Rain , Golf & pizza at the Tavern

After a soaking yesterday , we awake to very light rain just barely making a noise on the roof . The birds then went berserk , so it was time to get up and face the day - it was 7:15am after all .
 The ground was still wet as , so after breaky , we headed down to Blackhead Beach - about 1 klm from where we are staying - driving up onto the headland . It had started to rain again as we left the caravan park , and was now bucketing down again . The sea looked amazing - a grey colour , from the rain hitting the water and the overcast conditions , and a good swell rolling in .

 We stayed there for a while , as the rain eased , then stopped briefly - time enough for a few photos , before starting again . There were patches of sunlight hitting the water out to sea , in amongst all the grey cloud and gloom . We had a look at the back beach from the ute , and then drove back to the headland as a sea eagle was doing its best work , ridge soaring around the headland .

 I received a phone call while we were there , and organised to meet our friend Alan at 10am back at the RV , so we took a couple of more photos and headed back .

  Time disappeared while we talked , and before Alan left , we had organised some golf for the afternoon - seemed a bit impossible given the weather , but it worked out nicely , without a drop falling while we played .  

 Lyn went for a walk , did some aqua aerobics , and did some reading whilst I was away . Dinner was organised for the night also - we headed down to the Tavern ( about a 500m walk away ) - tonight was pizza night $13.50 for a medium size , and the choice of about 15 varieties - good value and we were told they are the best pizzas !!! Well , I can fully recommend them - probably the best pizza we have eaten - the base wasn't too thick and the topping was about 15mm thick - awesome !! The company was great as well , with Alan & Di , and Bruce & Elaine . They all came back to the RV for a look - and were impressed !! Thank you all for the best wishes & happy travels .

 Well that's your lot for today . Here is your map link -

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zPuFw54ZmdQs.kwJRZKm8-30

See you tomorrow .

Travel day - up to Hallidays Point

Well , it had to happen didn't it , we woke to the gentle sound of very light rain on the roof . I guess you can't always have fine weather - but we would prefer it !!!! The rain then stopped .
 Anyway , it was moving day , time for pack up and hit the road - we were going to be travelling huge distances , up hill , down hill - alright it was only up to just past Forster , so it wasn't a large day by any means - only a couple of hours drive .
 Lyn decided she was driving today , so she did after I got us out of the caravan park ( it was rather tight in a few spots , and it involved cutting across the grass on one corner , as it was a ridiculously tight corner with a huge gum tree growing right on the inside apex of the corner ).
 We made it back out to the highway with no bother , and started heading north again . There were a lot of caravans heading south - we must have seen at least 40 or more - did they know something that we didn't ?????
 It was time for a stop after we had passed Buladelah to stretch the legs etc . At the rest stop we got talking to a couple on their way to Point Plummer for 2 weeks - he works at Ulan coal mine near Mudgee - so I ask him does he know Hayden Smith ( for those of you who don't know who I'm talking about , I used to work with Hayden at Moss Vale ) , and surprise , surprise , he is on the shift that follows Haydens .
 Back to the highway and not much longer we turned off again , reaching our new residence for the next few days , just after 12 noon .
 Lunch done , it was time to head in to Forster to do the shopping . It was starting to rain and as we headed into Forster it started to pour down . By the time we got there , it had stopped again . Shopping done we headed back and as we arrived it started to rain again and hasn't stopped since .
 So todays photos are some from Moss Vale and the Wingecarribee River near Cecil Hoskins Reserve

This water lily flower was the size of a 5 cent piece

This is our location map link - https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zPuFw54ZmdQs.kmcYki21scVE

 Hopefully the camera will get some use tomorrow . Cheers

A Lazy Sunday

I know , it's getting boring but , it's another glorious day with very little breeze at the moment . Breakfast done , it was out in the kayak . We paddled east today , past quite a few moored yachts , and motor cruisers on the way to Lemon Tree Passage township .

