Sydney to Clarence Town - Hunter Valley

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After leaving my gorgeous friend Marion in Sydney, it was time to head up the East Coast to Clarence Town part of the beautiful Hunter Valley region. Here we spent three weeks with family, cooking, sightseeing, hanging out and generally having fun. We spent a total of 3 weeks in this region and also had the opportunity of spending a few days on a self sufficient farm in between Clarence Town and Dungog (the Gourmet Farmer will have a separate blog...stay tuned). Clarence Town was initially known as Erringhi, presumably the Aboriginal name for the site, it is thought to mean 'place of wild ducks'. Clarence Town is a small, pleasant, sprawling and tranquil township picturesquely situated by the banks of the Williams River, 204 km north of Sydney and 50 km north of Newcastle. Clarence Town's main claim to fame was that this was the spot where, in 1831, Australia's first ocean-going paddle steamer (called the William IV) was built and launched. The Hunter Valley is one of the oldest and most famous wine regions in Australia, boasting many of the large names in wine, including Lindemans Wine, Tyrell's Vineyards, Wyndham Estate, McGuigans and Tempus Two. Just a few kilometres from Maitland along the banks of the Hunter River, is the historic village of Morpeth. The gate way to inland Australia and now classified by the National Trust, you can walk the cobbled streets to see colonial sandstone buildings housing modern and inviting cafes, pubs, galleries, and other local businesses. In May Morpeth hosts a two-day jazz festival. The township commemorates anything from the bazaar Novelty Teapot Exhibition and Morpeth Honey and Fiery Food Festival. Natalie our niece works in Morpeth at Lillies and Limes a gourmet catering business and is resident chef and Events Co-ordinator.

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Photos

Clarence Town
Natalie and Alitia having a sing a long...........

Clarence Town
THA FOX............................LOL, with his new purple mottled coat.

Clarence Town - Marie's Party
From left; Nicole, Todd, Natalie, Marie and Luke.

Lake Macquarie
Quentin checking out the view at Lake Macquarie which is only a short distance from Sydney. Lake Macquarie is located between The Central Coast and Newcastle.
The lake itself is the largest coastal saltwater lake in Australia, over four times the size of Sydney Harbour. The lake is 24 km long and has 174 km of foreshore, with beautiful bays and beaches.

Lake Macquarie
What a great place to have breakfast!

Lake Macquarie - Rathmines
Rathmines was the Home of the WW11 Royal Australian Airforce Catalinas. The PBY Catalina was an American and Canadian-built flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s. PB stands for Patrol Bomber, with Y being Consolidated Aircraft’s manufacturer identification. It could be equipped with depth charges, bombs, torpedoes, and .50 caliber machine guns and was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. The PBY Catalina was the most successful flying boat ever produced.

Lake Macquarie - Rathmines
The area at Rathmines where WW11 Catalina planes landed and moored for the next project.

Lemon Tree Passage
Quentin setting the satellite dish set up for the next 3 days...what a great caravan spot west of Nelson Bay and North of Newcastle on the NSW coastline.

Lemon Tree Passage
Great views from our caravan.

Lemon Tree Passage
Pelican and seagull sitting on the jetty.

Lemon Tree Passage
Getting closer to the Pelican

Lemon Tree Passage
Pelican in flight

Clarence Town Bridge - Williams River
Just made it with the caravan; which is 2.5mtrs in width and the bridge was 2.8mtrs, so only had 150ml on each side. It was pretty tight.

Clarence Town Bridge - Williams River
Just made it

Clarence Town
Luke alias Patty playing guitar!

Clarence Town
Tha Fox which is the name of Gordon's greyhound dog checking me out.....LOL he is the funniest dog ever.

Clarence Town
Tha Fox, Roxy and cousin ?? These guys have there own lounge to sleep on........LOL

Clarence Town
Is this girl Natalie gorgeous or what......Aunty Alitia playing hairdressers and just hanging out with the girls.

Clarence Town
Natalie and her boyfriend Todd. What a cute looking couple :-)