Kempsey to Sydney via Hunter Valley

Tuesday we drove to Forster (which the Australians pronounce Foster). Saw a caravan park as we drove over the bridge so this is where we stayed. Walked up the hill behind he park, turned round and admired the view:



Then turn the other way for the views of the beach....


and breakwater


Thursday, we set off reasonably early and drove about 30 km to Pacific Palms. Set up camp then went back a few kms to Green Cathedral. It is a church set among the palm trees on the waters edge. The pews are hewn out of tree trunks





The altar is made from stones. The lectern is also natural wood on a pole.

Then off to sugarloaf lighthouse. The coastline here is certainly very rugged.


The lighthouse itself is not very tall as it is on a high cliff.


The walk to the lighthouse is also quite a climb


But the view from the top was well worth it



Next, on to the Hunter Valley. Just HAD to make a visit to Singleton to see the world's largest sun dial


We were there just before 1 pm. The sun shadow shows just before midday (but we have to add an hour for daylight saving)


We drove on to a place called Broke and as it was our wedding anniversary decided to have lunch at a local winery. We chose Nightingale winery, where we were spoiled with appropriate silver service and extra sparkling wine.
In fact we liked their wine so much we returned the next morning and bought a bulk supply at very reasonable rates.


Above view is what we saw from our table on the restaurant verandah.
Next we traveled to Sydney, passing by many vineyards. Had afternoon tea with one of Brandt's childhood compatriots from Te Mata.

Correction

The temperature in Kempsey on Saturday was 39 degrees not 30 as posted in my previous entry.

Kempsey

My tooth extraction healed well with no further complications.

On our way here we passed a truck that flicked a stone up onto the windscreen. That resulted in a large chip which consequently ran. Tuesday the guys from Port Macquarie arrived, took out the old windscreen and noticed that there was rust in the surrounds. So the car was taken to a local panel beater to remove the rust and the windscreen insertion delayed until Thursday.
Nevertheless we still found plenty to do to fill in our time.
Caravans were washed


Icecream shared


We seemed to have our own senior net meeting here


On Brian and Cheryl's last night with us here, Leonie made a Pav roll (delicious)


The evening entertainment was to play trains, which we have continued to do after the others left. It is a dominoes game and we all have our share of winning


The long train is the Mexican Train as more are able to build on it.

Saturday (yesterday) we went for a drive to the coast (South West Rocks and Hat Head)


We even witnessed the spreading of ashes of a long time surf life club member


In the above photo, the current surf life club members are just setting out. The long boat in the background carried the ashes and at the point of the spreading all oars were pointed to the sky. (we found all this out by asking the locals)
Our next stop was at Trial Bay to view the historic prison


Just to the right of the prison building is a lookout to sea.
We were standing there when almost simultaneously Jim and I decided that we'd seen the splash of a whale. That had us all closely scanning the sea and we saw quite a few whales firstly blowing their spout then leaping out of and splashing back into the water.

Then on to Hat Head






On our return to Kempsey the temperature change was very noticeable. In fact the top temp was 30degrees.
Next day, today, and the temperature is only predicted to reach 28... And I hear rain on the roof.

Where is the tooth fairy?

On our way South stayed two nights at Red Rock. The photos make it obvious as to why it is so named.














On Monday morning Jim and Leonie called in (having driven 2 1/2 hours) and got us out of bed. They maintain they woke us, but we were lying in bed watching the breakfast show.
We gave them a cup of coffee and sent them on their way. Tuesday afternoon they rang to say that they would expect us at Kempsey on Wednesday.

On arrival we found that another couple (also grey nomads) were also staying there for one night.