 We made our way around the end of the peninsular , toward the marina , it was a pleasant paddle , meandering our way through all the moored boats . There were nice shiny new motor cruisers and sailing yachts , as well as many older versions , all in a different state of repair . The paint on some of them was all that was holding them together . Continuing on , we past the boat ramp and picked up a length of 75 x 50 x 1m section of pine , that was floating along - would have made a nice dent in a speed boat or fishing boat at speed . We paddled out past more oyster leases before turning and heading back . The sun certainly still has some bite in it , even through some high cloud .

  As we passed around the end , the breeze started to pick up and gave us some assistance on the final leg . It was even better after we stopped , as the breeze started to really pick up and white caps started forming on the wind swell .

 The only down side to paddling in salt water is the clean up afterwards , but it was a good drying day  and most of it was done before lunch . A nice bbq lunch was in order as we didn't feel inclined to get into the ute today .

 After cleaning up lunch we had a swim in the rather large pool - not for too long - the water temperature was 24 degrees , and it didn't feel terribly warm . We chatted to an Irish lady & her husband and 3 children for a while as we warmed up again . 

  We watched people packing up and leaving , which keeps us amused - we like to people watch - and I'm afraid the cricket is on , so thats it for today - a very relaxed day in paradise !!

 I've included the google map link again - just move your cursor over the line below this and it will pop up . Cheers Lyn & Alan 

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zPuFw54ZmdQs.kRmdrlLYyLco

Another day in paradise

Hi , again we wake to a beautiful day , a light breeze blowing across the water . You can't help but be relaxed in this environment - today was no different !!  Breakfast and some jobs completed , we headed over to Nelson Bay .
First stop was Gan Gan Lookout - recently done up - and with 360 degree views - very impressive . We thought the view from Tomaree Headland was pretty spectacular - this one was better and higher and you can drive to the top , rather than having to hike up to it . We spent some time soaking in the view from Karuah in the west , Hawks Nest and up the coast to the northeast , out to Tomaree Headland and Shoal Bay to the east , and down Stockton Beach to Newcastle in the southwest . I ended up taking some photos for a Canadian couple - who also took a couple of us .

There we are with Tomaree Headland on the right side of Lyn

  Off down the hill again , and out to Shoal Bay - time for a bike ride - parking near the entrance to the walk up Tomaree Headland , we rode along the foreshore , then around to Zenith Beach . The gum trees weren't very tall , but made up for that in spread , with branches stretching out at all angles. 

Continuing on, we rode along the foreshore to the end of the path , turned around and back to the ute . The bike track isn't much more than a slightly wider than average path - we went to the end and came back , loading up before heading to Corlette for some lunch .

  Grabbing a fishermans basket , we headed to a park beside the water . It was really good as well !! We decided it was time for another ride , so back to the bikes and off to Nelson Bay on the bike track that followed the shoreline.

Both photos are of Corlette Beach

Entrance to Port Stephens

  We rode past the marina and onward to the rugby fields and back , before heading back to the RV for a well earned beer and snacks . 

We got talking to a red headed guy about 30 years old , who told us he worked at a mine in Singleton, and was planning a trip into the centre of Australia . We mentioned that we met a guy (Mark) in Narooma , who had just done a trip across the high country in his silver landcruiser , same as ours , wouldn't you know it , they work together !!!

 Here is a link to another map of todays activities - 

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zPuFw54ZmdQs.khG-pI10x47g

Cleaning day & Family catch up

Hi there , very little to report today , as we do the cleaning , washing and visit an uncle . The camera didn't fire a shot in anger ( didn't get picked up , except for being put in the ute and put back in the RV).
 So , due to popular demand I will post some photos from previous trips for your viewing pleasure .

 Wilsons Promontory

Lord Howe Island lagoon looking toward Mt Eliza 

 Catch up tomorrow , Bye

Lemon Tree Passage - Water , Walk & Wildlife

Hello everyone ,
 We awoke to a beautiful morning , allowing us to put the jumpers back in the drawer and revel in the warmth . It was forecast for 26 degrees today , but only got to 29 . We decided to have a cruise sort of day and go for a paddle up Tilligerry Creek . It was 9:15 am and low tide , so we had to carry the kayak about 20m from the bank to get to the water . There is a large oyster growing industry here , with boats whizzing back & forth in & out of the leases . There is an oyster business next door to us and they have at least 20 boats there . Paddling further past many oyster beds , we had sea eagles and many other birds flying past .

