New South Wales

Sunday 4^th May 2008

Sydney. A good flight to Sydney, it was quite fitting that the last site of New Zealand we had was of Mounts Cook and Tasman and the Franz Josef Glacier looking magnificent with the pure white snow, against the clear blue sky in the late afternoon sun.  The only problem I had on the flight was Jenny’s elbow which she would insist in putting on my armrest media buttons.  The music went from classical to rock through to easy listening and back round into classical in the space of  5 seconds, the volume changing from pianissimo to fortissimo and back at the same time.  As our daughter Rhiain flies on these aircraft as a Cabin Manager I will ask her to have a word with the Airbus management on this matter. The only other concern I had was we had a woman driver in the cockpit, I was mighty relieved when I saw through the window the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House and not the Statue of Liberty!  Seriously the landing at Sydney does take you right around the harbour and city you therefore have a scenic flight thrown into the journey for nothing.  After the usual formalities at the airport we hired a taxi for the drive into the city.  After checking in at the hotel we decided to stretch our legs after the journey and walked the short distance from “The Rocks” district where we are staying to Circular Key and the good news is that City Extra the café where we ate last time we were here is still doing their raisin toast breakfast.  We will be there when it opens in the morning!

Monday 5^th May 2008

First stop this morning the City Extra café, we were a bit hungry so we forsook their famous raisin bread for the good old fashioned English.  City Extra is unique in Sydney in that it is open 24/7, the menus are printed as the front page of a newspaper and the staff shirts and blouses depicts newsprint.  Most important the food is first class, the staff are excellent and the prices are quite reasonable.  It is also right on the front of Circular Quay so the ferries are arriving all the time and we can people watch while we are eating.  After a wander around the quay and stopping to watch some of the street entertainers performances we went shopping along George Street, a very long street with lots of shopping arcades, we managed to buy the book we wanted on free camping in Australia, books are expensive here the one we bought being $54, hopefully we will soon recoup that once we are in the motorhome.  After returning to the hotel for a short time we again walked down to the quay to take some night-time mandatory photographs of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House and watch the comings and goings at the Ferry Terminal, these ferries have two bows and  bridges and they just depart without having to do any reversing manoeuvres, it is just like a rail or bus station in the way they come in disembark passengers, passengers embark and off they go on another trip.

Tuesday 6^th May 2008

A 5 minute walk to Circular Quay for breakfast and we got our promised raisin toast with coffee and fresh squeezed orange juice at City Extra. After taking some day-light photographs  for comparison against  last nights shots from the same places, we went back along George St armed with shop numbers from the internet of Teva Sandal stockist.  However, I didn’t particularly like the latest style ( fancy changing the design after 9 years, nothing wrong with the old one).  We did finally manage to find some Columbia one’s like my deceased pair so in the end we purchased those.  By the time we had finished the walkabout we were close to Darling Harbour where we had stayed in 2005 so we had a look around there.  Another place when visiting Sydney not to be missed, with an Aquarium, Maritime Museum and lots of little shops and restaurants.  This was the place last time when we were there in the morning rush hour and were amused by men in suits with short trousers and ties with their briefcase under their arm skateboarding  across the pedestrian bridge, it looked so bizarre.  Our feet were tired by this time so we got on the ferry back to Circular Quay, it also stopped at other places in the harbour as well and we had a grandstand view of “The Coat Hanger” as we sailed underneath back to the quay.  A scenic cruise in the price of a ferry fare of only $5.20.  Jenny had a bit of a quarrel with the ticket machine at the other end, but it finally disgorged 2 tickets  to enable us to exit through the turnstile.  We thought the Aborigine guy on the quay would be playing some music, but he was making more money having is photo taken with some ladies with his Didgeridoo in his hand, (that’s a long round thing, perhaps I better be more precise. A Didgeridoo is a musical instrument made of wood, hollowed out by Termites that a droning sound can be made from), anyway we never did hear him play, but then again he didn’t need to!

