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East Coast Australia

febrero - mayo 2019
  • Walshies Down Under
  • Jenny Walsh
Travelling up the East Coast of Australia with our Campervan in tow. Leer más
  • Walshies Down Under
  • Jenny Walsh

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  • East Coast Australia
    11

    Possum heads home as we hit Blue Mtns

    26 de febrero de 2019, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Your usual blogger (aka Steve) is under the weather so the back up has been called in... It was time to leave our little slice of heaven and head further north and west; back to the mountains.

    DRIVE: Jervis Bay to Katoomba via Shellharbour (269km).
    Getting the hang of the pack up now so we were on the road early; or maybe it was the extra pair of hands? A stop at Shellharbour for brunch before we dropped Possum/Jaime at Wollongong station. We’re pretty sure she was heading south but we didn’t actually see her board the train to the airport!! Leaving the coast behind us, we headed up and over Mt Keira and worked our way around the outskirts of Sydney. Lots of double B trucks and a couple of rogue bus drivers to deal with!! Wound our way through Glenbrook, Blaxland, Faulconbridge (home to Norman Lindsay, author of the lovely children’s book, The Magic Pudding), Wentworth Falls, Leura and finally into Katoomba.

    CAMP SITE: Katoomba Falls Tourist Park / Blue Mountains NSW.
    (Almost) Full set up for the first time as we’re on a powered site. You know what that means - microwave, air conditioning/heating, Nespresso machine... Now Steve’s in heaven... Didn’t set up the TV though - almost two weeks now without. Great location; across from Scenic World (OMG, I’ve never seen so many tour buses) & a short walk to the famous Three Sisters. You’ll have to wait to find out why they’re famous. Tidy, well-maintained camp with good amenities and sites. And more motorhomes than at a caravan show!!

    While Steve took a koala nap, I did a quick explore around Leura Cascades, ending up at Rooster restaurant drinking in the view (& a cheeky splash). A low key evening - some solo Bananagrams & Rummikub for Jenny; zzz’s for Steve :)

    WILDLIFE
    Koala having a nap...    Leer más

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  • East Coast Australia
    21

    The Three Sisters

    27 de febrero de 2019, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    So here’s a tip - don’t go anywhere near the Three Sisters and Echo Point until after 5pm. The crowds have gone by then and the parking’s free :)
    And just why are they called the Three Sisters? According to Gundungurra Dreaming, three beautiful sisters named Meehni, Wimlah and Gunnedoo fell in love with three brothers from a neighbouring nation, the Dharruk people. As marriage was strictly forbidden by tribal law, the brothers decided to take the sisters by force. Tribal war forced the Kuradjuri (clever man) of the Gundungurra people to turn the sisters into stone. He intended to restore them after the war ended but, you guessed it, he was killed in the battle and to this day nobody has been able to break the spell. The Three Sisters watch over the beautiful Jamison Valley; home to a myriad of beautiful walks, including National Pass.

    So, yes, we popped on over to see the Three Sisters late in the day, having restocked our supplies after a “Possum” ate them all, and done the laundry...

    Also got our waterfall fix today at both Katoomba and Wentworth Falls, although not much water flowing over them. And of course, if you want to walk to the bottom of a waterfall, you’ve got to walk back up!!! It’s also well worth just meandering through the back streets of the little towns and villages in the Blue Mountains. Wentworth Falls has some lovely real estate, including one on the market now - The Falls House - if you’ve got a cool $3 million...

    WILDLIFE
    Yellow-crested cockatoo    Leer más

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  • East Coast Australia

    The Walls Lookout and Bilpin Cider

    28 de febrero de 2019, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    We followed Jaime’s advice today, leaving the tourists behind us and headed for the northern side of the Blue Mountains. Archibald Bell, with help from the indigenous at the time, found a new way across the mountains and it became known as the Bells Line of Road, or The Botanist’s Way.

    Jaime had been staying over that way on her east coast adventure and told us about a great lookout and a cider orchard. We hit both!!

    The 1.2km walk into Wall’s Lookout ends in sheer cliffs overlooking Grose Valley. We hung around here (sometimes literally) for quite a while as we had the place to ourselves. It was great to explore and the panoramic was awesome.

    Feeling a bit peckish and thirsty, we continued along the road to Bilpin Cider where we did a tasting and feasted on fantastic apple pie (Steve) & brownie (Jen) with cream. Bought a 6 pack to take with us (cider, not pies & brownies!!).