 We crossed to the other side of the creek - which was about 200m - and paddled amongst the leases again . There were different types and styles - some flat , some in hanging baskets and some very old and dilapidated ones that are falling apart . We paddled about 4.5klms over about 1.5hrs . Back to the RV , we hosed everything down and then had a swim in the pool - a bit cool at 23 degrees - but was quite nice . Lunch was next , before heading down to the township of Lemon Tree Passage and Tanilba Bay .

 Lemon Tree Passage 

Tanilba Bay

  We drove around checking out Tanilba Bay - a nice quiet little place with some lovely views west back toward Karuah and north toward North Arm Cove .
 Then we found the Tanilba Bay Boardwalk , that followed the shoreline for a kilometre or so , through a paperbark and gum tree forest with ferns and soft grasses covering the ground . Some of the paperbarks were falling into the bay through erosion around their roots . They are still growing , with the roots holding on to what ever piece of land they can .

 We discovered one of the locals having a rest above us .

  

  That done , we did a little shopping ( 6 bananas ) - I did say little !! and headed back for a quiet beer and some cheese & biscuits . Then some people watching - its interesting to watch all the different people in motorhomes & caravans & tents , set themselves up .

  I will include a link to a google map , so you can see where we are and where we went - hopefully it works - if it doesn't , please let me know .

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zSA1GSj_-Er8.kW9yan-IweuU

 Cheers Alan & Lyn

And we're off !!!

 The day has finally arrived , we have been practicing for the last 4 weeks - knowing we had to come back to Moss Vale to tidy up loose ends before we could head off .
 We awake to a sunny blue sky , the rain clouds have disappeared , things are looking up . The realisation of our plans has come along and smacked us in the face , and it didn't hurt a bit !!!!
 Breakfast done , we continue with packing up and getting ready , having a chat with Steve ,
 ( volunteer worker at the show ground , and likes a chat ) , we hitched up and went across to empty the tanks before leaving . That done , we headed off at 10:45 am , the smiles were getting wider & wider . We passed Maddy on Berrima Rd on the way out of town . Lyn commented as we drove onto the freeway - " is there enough room in the ute for us both " we were smiling so much - just a tad happy to be on the way .
 Enough of the happiness for the moment , the drive to Sydney was easy , without any dramas , onto the the M7 and the police were out in force - we saw 12 highway patrol cars between Campbelltown and the M2 .
 Onto Pennant Hills Rd , and expected the traffic to be terrible - well wasn't that a surprise , the traffic was quite reasonable . We stayed in the middle lane and didn't get a red light until we got to Beecroft Rd , and only got a couple more after that - amazing !!! We were on the M1 motorway before we knew it , getting messages telling us that the motorway was closed at Mooney Mooney Bridge and to expect delays - oh good , this will be fun . We stopped at Hawkesbury River for lunch / loo break , and thought that would give them some more time to clear the accident . Back on the road , it wasn't long before we reached the Mount White turnoff , where we had to take the detour , so off we went like good little campers . As we turned at the intersection , we noticed a semitrailer doing a U turn and heading back to the highway - I think we should have done the same , but I didn't want to get stuck on the freeway if it was still closed - as it turned out we had a very scenic diversion for about 30 kms before we got back onto the freeway at Somersby interchange .
 Trundling on we decided to go to Lemon Tree Passage and stay there for the next 3 or 4 nights . We have got a reasonable sort of site - check the photos . It turns out we stayed here in 2008 , when we were coming back from our trip to Carnarvon Gorge - it was our last night away on that trip , now its the first night away on this trip !!

  Stay tuned for more tomorrow , Cheers.

It all starts tomorrow !!!!!

