through several national parks and forests and the coast was always near. We passed through lovely country towns and dairy farms. No big box stores for the most part which just adds to the charm of country life. We stopped in the town of Batemans Bay for more seafood by the water. We were happy to be going north as the holiday traffic going south for the Easter weekend was backed up for miles. We arrived in Kiama (thanks again, Sean, for the recommendation) in time for a long walk by the shore and the local athletic fields. It was fun to watch the kids practice various sports while sharing the fields with flocks of cockatoos. Next stop: Wangi Wangi. Driving time: 4 hours  Mileage: 203 miles 

Mt Eliza, Victoria to Tathra, NSW

After saying good-bye to Sean, Lisa, Jack and Max, we did our (hopefully) longest drive of the trip. The eight-hour journey took us east across the southern end of the state of Victoria to Lakes Entrance and gave us our first view of water on the east coast. Driving north we were away from the coast on serpentine roads through gum tree forests and even a rain forest. We were very happy to cross into New South Wales and land in Tathra, a beautiful beach town. 

Driving time=8 hours.     Mileage= 375

Fern Hill to Mount Eliza

     Easy first day....drove toward Melbourne but skirted the city and eventually hit the coast down towards the Mornington Peninsula. We enjoyed beautiful beaches and a seafood lunch in the town of Frankston.  Marg's nephew Sean and his wife Lisa have a beautiful home and two beautiful and friendly boys, Jack and Max. After a great lasagna dinner, Jack wowed us with his Lego technic creations. 

     We lunched the next day at a lovely waterside cafe and watched fishermen and boats. We were also able to attend Jack's grade 3 school assembly. It was a wonderful visit. Thank you, Sean, Lisa, Jack and Max. 

Driving time: 3 hours.  Kilometers:  154

Next stop, Tathra, NSW