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Published: October 11th 2006
View from our "camp site"
Not bad when you can camp out in at a lookout for free!Exercise!
Oct 5th: We got up this morning at 6:30am and went down to one of the beach houses and made breakfast. Quick oats in a cup and a coffee is quickly becoming a breakfast favourite - both for taste and convenience. With my new sneakers I decided to go for a run - Carolyn came along on her bike and really pushed me hard! I could keep up with her on the uphills, but the downhills were tough! It was great to go for a quick swim in the ocean after this then take a freezing cold shower in the beach house. Brrrrrrrr!
Laundry and Lunch
We had been saving our laundry for a while now, and decided that we had finally better get some washed! It sure is funny how your sense of clean gets distorted! As long as it passes the smell test, it's really not that bad... :D. A couple of times Carolyn had me smell some of her clothes because she couldn't smell well with her sinus infection. Luckily that is gone now, so she can do her own smelling again! We had enough clothes for 3 full loads - a bargin at $19. We
Cutie little koala
I took a lot of pictures of the koalas, but I won't bore you with them all! ate hot dogs while the laundry was being done - very efficient. After putting all our clothes away back in the van (Carolyn's nicely folded and mine just stuffed), we got on our bikes and biked down to a koala hospital.
Koala Hospital
The Koala bear is not actually a bear, but belongs to the wombat family (who knew?). The "bear" is an endangered species in Australia, so many are picked up off the highways after being hit by cars and taken to small hospitals especially for them. Here they are well taken care of and get their own little houses. They are hand fed with syringes and given fresh eucalyptus branches - probably a better life then they had in the wild! Carolyn especially liked one of the little ones - and took a gazillion pics (I am not sure how many this is, but it sure is a lot!).
Harbour Walk
We biked back around to the harbour and walked along it. People have been painting the rocks here for years and there are hundreds of small murals of whatever people wish to paint. Some are quite well done, while others look like projects of primary
Kite surfing
Joe admired these guys cutting across the water! children. (Carolyn didn't really like this remark!) Very colourful to look at and worth seeing. There were two guys kite-surfing, and it looked amazing, albeit quite difficult and tiring! It was quite windy so they could shoot across the harbour in no time. They could control the kite so that it went up, allowing them to get air of like 20ft. It was amazing to watch - they had to cut so hard in the water to make any progress out from the Bay. We were getting very tired by this point (Not as tired as the kite-surfer's I'm sure, but still pretty tired). We had done so much walking and cycling over the course of the day! We ate some hamburgers (Carolyn had been craving these for about a week!) then went to see an astronomy show at an observatory. It was geared towards younger children, but still interesting to see - we got to see the lastest pics of Mars, Saturn, and the Moon. We were then shown some of the constellations that can be seen in the southern skies - the southern cross, and the scorpion to name a few. Apparently one of the stars in the
scorpion could exlode any day and it will burn so bright that it will be able to cast a shadow here on Earth! Wouldn't that be something.... not to worry though - we are not in any danger from it!
Towards Kempsey
After this we drove out of town to a rest stop near Kempsey and parked Betsy for the night. I have had to be careful checking the oil because we are losing quite a bit. Going to have to get this looked at soon - hopefully it is not too big of a deal. Other than the oil leak and the surging problem, the van is running great! Oh - and the front window leaks when raining - drips on my leg. I'm sure a bit of silicone with fix this up!
Pancakes and Canadian Maple Syrup!
Oct. 6th: We woke up in the morning and made some delicious pancakes! We had spotted some real canadian maple syrup in the grocery store the day before, and had jumped at the chance for a little taste of home! mmmmmm..... I can still taste them! (Eventhough it doesn't taste quite the same as at home...??) From here we
drove on to Kempsey, but didn't stay long - not really much going on here as it is a little inland. We decided to take the scenic route from here that brought us back out to the coast.
Crecent Head
The first town we came to on the coast was Crecent Head. Nothing but a little surfer town - seems that is all that people do here. Sure is nice! Must have been about 50 surfers sitting in the water waiting for the right wave to come in. I watched several ride waves over 200m - which is quite exceptional! The only downfall is that they have to paddle all the way back out again! They are paddle machines though, and never seem to tire. I spent quite a bit of time watching them and it seemed that the older, out of shape guys could ride better then a lot of the younger, fitter people. Kind of says that experience is worth more than fitness/athletic ability - not what I was hoping for because I have none of the first and only a little of the latter. Oh well, time will tell. We kept driving to the next town
- South West Rocks.