 Well , the holiday is over , tomorrow it all starts for real .
Today has been a funny day , weather wise , we've had an inch of rain .
 Lyn has taken her mother & grandmother shopping .
 I've been out to where I used to work - isn't that a surreal experience !! - seeing everyone that I used to work with . I will certainly miss many people  , thanks to all for the well wishes and safe travels .
 Mixed feelings are certainly the order of the day - on one hand happy to be leaving Moss Vale and get away from the cold to start our adventure , on the other sad , to be leaving behind all our friends  - we will still be friends , just a bit more distance between us all .
 Another find that I had today - wait for it - a DENTIST that told me that anything he does shouldn't hurt !!!! and if it did to tell him straight away ---- it didn't , except when I had to pay the bill !!
 The needle , I didn't feel - the grinding and filling I could - but it didn't hurt -- and for anyone who doesn't know , I hate dentists !!!!
The dentist was  Dr A Nikgoo at 163 Argyle St Moss Vale - opposite the Isuzu and Kia dealership - okay , there's a free plug for him .
  Right , tomorrow is moving day , off northward to the central coast or Nelsons Bay area , whatever takes our fancy .
 More news etc , to come , Stay Tuned .

Travel day back to Moss Vale

Hi people , todays instalment - not a lot to report , but here we go .
  We were woken early this morning by rain - always good on pack up day !!!! There was thunder and lightning and rain , the enthusiasm was a little low , but we got everything done -- 1st pack up in the rain - this will be fun .
 We had breakfast to let the storm cell pass through , so we could get a chance to dry things off a bit . One problem with slide out sections - when they are wet , all that moisture comes in when you bring the slide in .
  Solution - wipe things down with a chamois prior to bringing the slides in . Also lower some of the support jacks to create a slope on the slides so that water runs off , worked a treat !!!!
 The radar was showing the rain was easing and there was a good gap for us to get packed up in , so we did , and we were again packed up in no time , and hitched up ready to go . Checks done , lights working , off we go . The rain came and went , we got more showers along the way , all the way to Marulan , where we stopped for a loo break . Lyn parked us in between a couple of trucks - just so you can get a bit of an idea of how small we are .

 Feeling a lot more comfortable , we continued on to Moss Vale , back to the show ground for a week, before heading off on the big one .

 The blog will probably have a rest for the week while we get some important stuff sorted out . It will be a busy week , with people to see , documents to sign and officially cease work this Friday , Yahoo. Must say , I think we have eased ourselves into this retirement thing quite smoothly , but only time will tell - we will keep working hard at it !!!! 

 We will be catching up with some of you over the next few days , we are looking forward to that !!!!

Stay tuned , we will be back.

Canberra War Memorial

Woken by the birds again - Sulphur Crested Cockatoos today . A bit remiss of me , I forgot to mention the birds down the coast for the last 3 weeks - we were waking to the sound of Bellbirds tinkling away in the trees surrounding us nearly every morning - it was quite nice !!!
 Todays little journey was to the War Memorial , we hadn't been for over 20 years , so things are bound to have changed a little . Just as we walked up the steps , we heard a drum and marching - some airforce and army soldiers were there for their Tuesday practice session - presumably getting ready for Anzac Day . They were coming out of the tomb of the unknown soldier , down the steps - one step at a time , with the 2nd foot stamping loudly on the step , before continuing to the next , then marching either side of the water feature , before coming together in pairs and going through the entrance arch . All very impressive !!!

 With that finished we headed inside and started looking at the WW1 section , and it all became very sombre - it's still hard to imagine how difficult it must have been for all the soldiers that had to go to war . We looked at one of the displays of Gallipoli and saw the work done by one of the Australian submarines to infiltrate behind enemy lines , go through floating , semi submerged mine fields and create chaos for the enemy ships , until they had problems and surfaced without wanting to - they were shot at and knowing the submarine couldn't continue , the captain scuttled the sub and sank it so the enemy couldn't get their hands on it . They were then captured and held prisoner - of which , 4 men died in custody . 

