Hi there , we're back , finally made it down the mountains to the coast . Stopped overnight in Grafton , catching up with Mark & Wendy in Grafton , we had a great afternoon evening with them . Dinner was at the Crown Hotel , it was quite good but exxy , due to the public holiday rates .
Next day we headed down to Stuarts Point and caught up with Meredith for a few days , before ending up at Taree Showgrounds for a week to catch up with Maree & Kevin and collect the parcels that were building up . Alan & Di were another couple of catch ups , as well as Joe & Tracey . Plenty of eating out seems to be happening , but we did get out & about a little . The Manning River flooded last year during Winter and caused a lot of damage - there are still visible clues to show how high the water was at Taree - logs on top of the concrete piers !
This is an old farmhouse that was removed from its foundations - you can see that the water was nearly to the top of the door and windows .
This is Bays Hill Lookout , looking back toward Wingham .
Over at Wingham the damage bill was enormous , this is the Bight Bridge and 4 sections of the roadway have been swept away - you can see them in the water and partially covered in gravel . This bridge has been here for a long time and withstood many , many floods - but nothing like the ferocity of last years event .
Another day was absorbed with catching up with Matt & Mel - an old workmate from Mittagong , who just happened to be holidaying at Forster . After a few hours of chatting , we headed of for a bite to eat at 2nd Head Lookout . These rocks are on the way down to Pebbly Beach .
This is Bennets Head and is a great viewpoint over the water , really good for spotting some of the resident dolphins as well . That's Rocky Beach where the people are swimming .
This is the broader view from 2nd Head LO .
Down at Pebbly Beach
On the way back to Taree , we went out to Old Bar & Wallaby Point for a look . Wow haven't things changed out here since our last visit , hundreds of new houses , people & cars . This is just the beach .
We continued on our drive down the coast , concerned about how busy getting through Sydney would be . Another Wow , getting down to Newcastle and seeing all the new work around Raymond Terrace - it will be a great improvement !!
Inching closer to Sydney , we were surprised to see the fuel filter light coming on , we pulled over at Cowan and changed it - it would've been fine to continue on , but the last thing I wanted was to be pulled over on the side of the motorway or tunnel , it gave us a small break before hitting the major traffic .
Back onto the highway , we were at Hornsby in no time , with Google giving us directions on where to go . Next minute we were in the North Connex tunnel , shortly after we were on the M2 -Wow , how easy was that !!!! M7 next and then across Picton Rd and down to our friends John & Leonie for a few days . It was an expensive way to go , but worth every cent - we crossed Sydney and never saw a traffic light !! Going down the Hume hwy was an eye opener , so much building has happened in the last 3 years since our last visit , especially in Menangle and Wilton .
More to come 👍