Biking on the Beach
We got out the bikes again here - we are so glad to have gotten them because we are really putting the km's on them. I can't remember not having sore legs... The sand is so hard that cycling is very easy to do - the beaches stretch forever as well, so there is practically no end to how far you can go. We got to a breakwater and I carried the bike up to the top where there was a pathway. Carolyn was doubtful that I was going to be able to, but it really did not prove that difficult! I love a challenge! We then biked 5km's out to Trial Bay Gaol - a place where they used to keep convicts, and then German detainee's during WWI. They tried to have the convicts build a breakwater in this Harbour but only a few rocks are left after storms demolished it. It was considered a failure, but is now a pretty good tourist attraction. After biking the 5km+ back to the van, we made a late lunch, then drove towards Coffs Harbour, stopping at a rest stop to sleep for
Super Joe!
Joe carried our bikes up the breakwall so we could ride on a nice paved path! the night. We both read and journaled and wrote post cards while sipping coffees that evening. Very handy to have the cooking stove and water available.
Coffs Harbour
Oct 7th - Oct 8th: We drove into Coffs Harbour in the morning. We went to a hardware store and replaced a lightbulb that had burnt out over the sink. We also replaced our 20L water jug as it seemed to have a small leak in it. We then went to a sports store and both bought Boogie Boards - Time for some fun in the water! I was able to find a wet suit for $50, but there were none that fit Carolyn here (Why does she have to be so small?). We did find one for her the next day at a surf shop for $55 (a kid's one was the best fit). I tested out my board in the morning, then after Carolyn got her suit, we went to the beach and we spent a good couple hours riding the waves in the afternoon! It is the best kind of fun in the world - We are going to become a swimming machines though because it is basically
like being in the water with a large flutter board for hours on end! We slept in a little park down by the beach for these two nights - the bathrooms are closed from 9pm until about midnight, so Carolyn would set her watch so that she wouldn't miss them. A couple times they got closed early though - only several minutes before her alarm, much to her dismay!
Leaky Oil
Oct 9th: We took the Van into the garage first thing in the morning (Repco). These garages are a national chain and seem to provide very good service. But because of this, they are usually quite busy and it is hard to get in quickly. The guy looked at it, but could not really tell where it was coming from. I asked him when they would have a chance to take a look at it and he said they were probably busy up until Christmas! Well, that is no good! I was telling him how much I thought of Repco service and how they seemed to do a very thorough job - he ate it up! In the next 15mins they said they could look at
it that morning and that they would let us know when the work could be done. Looks like flattery is a pretty useful tool! Turns out there was a crack in the timing cover case - no wonder replacing this seal did not fix the problem! They said they could do the repairs the next day.
Big Banana and Woolgoolga
While the mechanics were looking at the Van, we got on our trusty bikes and headed to an tourist site called the Big Banana! Here they have an indoor snow slope (wasn't functioning, but we wouldn't have gone on it anyway - not why we came to Australia!), a tobbogon ride similar to one Carolyn used to ride near Haliburton, (I got to hear all about her adventures with her dad as a kid) and a Lookout that overlooked the town and Harbour. It was a lot of steps to get to the top - phewf! Good thing we were wearing our mountain shoes!
After this we picked up the van from the mechanic (had to take it back to the garage the next morning), and we drove out to Woolgoolga (20kms North of Coff's Harbour). We walked
around the town for a bit then parked down by the beach. It was a windy overcast day, and we braved out a few downpours while lying on the couch inside the van. Others were not so lucky and got soaked. I bought a magazine called the Economist (Thanks Paul!), a weekly magazing that gives a snapshot of world events and headline news. It sure is nice to feel in touch with what is happening in the world - even if some of it isn't very good. Carolyn has been reading a book of short stories by Roald Dahl (thanks Steve!) - which she seems to really be enjoying (She can hardly put it down!). We drove back to Coffs Harbour and slept in our new favourite parking spot by the Ocean. It was very windy that night and rained quite a bit through the night. The waves were enormous here and so close together they seemed to almost be on top of each other! We had been needing an additional shelf in the Van to house all the loose things that you use on a daily basis, like books and shoes and kleenex. I found a shoe rack on
sale in one of the department stores and modified to to fit properly in the Van. I needed a saw and Carolyn actually found a hacksaw for $1.98 (This made it a $12 shelf). It was not ideal for cutting wood, but definitly got the job done!