 Continuing on , we went to the aviation exhibit - G for George - Lancaster Bomber , Spitfires , Sopwith Camel biplanes , the first jets ( German pilots were either very brave or didn't get a lot of choice )- some had wheels to take off with , then they came off and they had to land on a skid section of the underside of the jet ( the comment was - the germans killed more of their own pilots than the allied forces ).

G for George

Sopwith Camel

 We then checked out the Japenese 2 man sub that was caught in Sydney Harbour .

 We had been wandering around for over 2 hours and decided that was enough for today , as there were several groups of school kids on excursions and it was getting a bit hectic . The best way to visit here would be to do it over several days , covering one war or period at a time . Before leaving we headed to the tomb of the unknown soldier .

You can say a lot of things about Canberra , but they did organise it very precisely .

 It was lunch time , so we headed off to Weston Park for lunch and picked a spot beside the lake . All the parks and gardens are really quite drought affected at the moment , trees are suffering from lack of water . 

 The decision was made to go for another ride , rather than a paddle , so off to Belconnen and a ride around Lake Ginninderra - about 7 klms ,with an extra 4 klms from a little diversion added . This ride wasn't as nice as the ride around the main lake yesterday , but still a good ride . 

  Todays activities over , it was back to the RV to retrieve the washing and some cheese & biscuits , yes and a beer !!! 

 See you tomorrow.

Shopping Day and a 14klm bike ride around the lake

 Time to restock and put some weight back into the RV , after leaving the shopping for a day , so we could come up Brown Mountain a bit easier . After getting organised and going into Civic ( centre of Canberra ) and realising we couldn't park the ute within cooee of any of the supermarkets - all the multi storey car parks have a height limit of 1.9m - we are just a bit above 2.1m - so we weren't getting into any of them . Decision made , we were off to Majura Shopping Park near the airport - we could park there , get fuel , get beer and get food . And a good thing it was - diesel was $1.24.7 at Woolworths Petrol , the beer was $5 off , and we managed to get enough food to feed us for a week for $150 - All is good in our world .
 Back to the RV to unpack & have lunch before heading back to the lake for a ride . We parked near the Carilion ( bell tower ) , and started riding out toward the airport , following the Molonglo River , past the canoe club and around to the wetlands at the eastern end of Lake Burley Griffin , before heading to the new multi storey apartments at Kingston . There are new apartments , with shopping and restaurants and bars and some canal frontage ( so you can park your boat there of course ).
 Onwards past Manuka and around to the main lake in front of the Supreme Court , stopping to admire the view and take the mandatory photos - you have all probably seen them before - but not here , so here they are .

 Eastern end of Lake Burley Griffin looking at the Carilion

 The War Memorial - Of course

 We continued on to the west around the edge of the lake , going past commonwealth bridge , and around toward the yacht club , to sit and admire the views for a while . We then headed back and stopped at the Beijing Peace Garden - this is hidden behind numerous trees & gardens and a place we had ridden past many times over the years and had never seen it . The photos speak for themselves -

The sculptures are carved out of marble and there are also metal sculptures as well , near the main archway there are two carved lions on pedestals - presumably guarding the entranceway . 

 Off down the track again and over Commonwealth Bridge , then back under it on the northern side of the lake , riding along the lakeside back to the ute . Another photo stop - should recognise this one -

The Opera House - no don't be silly , Parliament House of course !!

 Back to the RV to construct our pizzas for tea , and perhaps a little bit of chilli salsa & a beer .

Till tomorrow , Bye for now .