    Quick stops at the Botanic Gardens at Mt Tomah (the only ones within the boundaries of a national park) and the Hydro Majestic Hotel before we took our own advice and re-visited the Three Sisters after 5pm. This time we walked down the Giant Stairway to the Honeymoon Bridge.

    WILDLIFE: Lyrebird, (some sort of) reptiles, marsupial mouse, echidna.    Leer más

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  • East Coast Australia
    11

    A Local Secret, Patonga Beach

    1 de marzo de 2019, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Another moving day today but downhill all the way from the Blue Mountains to a hidden gem in the northern beaches of Sydney.

    DRIVE: Katoomba to Patonga (174km)
    We managed to hit 13.6 lites per 100km, our lowest fuel usage to date (won’t last) as we coasted down from the Blue Mountains applying soft breaks occasionally to slow “The Lem” down. That is of course until we hit the outskirts of Sydney. It was absolute madness trying to get through the western suburbs to head north up the coast and it took about an hour to go 20 kilometres.

    We made it though to Patonga Beach, another treasure of the east coast and a secret spot for locals to enjoy camping with the family. Patonga Beach is right at the mouth of the Hawkesbury River and in the middle of the Brisbane Waters National Park. Why does Sydney have a NP called Brisbane?

    CAMPSITE: Patonga Camping Ground / site 33
    Patonga Camping Ground has beach on one side and tidal creek on the other - perfect for kayaking. Site 33 is shaded by a lovely tall gum tree and 10m away from launching the kayaks. Being the last weekend of summer (technically, the first of autumn actually), the camp is full. There are kids everywhere - lots of shouting, laughing and bike stacks; just what summer camping should be all about.

    The tide was flowing into the creek in the afternoon so we took the kayaks out and rode the waves at the entrance into the open sea. This was fun as we managed to take on board enough sea water to sink the Titanic and although still technically afloat, we were pretty much sitting in a pool of water with our kayaks barely above sea level. After bailing some ballast, we turned inland and drifting down the creek with the current.

    Patonga is mostly beach shacks and holiday homes and some of the properties are on the other side of the creek so locals need a tinny to get to them. It does have a fantastic bar/restaurant called The Boat House which is vibrant and busy all day long. We sat there late afternoon with a wine/beer & some beer battered chips for a very leisurely end to the day.

    WILDLIFE:
    Bush turkey, pelicans    Leer más

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  • East Coast Australia
    21

    An Espresso Stop On The Great North Walk

    2 de marzo de 2019, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    This morning, we woke to the sound of a duck being chased around the campsite by a willing but incapable bunch of campers. The duck had netting caught on its right foot and the chase was on to corner it and free it from its shackles. Now ducks are well smart and this one just knew how to “duck and weave” to evade all attempts at being caught. It’s was like the closing scene of The Benny Hill Show as the procession of campers got bigger and the chase went from campsite to campsite.

    It’s quite humid already so we packed our hiking bags so that we can do an early morning hike from Patonga Beach on part of the Great North Walk.

    The Great North Walk is an iconic 250km multi day (10) hike between Sydney and Newcastle. We are doing a small but steep section offering stunning views of Patonga Beach, Brisk Bay and the mouth of the Hawkesbury River. At the head of the Bay on the opposite side lies Palm Beach, a popular retreat from Sydney and the location for the filming of Home and Away. You can get a ferry from Patonga for $20 return but limited shuttle times.

    Part way through our hike, we stopped for a break and I made a fresh, hot espresso with my hiking Nanopresso machine (see video). Bliss.

    After learning how to almost sink a kayak yesterday, we got a bit more adventurous and kayaked to a near by cove from Patonga Beach in the afternoon. I tried catching a wave back in and looked good for a fleeting moment until the front of the kayak decided to go for a dive... 10 out of 10 for style. The tide was on its way out so on our return, we ditched the vessels, jumped in and peacefully floated down the creek towards open sea.

    It’s been a day of sun, sea and activity so no wonder we crashed early for a well earned nights sleep.

    WILDLIFE
    Shackled Duck, Scary Spider.    Leer más

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  • East Coast Australia

    Wine Tasting In The Hunter Valley

    3 de marzo de 2019, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Australia is blessed with a great climate and a number of superb wine regions. The rolling vine filled landscape of Hunter Valley is 157km north and slightly inland from Sydney and is best known for its Semillon and its Shiraz. That ticks two boxes for us in search of the good life.

