Road Trip

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Sadly I have got very behind with recording this section of the trip, so there now follows a summarized version of what we have done. My excuses for not having done any reportage is that we have been having far too much fun, and Eden now has the stamina to keep going through to 9:00 in the evening, which doesn't leave enough time to drink heavily and update this. So something had to give.

Lakes Entrance 2 nights 5 / 6 Jan
Hot. Campsite pretty dusty. Smoke from the forest fires dropping soot over us. Did the long walk to the beach (it would have been a lot shorter to go down the main road). Richard got some orange Crocs to stop him wingeing whenever he had to walk anywhere.

Mallacoota 1 nights 7 Jan
Cool. Very picturesque but bloody windy so we were all in bed by 9p.m.

Merimbula nights 8 / 9 Jan
Hot. Stopped on the way at Eden, a town famous for whaling! (maybe we did call her Eden for a reason after all!) Anyway, a cute little town that did us proud for breakfast, before heading on our merry way.
Merimbula - Absolutely beautiful spot, great camp site on the beach, huge pool, bouncing pillow, playground. What more could you ask for? (NB no flies at all - they are all out west)

Jervis Bay (Motel 2 nights) 10 / 11 Jan
Hot. Another lovely spot, and we opted for a couple of nights out of the camper, so lushed it up in a motel! Great to wander around naked again! Went on a lovely bay cruise (though chunder chops Richard
may not agree!) Sadly saw no dolphins on the bay cruise, but they rocked up in the afternoon on the whitest beach in Australia so you couldn't really complain.

Sydney (3 nights) 12 / 13 / 14 Jan
Cool. What can I say?? Family and friends and opera houses and bridges. Sydney is the most beautiful city and everyone should see it in the flesh!
Had a lovely picnic with some relatives (thanks to Chris, Maureen, Trisha and Dave for providing the food and drink for us) in the botanic gardens, hung out at Darling Harbour and cruised the harbour one day.
Then spent a beautifully relaxing day with Chris (a very dear old friend) and his family at the beach and then spending the evening at their place - wonderful...

Hunter Valley (2 nights) 15 / 16 Jan
Hot. Lots of wine because you have to in these parts, and just to keep Eden occupied we did the winery tour on a horse and cart!! Marvelous fun and I think Richard really genuinely had a good time too. I did feel sorry for the poor horses who were well aware that every winery meant more bottles especially as the day went on and eeeeverything tasted great, even the sparkling red!!!! (Don't tell the French)

Foster Tuncurri (2 Nights) 17 /18 Jan
Windy - very, very windy...
Stayed in a lovely lakeside park, but it was windy, so had to eat indoors (salad would have blown away kind of wind!)
Found a beautiful spot that we went to each day on the shores of a very calm shallow lake - perfect. The sort of spot where it is very obvious you have entered the water for a wee!

Port Macquarrie (2 nights) 19 /20 Jan
A bit of a city by Australian standards, and we were at a park on the breakwall - and it was again perfect. I think we were given the right end of the park, close to town, amenities and we had some great neighbors, in fact we were surrounded by the whole family and quickly taken in by them. One chap even sharing his feelings about his pregnant wife's breasts with me, I was definitely in!
Spent a very hot day at the pool and at the beach now we had finally bought a pop-up beach tent with sun protection. (They may pop-up but they don't pop-down! it is a wrestling match and I aint Big Daddy)

Nambucca Heads (1 night) 21st Jan
Splashed out on an apartment here - a very picturesque spot where the local bays fill up and empty with the tides, making for a constantly changing vista. In the evening we surveyed the vista from the verandah of the local bar while Eden ate prawns and scrounged chips from strangers.

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Photos

Great Lakes - Foster Tuncurri
This was a fabulous setting.... Smiths Lake Yacht Club

Great Lakes - busy
The girls having a yomp..