Blogs from Nelson Bay, New South Wales, Australia, Oceania

Day 4. Was another day of 2 halves totalling 84 kms over 8.5 hrs & 700+ mtrs of ascent. The main morning ride was to Newcastle followed by an afternoon ride to Nelson Bay. After rain on day 2, hills on day 3 today was the trifecta of riders pet hates, ie hot head or side winds in excess of 40 kph. Regardless the morning route was a spectacular change from the mostly coastal scenery to date. The day started with a short Hwy ride out of Swansea alongside Lake Macquarie before branching off along the Fernleigh Track. This former rail line used to carry coal to the Newcastle port but has now been renovated into a 15 km rail trail. The trail was a beautiful corridor of trees along a smooth surface & a slight ... read more

Our return to Bangkok from Krabi was uneventful, but the sun shone and was perhaps the only clear day we had had in South East Asia since our visit to The Bridge on the Kwai. We flew Qantas to Sydney on an A340. At Bangkok airport as ‘One World’ passengers one can make use of any of their lounges. Qantas’s, We were told, was rather like BA at Heathrow T5 so opted for Cathay Which was excellent. Qantas looked after us well in flight and the food was excellent. I did not sleep a wink as uncomfortable in the layout and seat design. Basically to lie down you feel as if you are entering an MRI scanner and every time you turn over you need to extract yourself. I gave up but Frin slept well and ... read more

Geo: -32.7171, 152.155We reached Nelson Bay by taking a flight from Melbourne to Newcastle and then hiring a car. Helen met us at the airport- fantastic to see her again. She knew the way so no maps needed. Our spacious apartment has 3 double bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a pool and BBQ deck surrounded by palms. We had booked it by Air BnB. in particular because it is only 10 to 15 minutes walk from Helen's house to which we then went. Finally we met Metta the dog in the flesh. She really is beautiful. Helen's house is really attractive and although she has plans for future improvements, it is lovely as it is. We finally unwound and had drinks and snacks on her patio. I went with her to Bingall Beach, which is dog friendly and ... read more

Heute haben wir einen von der Uni organisierten Trip nach Nelson Bay gemacht um dort Delphine zu beobachten und das schöne Örtchen Nelson Bay mit den umliegenden Stränden zu erkunden. Alleine die Busfahrt dort hin durch die australische Landschaft war wieder ein Traum - als Europäerin werd ich mich an solche Ausblicke wohl so schnell nicht gewöhnen können. Anders als beispielsweise in Griechenland sieht man hier an den Straßen kaum heruntergekommene Slums oder vertrocknete Landstreifen. Alles sieht bewohnt, oder zumindest bewohnbar aus und die Wiesen sind zwar streckenweise nicht ganz so saftig wie nahe der Küste, aber immerhin grün und lebhaft. Außerdem ist mir aufgefallen, dass die Straßen (und Strände - was mich noch mehr wundert) sehr sauber sind und wirklich durchwegs gut asphaltiert, ohne Risse oder Schlaglöcher und dergleichen. Ich hab den Tag wieder mit ... read more

Hello! Here we are in Shellharbour and only a couple of weeks from home. Since our last report we have stayed at Port Macquarie, Nelson Bay and now Shellharbour. We plan to do Batemans Bay, Merimbula and Lakes Entrance to end the trip. Grafton I did promise a report. Somewhat underwhelmed. Grafton is a typical regional town with extensive shopping and commercial facilities. Essentially a residential area and catering to the surrounding areas for major shopping, cars, vans, computers, etc. It is close to the highway so suited to lunch stop or morning/afternoon tea if you have them. We tend to do our trips in one hit. PORT MACQUARIE We really liked our stay at Port Macquarie. The Breakwall Tourist Park was very big and very well maintained. There were many walking options and the views ... read more