    DRIVE: Patonga Beach to Hunter Valley 113km
    The Hunter Valley is a hop and a skip up the freeway from Patonga so we had plenty of time to enjoy a Sunday afternoon exploring the wineries.

    CAMP: Wine Country Tourist Park, Nulkaba, Hunter Valley, site 19.
    The tourist park is small but clean and tidy and is the closest caravan park to the wine action.

    After setting up, we immediately headed to Hanging Tree Winery which is just around the corner and hosted by Ken and Kathie. As you can see, “Beware Of Snakes” although Ken showed us a picture of a Red Back Spider killing a Brown Snake, one of the most venomous snakes in Australia, with its own venom. So I say, beware of spiders who eat snakes...

    Hanging Tree magnificently preserves the Aussie homestead heritage with the cellar door featuring wine tasting inside a reclaimed 1880s farm shed. Their other farm shed needs a bit of work though...

    We tasted a great Semillon and indulged in a couple of vibrant Shiraz reds and the 2013 Blacksmiths Reserve Shiraz Cabernet was our pick.

    Onto Ivanhoe Winery “a wine for every Knight” to try something new, a Chambourcine, which is a French/American grafted grape variety, soft and smooth with vibrant cherry and dried spice. The property has outstanding vista views and we were able to tick Geese off the list of Wildlife.

    We had certainly peaked too soon as we had tasted quite a few wines and the afternoon sun was calling us for a siesta.

    Across from the Tourist Park is Potters Brewery, an old brick and pot making property with many of the original dome kilns still in tact. The Aussie pub favorites, Chicken Parma for me and Beer Battered Fish for Jen finished off with local beers and cider.

    All in all, quite an indulgent day.

    WILDLIFE
    Geese, a picture of a Redback devouring a Brown Snake    Leer más

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  • East Coast Australia

    Hanging in the Hunter

    4 de marzo de 2019, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Working ourselves up to taste some more wine, we first stopped for a coffee (Steve), hot choc (Jen) & excellent banana & walnut bread at Cafe Enzo in the PepperTree Village. There’s a collection of businesses in the village as well as a wedding chapel and reception ‘barn’. No wine purchased (yet!) but did boost the local economy with some purchases at the Providore and Alpaca Barn.

    Next stop - Andrew Thomas wines; chosen because they specialise in Semillon and Shiraz. Spent a good hour there with Brooke learning about the different soils in the valley and their effect on the wine. Both Brooke and Ken (Hanging Tree) recommended Hart & Hunter so... Like at Thomas wines, we were the only ones at H&H. Another hour spent, this time with Daniel, learning more about wine. Now we know more than just how to drink it...

    More supplies bought. Now, how to fit a cellar in the campervan???

    A dip in the pool, a chat with a “bloke” who was about to do the 6 day Ténéré Tragics moto-cross ride from the Hunter to Thredbo via every dirt road to be found (we’d seen some of them wearing the T-shirts in the pub the night before and wondered), and sausages in bread for dinner rounded out the day perfectly.

    WILDLIFE    Leer más

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  • East Coast Australia
    1

    Soldiers Point, Port Stephens

    5 de marzo de 2019, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    For some reason, the campervan seems a bit heavier this morning as we leave the Hunter Valley to head back to the coast. That’s right, it’s all that wine we bought, weighing us down...

    DRIVE: Hunter Valley to Port Stephens 95km
    A short drive today to Port Stephens which has a well established coastal residence but is also a popular destination for holiday makers and travellers.

    The port was named by Captain Cook when he passed on 11 May 1770, honouring Sir Philip Stephens, who was Secretary to the Admiralty.

    CAMP: Big 4 Ingenia Holiday Park, Soldiers Point site 2 / en-suite / 4 nights.
    We have the Luxury of an en-suite powered site at Ingenia Holiday Park. Surrounded by palms, the site is very cozy and private and as it’s mid week, there’s not many folk around but the occasional RAF fighter Jet from Newcastle, thundering through the skies above.

    Now Soldiers Point was originally the site of a garrison of soldiers that was established in 1820 to hunt down escaped convicts. POME Steve as I go by... which stands for “Prisoner Of Mother England”.

    We set off in the afternoon to explore the peninsula and followed a scenic route hugging the shore line down to Nelson’s Bay, the starting point for whale watching, dolphin cruises, boating and fishing.

    We continued on past Shoal Bay and the imposing Tomaree Mountain jutting out of the sea and onto Fingal Bay at the edge of the Tomaree National Park.
    The coastal panoramic is quite stunning with long stretches of golden sand and turquoise waters highlighted by a number of peaks, small islands and rock formations. On the way back, we stopped for a Goanna crossing the road.