From the coast to Canberra via Brown Mountain

 Hello , had some light rain overnight - probably didn't last more than 5 mins though , and certainly wasn't enough to keep the dust down .
 Unfortunately it was pack up day , we will miss the peace and quiet of this park - but we can always come back and discover more treats that this area has to offer .
 Today we headed up the Great Dividing Range to Cooma then on to Canberra . The drive from Kalaru to Bega was easy , then to Bemboka was the start of the climbing - uphill , downhill , winding roads through the valley before the big climb came . We haven't driven this road for about 12 years and had forgotten most of it . There is a constant climb , lots of winding steep corners , through an amazing forest . The road is going to be closed from tomorrow ( Monday ) for at least a week , to do some major drainage work about half way up . The landcruiser handled it well , with the temperature gauge not moving from its normal running position , although we did have to go back to first gear on one section , there were a few opportunities to ease off on the side of the road and let the traffic behind get past - so we did . Finally reaching the lookout near the top , we pulled over and went for a walk , the temperature was a wonderful 14 degrees , but there is a great lookout and a 250m loop walk , oh , and a toilet .
 The view is looking out over Bemboka and the valley below towards Bega - on a clear day you can see the ocean - today however we could see it was raining where we had come from - fortunately for us , we had packed up and headed off before it started to rain , only getting a few light spits of rain further up the road .
 The gum trees stretched 30 to 40 metres above us - magnificent forest , tree ferns , ground ferns and a myriad of other plants & trees .

 While on the loop walk , an American tourist offered to take a photo of us , so we took up the offer .

 We jumped back into the ute to warm up - felt like we had jumped into an oven . Off up the road again , only to find that the climbing uphill continued for a bit longer yet . We got to Nimmitabel and saw the height above sea level was 1070m , then we kept climbing , up to 1110m , before levelling out , then slowly descending to Cooma , where we had some lunch , at a balmy 16 degrees with a wind chill of about 4 degrees - so it felt cool . 

 The clouds started to part and the sun was starting to warm things up - 24 degrees by the time we got to Canberra . There was quite a bit of traffic on the way to Canberra with a fair few idiots that couldn't wait for the 200m till we got to the overtaking lanes , so they passed anyway . Then there were the motorbikes that zoomed passed , then stopped , then pulled out in front of us , then stopped again , then overtook again - anyway we survived the dramas okay .

 We are here for a few days before heading back to Moss Vale on Thursday .

Cheers

Ben Boyd National Park

Hi guys & gals , we're back . We finally got internet at the RV so there's no jealousy involved with todays location . Having said that , the park we are in is wonderfully quiet - we back onto bush and the park is having a quiet period as well .

 Todays drive was down past Pambula to Ben Boyd National park to check out the Pinnacles . The washing was hung out and we got organised . Driving past Merimbula & Pambula , the traffic virtually disappeared and we had the road to ourselves . Weather was beautiful with a clear blue sky and warming up nicely after a cool morning . Finding Haycocks Rd , we turned off onto a reasonably good dirt road , then into the turnoff to the Pinnacles . It was only a 1 klm loop walk , and there was only one other vehicle parked there , so off we went down the track , down quite a few steps and onto a well used sandy track through very wind blown low coastal shrubbery , before coming across our first view of the Pinnacles . The colours were spectacular with the ocean in the background - I will let the photos speak for themselves .

 We toddled back to the car , discovering we had gone the long way first , as the 400m walk back took no time at all . Just so you know we are both still here , here is a photo .

 Okay , okay , back to the interesting stuff , we continued on out to Haycock Point - about 5klms down the track , and found a nice picnic area for some lunch .

 Lunch done , we wandered off up to Haycocks Point , where the wind had picked up enough to remove your hats very easily . Views again were terrific looking back to Merimbula , and looking at Haystack Rock .

 Merimbula in the distance - middle of photo

Haystack Rock

Looking back toward The Pinnacles

 We headed back to Merimbula to do some shopping and check the emails etc while we had service . We parked at the Lions Club Lookout in the shade . Here is a photo we took later yesterday - the colours in the water and sand are quite amazing .

Looking from Merimbula toward Ben Boyd National Park

Back to camp to take care of the chores again - check wheel nuts , check air pressures , check the oil , empty tanks , get the washing in , and have some salsa & doritos and a nice cold beer .  Well , that's your lot for today - more photo's than writing today . Tomorrow we will be heading for Canberra - up Brown Mountain to Cooma , then onwards to the national capital .

 Bye