Thursday I felt a few twinges in the tooth that had been diagnosed by my NZ dentist as being cracked and treated accordingly. I thought it was just my sinuses causing the ache (something which had happened several times previously). However on Friday afternoon my cheek started to swell and by Saturday morning it was obvious that an emergency dash was required. Kempsey hospital gave me pain killers and antibiotic and said to go to a dentist on Monday. My hosts got on the phone and (thankfully) found an emergency dentist, in Port Macquarie, who could see me later that morning.
This required a 50km drive.
There was quite a lengthy wait as only one dentist was working that Saturday.
It was a very quick process and my tooth plus it's abscess was removed. Evidently it was the biggest abscess that that particular dentist (and his staff) had seen.
Brandt took my photo Saturday night (the swelling had gone down a little)


The good news is that I have not had to take much pain relief since.

Let's hope I do nothing more to myself this next week.

Heading South

Would you believe.....I've only taken one photo this week!

As we were passing through the Gold Coast we popped in to see our caravan dealer as we had a few questions to ask. Also some nuts and bolts to tighten. As well as that Brandt had decided that he was wrong to have said we didn't want external speakers on the caravan. So we had those installed too.

Now about the one and only photo.


This is the worst bruise I've had since I stopped playing netball.
We were at the caravan yard. Brandt was talking to one of the tradies and I just happened to have my hand in the caravan boot. Without looking (or noticing what I was doing) Brandt closed the boot - but I managed to withdraw my arm and come away with just a bit of skin off and this whopping bruise.
I thought I was very lenient in making his punishment the purchase of an electric jug, something we had been divided over since setting out. And I believe I was right all along. It boils much quicker than the whistling kettle on the only electric element we have on our stove, plus it turns itself off (no loud whistle beckoning) - pity it doesn't work on 12volts!

We did a bit of business at Gold Coast but didn't hang around, heading South and across the border into New South Wales.

Stopped for the weekend in a small place called Broadwater, just 25km south of Ballina. Went into Ballina, found where the Anglican church was, attended the 9.30 service and found that there was an Ultreya that afternoon, so after returning to camp and gathering up our Cursillo bits and pieces, headed back. They were delighted that we joined them and amazed that we had our Cursillo things with us on the road. Shows that Cursillo is universal.

Our Kempsey hosts called in on us on their way home this morning. They got a very early start as they had travelled from Coomera and got us out of bed. We were awake but just lying in watching the breakfast show. We will give them a couple of days before we get to their home.

Sneaky Grey Nomads

The purpose of us meeting up with Jim and Leonie was to make a surprise visit to our friend Della, who is bravely and positively fighting melanoma. A few weeks ago she had a scan and the doctors originally said that the melanoma had come back. The next day they changed their minds, and planned a bone scan for early October.
We decided that a surprise visit from us would cheer her up. We made contact with her husband via the business mobile phone and made arrangements.
Went to the Glass House mountains caravan park for Wednesday and Thursday nights, did our washing etc and hoped that we were not spotted in the township.
Husband told us that Della would be out Friday morning from 10 am and that he'd tell her to be home by midday to sign for a parcel.
We duly arrived while Della was out and set up our vans out the back of their property


At about 11.30 Della arrived home and drove round the back to unload the shopping, saw a van parked so continued up. Got out of her car and said, "what the **** **** are you people doing here! Get off my property! This is not a free camp for grey nomads!!"



But look what another computer literate grey nomad did to our photo


We had a lovely weekend with them. Talking, eating, laughing and the usual pikelets, pavlova, and this time trifle (except Brandt put double the amount of sherry. After all it was the first trifle he had made. Will put a better amount in next time.) as you can imagine we all ended up a bit giggly that night.
Was great to see Della and her husband Graeme completely relaxed.

On Sunday we were sent on a drive around the glass house mountains as they wanted to cook dinner for us (we hadnt let them provide any food for the first two days)
At a lookout I spied what I thought was a wonderful father with his young daughter together taking a photo of the view. She was encouraged to move the camera to her preferred snot and shown where the button was etc. I just couldn't help myself. I just HAD to take a photo....


...and at their request, emailed the photo to them.

Monday, being Queens Birthday in Queensland, we left and went down the road a little and camped for the night, having heard the truckies talking about how bad and slow the traffic was on the Southern route into Brisbane.