"No matter where you go, there you are."

SOUTH COAST NSW

Tuesday 2^nd October

After our farewells to Pete and Marlyn we were on the road by 9am. We had a good run south stopping at Ferry Park in Maclean for a morning cuppa on the Clarence River. We arrived at Corindi Beach Holiday Park at 12.30pm. Corindi Beach is about 30km north of Coffs Harbour. We had a nice camp spot right on the beach. Twistie enjoyed being back on the beach as we took a long walk in the afternoon.

Wednesday 3^rd October

It was a glorious morning and we were in for a very hot day. Ferg took a long walk along the beach with Twistie. The park managers put on a pancake breakfast for all the residents. We got to meet some of our neighbours over Blueberry pancakes and coffee. Mid morning we went down for our first swim in ages. The water was very bracing but once in it was refreshing. Ferg and I caught some waves while Twistie looked on. She hates the water! We lazed around for most of the day going in for a second swim after lunch. We spotted a humpback whale heading south while enjoying happy hour with our neighbours.

Thursday 4^th October

We were up early to watch the sunrise this morning. Ferg and I took the metal detector down to the beach to search for treasure. (ha ha!) Off course we didn’t find anything but it was good to have a go anyway. We packed up the van after brekky and headed south again. We were heading for Nambucca Heads but when we arrived in town we found a hot rod convention. The streets were crowded with hot rods and there were people everywhere. We decided to keep on going down to Tuncurry. We pulled into the Great Lakes Caravan Park where we had stayed previously. Unfortunately it was school holidays and the park was packed with kids and vans.

Friday 5^th October

We caught up with some washing in the morning. Ferg went for a walk out to the breakwater. We had a look around the shops and I picked up a great trolley for my bowls bag at St Vinnies. We also bought Twistie a new bed! We played bowls at the Sporties club in the afternoon.

Saturday 6^th October

We are slowly getting hemmed in by caravans full of kids. The amenities are pretty yukky with so many people in the park. Thank goodness we can get out of the place to play bowls. We drove north to Blackhead Beach Bowls club for a game in the afternoon. The club is situated right on the cliffs edge and had spectacular views out over the ocean.

Sunday 7^th October

We were up early this morning readying ourselves for our dive trip out to Latitude Rock off Foster. The water was a very chilly 16 degrees so I only lasted 35 minutes before surfacing. Ferg stayed down with some of the other divers for a longer dive. I decided not to go in for the second dive. Ferg got some great photos as usual. On our way back we encountered some humpback whales. The skipper stopped the boat so we could watch them. We also picked up some dolphins which swam with the boat, jumping out of the water in the bow wake. Not a bad dive trip after all! Back at the van park the kids were still running amok so we decided it was time for us to go.

Monday 8^th October

We left early as we were heading through Sydney and hoped for a good run. We did ok until we hit the northern freeway. Roadworks had slowed everyone and the traffic was built up for 15km. We moved at a slow crawl for half an hour. We then got slugged two tolls on the M2 and the M7 which cost us about $15 for the privilege. We were glad to see the back of Sydney. We were hoping to stay in Kiama but due to the school holidays none of the parks would take dogs. We ended up in Nowra at a lovely van park right on the Shoalhaven river.

Tuesday 9^th October

We had a slow start this morning, washing the car and updating the blog. Mid morning we took off for a spot of sightseeing of the region. We drove along the Shoalhaven River out to Shoalhaven Heads then headed inland again to the lovely town of Berry. It’s a small town full of character. We had a wander around looking in all the interesting shops. Off again inland to Kangaroo Valley. The road wound up and down the mountain range giving us spectacular views both east and west. We stopped for lunch in the village then headed back to Nowra. On the way we stopped at the Mt Cambewarra Lookout. The views of the Shoalhaven district were fantastic.

Wednesday 10^th October

We moved on today checking out some van parks at Santuary Point and Sussex Inlet. None were any good so we kept on going down to Dalmeny. The campground hadn’t changed from when we were there last year. There were only a few vans and we all had great views over the ocean.

Thursday 11^th October

We awoke to a beautiful day, no wind and the sun was glistening on the ocean. We drove into Narooma and found our old internet spot then called into the bowls club to put our names down. We had a lovely walk along the boardwalk looking into the crystal clear waters of the Wagonga Inlet. Later that afternoon we returned to Narooma to play bowls.

Friday 12^th October

The weather isn’t so nice today. It’s grey, cold and very windy so we tucked ourselves into the van for most of the day. We did spot some whales passing by. They seem to like the rough weather and tend to do more jumping and tail slapping. Ferg got some great photos of a passing storm in the afternoon. Luckily it passed us by well out to sea.

Saturday 13^th October

The sun is out again today but the wind is very icy. Ferg, Twistie and I took a long walk along the headlands towards Kianga. Later we drove into Narooma to pick up some groceries and to download our emails. On the way home we stopped in at the Dalmeny Markets. We spent a quiet afternoon around the van.

Sunday 14^th October

Another lovely day, just perfect to sit under the annexe reading a book and watching the whales pass by. We made friends with a local parrot. Ferg and I played bowls again in Narooma in the afternoon and had a great game.

Monday 15^th October

We had another lazy day much like yesterday. Ferg played men’s bowls at the Dalmeny Club in the afternoon.

Tuesday 16^th October

A strong wind change awoke us at 4am and we had to get up to bring in the annexe. All the other vanners were outside doing the same thing! We awoke again at a decent hour to a beautiful day. The whales put on a great display this morning. It’s amazing how such massive creatures can get most of the body out of the water as they breach. I played bowls with the ladies at Narooma and won the overall ($10) plus the raffle ($20 IGA Voucher). The ladies also presented me with a Narooma Bowls Cloth. Ferg played men’s bowls in the nearby township of Bodalla. He also won the overall ($20), so we both had a good day.

Wednesday 17^th October

I still can’t get over the stunning view we wake up to each morning. Ferg went for his usual walk while I took Twistie for a stroll to get the local paper. It was the perfect day to sit in the sun reading the paper and enjoying a cuppa while watching the occasional whale pass by. A local Vietnam Vet (Richard) called by to have a chat about his travels around Australia. He invited us both back to his home to meet his wife (Patricia) and have some lunch. They had a magnificent home overlooking the ocean. They shared some of their experiences traveling in W.A. We spent a few hours with them, enjoying a lovely lunch and good company. Late in the afternoon we drove into Narooma to spend my IGA voucher.

Thursday 18^th October

The wind had picked up again overnight and we were being buffeted by a north easterly. We stayed in the van most of the morning. We played bowls at Narooma in the afternoon. Luckily the bowls club was protected from the wind. We had two good games and ended up with second prize of $10. Back at the van the wind had freshened to a south easterly and was very wild and wooly.

Friday 19^th October

It was time to move on today. The wind had dropped and the sun was out. We packed up slowly, Ferg gave the car and van a wash to get all the salt off. We decided we try an inland van park in Bega for a change. We did a bit of grocery shopping and called into the Bega Bowls Club. In the afternoon we took a drive to Tathra, about 20 minutes away on the coast. We had a walk out along the headland and spotted yet another whale. Back in Bega we treated ourselves out to dinner at the Bega Bowls Club. The club is quite small, not fancy, but had good homecooked style meals.

Saturday 20^th October

Ferg and I went for a morning walk along the road into town. Not very exciting with trucks and cars whizzing by. I did a load of washing then we went into town to find an internet spot. We played bowls at the Bega club in the afternoon. The greens were pretty lumpy but we both had good games. I won overall and took a meat tray home. We are heading off into Victoria tomorrow.