Wednesday 7^th May 2008

After breakfast, yes you’ve guessed at the City Extra café, we decided to take the ferry to Darling Harbour and spend some time there, and then return to Circular Quay to get the bus out to Bondi Beach later.   As usual we got side-tracked by a number of things so we were later back than we intended so instead we walked out to the Bridge Pylon and looked around the information centre there, which gives a history of how the bridge was constructed.  Interestingly it was built by Dorman Long Ltd of Middlesborough the area around which most of my relatives lived (and still do) at that time.  Although we had been there before in 2005 when we did the “Bridge Climb” we still found it very interesting.  On our way to the Bridge we stopped at a German restaurant bar for a beer, (thirsty work this sightseeing).  Although we didn’t want anything to eat we did look at the menu and it looked very appetising so we will return there tonight as it is only minutes from the hotel.  Before then we have a re-pack to do in preparation for our 8 months in the Motorhome which we collect tomorrow.  At least we know we can safely put away the cold climate clothes we had to take to America and New Zealand with us, in fact we shall leave them at Jenny’s brother-in-laws in Stanthorpe and collect them on our return next year.

Thursday 8^th May 2008

Katoomba (120 Km).  After checking out of the hotel, we had a taxi to the Britz/Maui collection depot near the airport.  We have been supplied a Maui Elite instead of the Britz, no difference except that Maui are for some reason more expensive to hire.  The reception staff were the same as we met in 2005 so that made the paperwork and vehicle familiarisation easier. Liz who did the hand-over (who has a very Scottish accent) supplied us with extra towels, pillows etc and two sleeping bags instead of a duvet so that was useful.  We also decided to hire 2 picnic chairs and a table, plus an awning for a one off hire charge of $142 we thought that was a very good deal and because it is a Maui motorhome the safe came free of charge.  We were going to head North straightaway but we have decided instead to visit “The Blue Mountains” again before driving up the coast towards Brisbane and we are stopping at the same campsite in Katoomba as before, as it is so close to some of the major viewpoints. it was also nice to meet again Val and Ken the managers who remembered us from last time (for reasons to long to go into).  Arriving early after such a short drive has also enabled us to sort out the storage and stock up with food, etc.

Friday 9^th May 2008

We know now we are definitely back in Australia when the early morning bird chorus is the loud screeching of the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo it must be the nosiest bird on the planet.  We have decided to stay an extra day in Katoomba to get ourselves sorted in the motorhome.  As it will be our home for the next 8 months we needed a few extras, i.e. more coat hangers, stick-on coat hooks, mirror and a few more plastic containers, went to the “Dollar Shop” and got most of it for a …….dollar. We also got a spare key cut for the van so we needn’t wait for one another when we go to the shower block.  We walked into town via the walkway from Katoomba Falls to Echo Point so it took us most of the day, not returning until early evening, but walking along the rim overlooking the Jamerson Valley with Mount Solitary about 6 kilometres away was stunning, especially with the “blue haze” (hence the name Blue Mountains) from the Eucalyptus trees shimmering in the sunlight and we did stop in town for a delicious “Ploughman’s Lunch”.  We will make a decision tonight how far to travel tomorrow after our unplanned diversion to the Blue Mountains, we shall be back here in early January and intend to do some of the longer walks (we should be fitter by then) and Val is reserving us a site as it will be busy at that time being the Christmas holiday period.

Saturday 10^th May 2008

Karuah (331 Km). Only the second day of travel in the motorhome and after a short shopping session in Katoomba and tea and cake at the Mountain Memories the café  we went to yesterday we decided to just drive to the coast and stop at a campsite overnight, we had hoped to catch up the last two days in the Blue Mountains but we are quite a few kilometres short, only because we wanted to drive the scenic “Putty Road” again instead of using the Pacific Highway.  We have got a few rest days built into this part of our itinerary so being behind at this stage does not matter.  We have also been without the internet for a few days so we needed a camp site with internet access, which hopefully (I haven’t tried it yet) this one is.

Sunday 11^th May 2008

Nambucca (309 Km).  A easy drive to Nambucca which is on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales about halfway between Sydney and Brisbane.  There are “Rest, Revive and Survive” Rest Areas about every 40 kilometres with toilets and picnic areas, not as scenic as those in New Zealand but then this is the main pacific highway.  We used them  for our “elevenses", lunch and afternoon tea as we progressed up the coast and with other stops arrived at Nambucca Beach Holiday Park just before sunset (gets dark here about 5:45pm) with just time to walk through the rain forest on to the beach.  Nice to be able to hear the sound of the Tasman Sea again crashing on the beach from our motorhome, this time from its Western reaches.  Saw some Pelicans on the way through the town on the river estuary, hopefully tomorrow we may be able to get some photographs of them.  It has also got warmer as we have travelled North, especially since the colder Blue Mountains with the higher altitude and we are now back in shorts, the first time since New Zealand’s North Island, hopefully we will be able to wear them now for the next 8 months (if they don’t wear out first).

