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Published: April 2nd 2006
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FORSTER
Cool swimming pool Hello everyone.
Our apologies for the lack of news recently. The main reason for this is that our last but one stop - Forster-Tuncurry had pre millenium internet cafes, sorry that should read cafe, singular!
No matter. Here's what we have been up to recently. After leaving the vibrancy of Sydney we got on a bus and travelled up the East Coast to a little known place called Forster. Through a wonderful website we had obtained a holiday unit for a week that was incredibly cheap. And what a superb unit it was - two bedrooms, kitchen, shower/toilet room, living area with all mod/cons (fridge/freezer, TV, cooker, washer and drier - even a dish washer!) bloody luxury, I can tell you. Home cooking Linda style, great.
The town itself was also wonderful. Pretty quiet, as we found out on our first evening trying to find someplace to eat after 9pm. Ended up with a Dominos Pizza! The quietness, however, was more than made up for by the beeches, the scenery, the walks, the wildlife including hundreds of pelicans, and, would you believe, one particular hotel where we were made very, very welcome. More of which later.
The
FORSTER
Pelicans enjoy the sunset main beach was very nice in itself but it also had this wonderful 'pool' facility adjoining it. Basically, the town had 'bricked-off' an area of the beach, which was still able to take in water from the sea, but allowed swimmers to swim safely without huge surf-waves pounding at you. Hopefully the pictures will illustrate better than my words have!
Another of the attractions of the place was the, almost every day, sightings of dolphins. When I say sightings, I am not talking about miles away, but literally metres away from the shore. Linda was in Seventh Heaven!. We also went out on a sea/lake cruise which allowed us to see whole pods of dolphins very close up. Absolutely Bloody Marvellous.
On our second evening here we ventured in to the hotel which overlooked the main beach. As happens, we got into conversation with a couple of the natives: a nice couple, very chatty, a good laugh, really. It wasn't until we were just about to go home that we discovered that they only owned the place! and we only found that out because a waiter came over to ask them about a problem!
We continued to
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Dolphins at play in the surf use the hotel for drinks - honestly, there wasn't many other choices, and every time we sat down, within minutes, John and Gillian, would be over chatting away. Wonderful, wonderful, people. John, we discovered, was the first Australian to swim the English channel, as well as setting records for many other long distance swimming routes.
We had a wonderfully relaxing week in this most quaint and enjoyable little town, but the North of the country beckoned and so it was on to Port MacQuarie.........
...home of many wonderful things, apparently, one of which, unfortunately for us is, the Australian 'Iron Man' triathalon, which just happened to be taking place on the weekend that we arrived. This event attracts some 1500 competitors and assorted coaches, physios, supporters etc. which meant there was not a single bit of accommodation available after the evening that we arrived. It looked nice, but with nowhere to stay, we had little choice but to head on to our present location...
...Coffs Harbour. As has become our habit we booked in somewhere cheap for the first night and then spent some time looking for reasonable and cheap accommodation. Again we have landed on our
feet. We have obtained a self contained cabin, some 100 yards from the beach, which, like our last place has everything we need. And it works out so much cheaper than doing the backpacker hostels - I don't know why more travellers don't do it.
Coffs is yet another great place. the main town is quite big, but the jetty area where we are is a bit quieter but with some glorious looking restaurants and a very, very, very cheap Yacht Club, where we enjoyed a Saturday afternoon aperitif.
We are here for another week or so before we head up to Byron Bay - maybe stopping for a few days in Bellina - where we are going to be for a fortnight taking in The huge East Coast Blues and Roots Festival.
Take care everyone, look forward to hearing form anyone who feels like getting in touch.
AND A HUGE HAPPY EIGHTIETH BIRTHDAY TO LINDA'S DAD.
Ken and Linda
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Ellie Webster (Remember me?)
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Cool Photos
Hey luv the pics i luv the dolphins best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The beach looks great as does everywhere you've been ecspecially the webster's house! Just thought i'd say we have found me a drama class!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! oh yeah have you seen anyone off HOME AND AWAY yet? Ellie