Up the coast to Lemon Tree Passage

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The morning news is full of shots of flooding all along the coast. Brisbane, our destination, has been hit will the worst flooding in 40 years and there is aerial shot after shot of washed out bridges and boat rescues. The forecast is for even more rain. We consider changing our plans, but as Brisbane is more a direction than a destination, we load up the car and head off North all the same.

After 2 months of mountains and curvy roads, it is a relief to find flat ground and straight highways. We spend some time getting out of Sydney, but our soon heading North though rock cuts that remind me of the 400 highway near Parry Sound. We consider stopping when we see the sign for a place called Toronto, but continue on and soon find ourselves in a torrential downpour.

After the skies clear, we pull into the town of Gosford where we hit the tourist information centre for maps, buy lunch, and pick up a SIM card for a local phone number. We do some reading en route and decide to head to a Big 4 holiday park in a place called Lemon Tree, which is right next to a Koala reserve. It is neat to see warning signs featuring Kangaroos and Koalas.

The park is beautifully situated on a bay and it a great deal. We again have our own cottage and our steps from the ocean. Evy and I headed a short distance back to town to buy dinner. While there we saw these amazing pink parrots in the trees. The temperature is quite humid and everything feels strangely tropical.

While preparing dinner, we are visited by a curious Kookaburra bird who bravely stares into our living room. Another strange stork like bird with a huge curved beak works its way across the lawn in front of our cabin. As night falls, Joshua, Benjamin, and I go for walk around the grounds. The whole place comes alive with the sound of frogs, screeching birds, and other jungle noises.

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