Monday 12^th May 2008

Emerald Beach, Coff’s Harbour (79 Km).  We decided to visit Coff’s Harbour today so it was a short drive up the pacific highway.  We found a good camping store in Coffs Harbour and bought some of the Thetford toilet chemicals the same as Kenrick had supplied us with in New Zealand, we think the one supplied by Maui was probably “cheap and cheerful” and neither of us liked the smell, the Thetford one being much nicer.  The usual happened in the store we started chatting to a couple while we were looking at fishing tackle and he was telling us where to fish in NSW.  He left Manchester in 1956 and she originally came from South Africa with relatives in Cornwall, they also had the same motorhome as us although they had purchased theirs.  We finally left the store with our purchases and drove down to Coffs Harbour Jetty and stayed there for most of the day at a picnic area right by the beach and jetty just relaxing, having a walk along the beach, watching the antics of several bird species and drinking copious amounts of tea and coffee.  Late afternoon we continued the short distance out of town to Emerald Beach where we are stopping for two nights.  We put the awning up to try it and sat outside in the picnic chairs with a bottle of Ginger beer, it had started to rain so it is very pleasant sitting in the dry outside the Motorhome instead of having to sit inside.  The awning will be very useful as we drive further up in to the hotter parts.  As we sat outside I mentioned to Jenny that I didn’t think dogs were allowed on the campsite and there were three altogether on the grass near us,  it wasn’t until I looked closer and noticed that  these “dogs” had very short front legs, extremely long back legs and a long tail and they didn’t run they bounded!

Tuesday 13^th May 2008

I had a few misgivings about hiring the awning but having found the long poles will store sideways against the rear doors and the tarp itself will go into one of the storage lockers, it will be a big benefit when we are in the much hotter parts.  We are also able to put the picnic table and both chairs underneath it so we can sit in the shade outside to eat.  After a very casual breakfast we walked up to the headland which overlooks both Emerald and Moonee Bay and took some photographs and just “chilled out” on a seat watching the waves crashing on the rocks as the tide came in. we were also giving “points out of ten” to a surfer who was struggling to stay on his board in the high waves.  We returned to the campsite for lunch and then went back to the beach to read and relax.  However a chilly wind had sprung up so we walked back and relaxed sitting outside the motorhome instead.  We are having a great deal of  fun trying to identify the myriads of birds in the bush around us (the motorhome backing on to the bush between the campsite and the beach).  Even with the binoculars and the reference book it is still difficult, especially when they won’t stay still.  Very noisy outside the motorhome this evening, lots of loud thunder, massive amounts of lighting and a deluge of heavy rain.  We won’t be going anywhere tonight!

Wednesday 14^th May 2008

Yamba (131 Km).  After last nights storm we woke up to glorious sunshine, and even better Wednesday mornings at 8:30 am in the “off peak” periods  the campsite provide FREE pancakes and tea for breakfast at the games room.  You can imagine I was almost first in the queue (Jenny was first, she can run faster than me).  We had a great time chatting to the other campsite guests and we sat next to a couple from Germany who were telling us about their trip down from Cairns.  We must tell you about our lunchtime stop along side the River Clarence at Maclean.  We had only been there a few minutes when a Ranger drove up and he started to ask us how our holiday was going.  He then explained he was waiting for someone from Ballina about 90 kilometres away who had lost his dog.  The dog had been found and the Ranger was returning it.  It seemed the dog owner had camped at Maclean the night before in his caravan then drove off in the morning thinking the dog was in the back of his large 4WD  and  didn’t notice it was missing until he arrived at Ballina.  The first thing we heard when he got out of his car was “where yoes been?” (he was from Scotland) the dog didn’t answer.  The funniest thing was, perhaps you could loose a Chihuahua in the back of a large vehicle, but this dog was the size of  a Shetland Pony and funnier still he had another one identical in the back as well. The Ranger (who still had all his limbs despite the size of the dog) told us afterwards the Scots man had paid a fortune to have the dogs bought over and then he mislays one. Anyway a happy ending and we could see the dogs were pleased to be

reunited.