Carolyn had been excited to have a 'Mexican Fiesta' similar to what we used to have at home once in a while - and we did that night. Really, it is hardly more than fajitas with El Paso sauce, but it is a lot more exciting! And we had some Coronas to wash them down after - quite fitting and delicious!
Botanic Gardens and Aussitel Hostel
Oct 10th: We dropped the van off at the garage, and again left on our bikes. We sure have been doing a lot of cycling and both of our legs' are quite sore. We dropped Carolyn's ring off at a jeweller's to have it reduced a little. She has been putting it on her middle finger whenever going into the ocean as it was getting quite loose on her finger in the cold water. Don't really want to lose it, so this seemed a good
thing to have done. Funnily enough, they have a different sizing scale over here (letters rather than numerical). We had it taken down to an 'M', whatever size this converts to! We had it iridium plated as well - something often done with white gold to hide the modification mark. Carolyn was delighted to get it back later in the day, nicely cleaned and very sparkly again! It looks 'new' again she exclaimed! I made a few phone-calls home while Carolyn did some window shopping in a small mall. After this we biked down to a Botanic Garden and relaxed in the shade of some monster trees. Not sure what they are called, but they were big. Carolyn just about finished her book here, and me, the magazine.
We checked into the Aussietel Hostel because Betsy was still in the garage ($20 each), and enjoyed showers before ordering a pizza dinner. It was a little different being around a bunch of young foreign travellers again - although we both didn't miss the bunk beds that you get to sleep in! It allowed us to appreciate how nice it is to have all your things stored away properly (as they
Joe & Carolyn on the beach after boogie boarding
First time for Carolyn - I was happy for the wetsuit! are in the Van), and not having to jam and carry everything in a bag. I couldn't imagine doing that for a year! We signed up for surfing lessons the next morning for $40 each. I could hardly sleep that night in anticipation; Carolyn couldn't because she was a little cold as you are only given a pillow and sheets.
Surfing!
Oct 11th: We got up early and cycled down to the surf shop. Here we were given wet suits (they didn't fit as well as ours back in Betsy, but they had to do), and surfboards. They are only learner boards and mine was over 9' long, which makes it hard to do any quick cuts in a wave. We learned how to catch a wave, proper board positioning and stance. I was pretty quick to catch on and could stand up on most of the smaller waves within the hour. Carolyn had a lot of fun and stood up on a few but was more concerned with how cold she was getting then catching the next big one! We were with a group of about 10 so it was a little busy where we were and I
Rainy day picture from the Big Banana
Only our 2nd real rainy day of the whole trip - we've been lucky! went off to the side a bit, and was able to learn much faster over there because I could catch almost every one - not having to worry if there was going to be someone in my way. Carolyn finally got too cold and went up on the beach to try to warm up a little, and the instructor took me out to the big waves because I wanted to try my hand at some of those. It was certainly more difficult out here, but I did get up on a few. You really need a lot of patience as the waves sometimes take a while to show up. The worst is when you wait and then get distracted for a second and then miss a big one! My first, and definitely not my last, surf experience was awesome! Don't think I am ready for the 20m waves yet, but excited to try my hand at some more! If we can keep Carolyn warm next time, I think she will be much more inclined to keep at it. Watching her catch a wave on her stomach - you can tell she is having a lot of fun because she can't
Stormy waves
If you look closely, Joe is camouflaged in on the rocks! get the smile off her face!
Went back to the Hostel and had a shower (the salt water leaves you very sticky feeling!). We ate lunch and that brings us up until now (I spent some time last night starting this entry). We expect to be able to pick up Betsy by the end of the day, and hopefully can make a bit of progress North. We'll pick up the blog again from somewhere up there!
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Ryan G
non-member comment
Surfin, boogey boarden' dudes!
Way to go guys.....! your trip is looking great, cant wait for ur next entry. Joe, lookin good out on that wave buddy :) and that could be one of the cutest pics of a Koala ever! R.