    Port Stephens has an abundance of mature gum trees extending from the NP and there are signs everywhere to watch out for Koalas. Haven’t seen any yet but will post as soon as we do.

    WILDLIFE
    Goanna crossing the road    Leer más

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  • East Coast Australia
    11

    Snorkelling at Fly Point, Nelson Bay

    6 de marzo de 2019, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 33 °C

    Woke up to cheeky and chirpy Rosellas this morning. Maybe it was the smell of hot coffee or more likely the aroma of Jenny’s bacon butty (that’s northern speak for toasted sandwich).

    We too were in a bright and chirpy mood. The sun was already hot, the sea breeze had dropped and the ocean around Nelson Bay was pretty flat and calm. Perfect weather to test drive our new snorkelling gear at a local dive spot at Nelson Bay called Fly Point. Even our wetsuits still fit and we haven’t worn them since our teenage years...!

    We had missed high tide by an hour or two but even so, there were lots of flat head, bream and little yellow fish to see (as identified by Jen), meandering through the rocks and seaweed. Of course Jen latched on to a school of bream... ever the teacher!!!

    We shall try snorkelling the same spot during high tide as a local said he had spotted a turtle.

    After lunch, aquatic sports make you hungry, we travelled across Port Stephens to a wonderful spot called Birubi Beach at Anna Bay. Birubi Beach is surronded by amazing sculptured sand dunes which go on forever up the shoreline and into the distance. This is aboriginal land owned by the Woromi Tribe and with permission, you can traverse the dunes in a 4 wheel drive for a bit of fun off roading.

    Alternatively, tour groups have quad bike dune tours and dune surfing. We opted for the more dangerous past time of walking the beach and the sand was so hot, Jen literally burnt her toes. I was wearing thongs but Jen insisted bare foot is the Aussie way to do it and she painfully continued walking the hot coals. We took a dip in the surf and immediately dried off after coming out under the now baking sun.

    Feeling that we needed to extend ourselves and complete more than two activities in one day, we headed for Fingal Bay during the afternoon low tide. At Fingal Bay, we walked the pristine beach to a point where on low tide, you can walk across the spit to Shark Island. The tide was turning though and it’s quite unique to see tidal waves breaking on each other coming in from opposite sides.

    There has been well documented shark feeding frenzies at Fingal Bay, hence, Shark Island, so we pretty much just walked in the shallows.

    The mood had changed and a storm was brewing as the temperature suddenly dropped so we headed back to the refuge of our campervan to batten down the hatches.

    All in all, one of our more active and fun days.

    WILDLIFE
    Rosellas, Flathead, Bream, Small Yellow Fish    Leer más

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  • East Coast Australia

    A Trip To Pearson Street For An Apple

    7 de marzo de 2019, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    With great sadness, my beloved 9 year old MacBook Pro gave up yesterday. So after a search for the closest Apple store from Port Stephens, we travelled down the coast 65km to Charlestown, just past Newcastle. Jen did spot a Koala in a tree en route so another wildlife experience ticked at 100km/hr, (not the Koala, us driving).

    Destination, PEARSON ST.

    After sorting out a new MacBook Pro at the Apple store, we headed for Newcastle and followed the scenic route, Industrial Drive.

    Newcastle is the largest coal exporting harbour in the world, exporting 159.9 million tonnes of coal in 2017. Beyond the city, the Hunter Region possesses large coal deposits and Newcastle sits on the mouth of The Hunter River. Newcastle is densely populated and is a mix of industrial areas and old heritage buildings in the CBD.

    On 28 December 1989, Newcastle experienced an earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale, which killed 13 people, injured 162 and destroyed or severely damaged a number of prominent buildings.

    We didn’t have time to explore the heritage buildings in Newcastle but found a Harbour restaurant for early dinner and then headed back to Port Stephens. On return, we passed Fighter World where we saw two low flying fighter jets in pursuit and quickly vanish into the distance. By the time we had travelled the 1km to pass by the airport, the fighter jets had already landed and were taxiing on the runway. Amazing.

    Back at home base, I turned my new MacBook Pro on and realised that I have just got back an hour a day of my life as it is super quick compared to my old one so with a heavy heart, I got acquainted. PROBLEM... all my files are backed up in Melbourne so will have to fly home for a day next week to reinstall... doh!!!    Leer más

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