Thursday 15^th May 2008

Brunswick Heads (158 Km). A short drive into the centre of Yamba to visit the lighthouse and the view over the harbour before joining the main highway towards Byron Bay.  We seemed to have found a highway that requires a lot of maintenance as we have passed through several stretches of roadwork’s, however they don’t rely on traffic lights for control, instead have a series of “stop go men”  with the “human touch” and common sense which makes the traffic flow better.  We needed to top up with food etc, so we found a Woolworth’s in Ballina and shortly afterwards stopped for lunch in a park rest stop near a pond.  I had to use strong arm tactics on three Ibis, three large Ducks, one massive Goose and four Moorhens to prevent them stealing our lunch.  However I surrendered and found some bread we had saved to bribe them to leave us alone.  We have driven through Byron Bay to Brunswick Heads a small resort 15 Kilometres further North.  We will return to Byron Bay tomorrow when we will turn inland to climb up to the Great Dividing Range to visit Jenny’s brother-in law in Stanthorpe (reputed to be the coldest place in Queensland).

We have found it more difficult to obtain reliable wireless internet connection so far in Australia.  Please excuse the infrequency of updates.

Friday 16^th May 2008

Ballina (56 Km).  A short drive to Byron Bay for a leisurely stroll along the beach, we can see why it is “a New Age laid-back organic fusion lifestyle” and why people come to “tune in, tune out, tone up and tan up”  with its beautiful long beach of pristine sand and safe bathing for all.  We then walked along the main street of  mostly boutiques, gift shops and cafes, before driving up to the Lighthouse and Nature Reserve.  A pleasant walk to the  lighthouse and the most Eastern Point on Australian mainland, and we followed the cliff path looking for the marine life that frequents this area.  No Sperm Whale (bit to early in the year) but we did see a  pod of Dolphins, a large Stingray and a big shoal of fish all just below us.  We continued towards our overnight stop at Ballina, pausing for a coffee at Pat Moreton Lookout near Lennox Head, watching the tandem hand-gliding (yes I did fancy a go) then we were fascinated by a White-bellied Sea Eagle getting very close to one of the hand-glider’s (perhaps he/she thought it had found a mate).  We have  had a problem with the web-site and contacted  the help-line in Nottingham hopefully we will be able to sort it out before to long, however there may still be errors, please let us know if you spot any.

Saturday 17^th May 2008

This is such a good campsite we have decided to stop a extra day, which has enabled us to have a good sort of our equipment, clothes etc which we hopefully will leave at Jenny’s brother-in-laws and collect again next January.  We can confidently leave at Ken’s the cold weather clothes that we needed to take to America and New Zealand, also some of the equipment and utensils that were supplied with the motorhome which are superfluous to our requirements i.e. mixing bowls and microwave dishes. It will make a difference to the storage in the motorhome in that there will be more room for the wine!  After lunch we had hoped to go for a swim in the pool but the weather has turned cloudy and windy so instead we had a round of crazy golf.  I won by 6 and finished 14 over par, so Tiger Woods has nothing to fear.  The last time I played was in Gran Canaria in 1998 with our son Michael so my excuse was I was a bit rusty. Jenny had no excuse she was just hopeless.  We have had a right humdinger of a storm tonight but that has cleared away, the wind has dropped and there are a zillion stars in view.  As we are definitely travelling to the Great Dividing Range tomorrow we hope that the weather stays fine.  Also it will be our last day in New South Wales until December when we will be returning along this coast over Christmas and New Year.

Tenterfield (274 Km).  The first thing this morning was to “hopefully”  be successful in publishing the website.  We think there was a restriction on the ISP in Australia and we were unable to see our own updates from here, ironically there was no such problem in the UK, which caused some confusion.  We have now driven up to the Great Dividing Range and are staying in the Granite Belt, the weather whilst sunny is distinctively colder in fact they had snow just 54 kilometres away last night.  This is also the area for vineyards and stone fruit so hopefully we should be able to buy both at a reasonable price.  We had intended to camp at the NSW National Park at Bald Rock camping ground about 26 kilometres away from Tenterfield but the cost was ridiculous, $10 each for camping and $7 for parking, this for no electric or showers.  By the look of the comments in the visitors book a lot of people were disgruntled at the price and I put my “four penny’s worth” on as well, we eventually camped at a small campsite in Tenterfield with all facilities for $20 with hot showers and electricity.

All images on this website are copyright of Alan and Jennifer Morris and may not be used without prior written permission.