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Published: July 25th 2013
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After a breakfast of cornflakes and bananas for me and weatabix and honey for Andrew, we did our very own tour of the Blue Mountains. First stop was was the Katoomba Cascades and Coles where we decided after a rather freezing night that we needed to purchase more bedding. We bought some rather warm faux fur throws to pad out the sleeping bags and take the edge off the chill.
The Katoomba Cascades walk was rather steep so we admired the falls from afar before I took the car for my first drive since the day I passed my test. We drove to the Leura Cascades which were far more impressive and we took a picnic for the nice walk to the bottom of the cascades. We stopped again at the Wentworth Falls before I had my first experience with a Motorway.
My first observation is that driving on a Motorway is far nicer than driving on the North Circular; the lanes are much wider and in Australia, the maximum speed limit is lower. My second observation was that I can be quite a nervous driver which in turn makes Andrew a slightly nervous passenger. Luckily I can say
that I am improving and he is being a very patient teacher who now understands that unlike him, driving and finding the racing line does not come naturally to me.
We stopped for petrol with Andrew taking over the driving whereupon we realised that Andrew had misread the map key and the spot we had chosen for the night was actually a day stop. As such we had another look at the map and while waiting for Andrew's parents to call, pulled up at Ayers Rock Roadhouse, home to Big Ayers Rock.
Australia has a slight obsession with things Big things. This started in Coffs Harbour with the Big Banana (which we were later unimpressed by). Big Ayers Rock was actually a service station encased with a red plastic, moulded Ayers Rock. There was an area for cars to park up to the left of it so we set up for the night and after a catch up with Belfast, we put the gas cooker on and I cooked up dinner. When Andrew had washed up we discussed how we would adapt our camper van if we could following watching Top Gear's best attempts to adapt their station
wagons in their Africa Special.
Monday 17 June – the Possum who came to Tea
Being up rather early, I put the gas stove on for a cup of tea. Where we had set up camp for the night was on the edge of the Great Lakes and it seemed a good plan to visit the largest of the Lake's National Parks being Myall Lakes. Upon meeting the cleaner in the toilet whilst getting changed after a sink based clean, she advised me that we should definitely visit Tea Gardens as it was the prettiest place it the Lakes. So taking her advice, we headed over to the rather charming lakeside town of Tea Gardens.
Full of Retirement Homes and view of the Myall River, Tea Gardens was definitely one of the nicest spots we have come across on out journey on our journey North. Quaint and tourist free we enjoyed an ice cream purchased from a cheeky and cheerful local while we took in the views of the pelicans sailing on the lake.
We then crossed the so called Singing Bridge and headed to Myall Lakes National Park. It took us quite a drive down
some rather pretty country roads before we found a car park on the edge of the park. We searched high and low for the parking meter referred to in the “pay for parking here” signs with no success. We eventually asked a fisherman parked up in a large solar paneled four by four by the side of the park who told us not to worry if we weren't staying overnight as the machine had been removed by vandals and if anyone asked we could say that he had said that it was fine to stay.
The path around one of the many Myall Lakes was flooded in areas but was rather lovely with palm trees and giant roots leading into the lake.
I then took the wheel once again and drove us to Port Macquarie where we had a lovely walk around another pelican filled inland river and enjoyed the tourist free sunshine.
Annoyingly, to get to our campsite – the wonderfully named “Delicate Nobby's”, we had to go North up the Pacific Highway in order to go South in a rather horse shoe shaped loop. It was almost dark when we pulled in. Andrew decided that,
it being free, we use the campsite's laundry room and wash all our dirty clothes. Mum had bought us a travel washing line with some pegs and Andrew rather ingeniously managed to loop the line around various hooks and headrests so we were to sleep that night under a den of drying washing (and me to awake the next day with a damp tea towel on my face).
The highlight of the evening for me, was being chased around the washing up by a possum. I had heated some water for some tea and to wash up with when I noticed a pair of eyes reflecting the light of my head torch from the tree next to me. The unperturbed possum proceeded to pester me in my washing up duties by walking circles around the floor close to the boiling water. Worried the critter would end up badly burned, I washed up fairly quickly and resisted the urge to feed or play with the rather tame possum with the big begging eyes.
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