Hawks Nest and Telegraph Point

We've been keeping just ahead of the bad weather. Sydney copped a heavy downpour after we left. We've had a shower or two pretty much everywhere we've stayed, but it hasn't been too bad - not enough to dampen our spirits! It's always a good time to get the schoolwork done.
Our next stop was Hawks Nest. The caravan park seemed a bit spooky at first. It looked like a ghost town! At this time of year many places are very quiet, but this park was filled with permanent vans that had been deserted. There were signs on some of the vans saying things like 'Save Our Park'. We found out from some of the people staying there that the council had given everyone a certain amount of time to clear their vans and stuff out. They're trying to make it a bit more upmarket I think. It was quite rundown, and most of the vans looked like they'd been there a long time, but it was in a beautiful spot - 1 min walk from the beach on Port Stephens and a 5 min walk to the surf beach. I can see why people were so passionate about the place. And yes, the kids went swimming! It was a nice day...but still, it's late May in NSW!! We stayed there three nights, and on our last night we all sat up and watched Qld win the State of Origin.


Our next stop was a place called Telegraph Point, just north of Port Macquarie. There's not much to the town itself, but what a contrast this caravan park is to the last one! It's actually at a waterski park called Stoney Park. It's on 230 acres and has two man-made lakes built for waterskiing and wakeboarding. The first thing the kids noticed was the playground with a trampoline! The first thing I always do (which Brodie thinks is weird) is check out the amenities block - and this one is exceptional! It's the nicest one we've seen by far. Another great thing about the park is you can go canoeing on the lakes for FREE. I love that word! There's only two other vans here - no kids, so we've had the canoes to ourselves. The kids have loved it, and I must admit I had fun myself, even if I am a bit sore!

COLEDALE AND SYDNEY

After Berry, we stopped at Coledale - a northern suburb of Wollongong. It was a camping spot run by the surf lifesaving club, right on the beach. We could see all the freighters going by on the ocean - often five at a time. The kids loved having the beach as their front yard. The highlight of my stay there was seeing a whale migrating north. I spent the next hour with my glasses on and the binoculars in hand trying to spot more of them!


To get out of Wollongong, we had to get over a large hill. I've never had a panic attack, but I came close as we were pulling the caravan very slowing up a very steep road!

Our next stop was Sydney. We stayed two nights at a caravan park in the Lane Cove National Park. It was bizarre to be staying in a forest 10km from the middle of Sydney. Sundays are 'Family Funday' and you can travel all day on trains, buses and ferries for $2.50. We caught the train into the city, then walked to Circular Quay. It was an overcast, drizzly day, but we didn't get too wet. We jumped on a ferry and travelled under the Harbour Bridge to Pyrmont Bay - next to Darling Harbour. This is where the National Maritime Museum is, and where Jessica Watson's little pink boat is moored.
The museum is really interesting - and totally free! When we came out of the museum it had finally stopped raining, so we travelled back by ferry - this time standing outside on the bow - and then walked to the Opera House. The kids were so excited to be at places they had only see on tv.
We decided to walk back over the Harbour Bridge on our way home. It was quite a hike, and Tara spent half the trek on Darren's shoulders, but it was so worth it! The views were amazing!

GOODBYE DALMENY, HELLO BERRY!

Our last couple of days at Dalmeny
were so nice.
The weather was beautiful. We all went for a long walk on the beach, and, of course, the kids all ended up in the water. It's such a great spot for camping (waking up to that view every morning was spectacular) and I could really imagine living in the area.
The wind had dropped off so we decided to have a campfire and toast some marshmallows that night. The kids were so excited.

We were all quite sad to leave Dalmeny - especially saying goodbye to our friends, Mick and Cherene, and their kids Tom, Claudia and Charlie, and Paul and his kids Josh, Emily and Abby. We love you guys!! You made our stay so much fun and you really looked after us. Anyone reading this - if you visit Narooma, drop in and see them at 'Michael's By The Sea' - their cafe at the surf club. The food is sensational!

There are so many beautiful places on the south coast of NSW. After leaving Dalmeny, we drove through a gorgeous little town called Mogo - lots of 'hippy' shops , but didn't stop. I am definitely going back there one day, hopefully with some money in my pocket! Bateman's Bay is another beautiful spot we drove straight through. We did say at the beginning of our travels that we would not be able to see everywhere, and we'd just have to accept that.

Our decisions on where to stay are driven mostly by cost, so our next stop was Berry. You can stay at the showgrounds there for $15 a night with power, toilets and hot showers. The kids love having an entire football ground to themselves to run around and kick the footy. They can also ride their bikes around the track that goes around the field - AND there's a playground! Unfortunately we can only stay 2 nights because they are having a big Celtic festival here on the weekend.
The town itself is lovely - many beautiful old buildings and houses. One of the nicest is the old court house. I think Berry must be a popular weekend getaway for people from Sydney, because there's one supermarket and more than a dozen really trendy gift and homeware shops! Again...wish I had some spare cash in my pocket!

NAROOMA OYSTER FESTIVAL

What an awesome day we had at the Narooma Oyster Festival. As the name would suggest, it was a day all about food - particularly oysters and other local produce. There were cooking demonstrations and food stalls galore. Special guest chef was Julie - first winner of Masterchef. She was so nice - just a regular mum - and was quite happy to have a photo taken with the boys. There was also live music, dragon boat races, jumping castles, and a guy who did a really cool sand sculpture of a dragon. One of the highlights of the day was the putting competition - first prize $20,000. Darren made it to the final, and then had to sink a 10ft putt, followed by a 30ft putt, then a 50ft putt to win the money. The putting surface was pieces of carpet joined together with black tape, so it was highly unlikely anyone would make it. Out of the 10 people in the final, Darren was the only one to sink the first putt. The crowd was right behind him, but the 30ft putt proved too difficult. It was a bit of excitement for us all anyway.

The weather was absolutely beautiful for the Oyster Festival, but the few days leading up to that it's been quite cold and very windy at times. At least there's been no rain.

A couple of days ago, we went for a walk along the boardwalk in Narooma. We saw a seal and a huge stingray right near the edge of the water. It was amazing! Some of the locals told us they're almost always there.

I wanted to share a couple of my favourite photos from our time in Narooma/Dalmeny. Tara looks almost lost on the beach all by herself. I can't believe how many photos I've taken since we began our travels. By the time we finish I will have thousands of photos. I promise all my friends, I won't make you sit through slide nights to see them all!
We are planning to leave here Tuesday morning and head to Berry.

MOTHERS DAY ON THE FAR SOUTH COAST OF NSW

We stayed one night at the free
campsite at Genoa. As you can see
from the photo, it is a lovely spot,
and we were tempted to stay another
night. But I really needed to do some
laundry and we were a bit keen to
head to warmer weather.
We drove across the border into NSW, through Eden, and followed the

highway to Bega for lunch. It's

gorgeous countryside through there,

but quite hilly. We were very aware we were towing our home behind us!

I have some friends in Narooma, on the coast, so we wanted to stay there

for a few days. I found a cheap camp spot in our Camps Australia book. It was in a town called Dalmeny, about 7km north of Narooma. It had powered sites, shower block and laundry. We couldn't believe our luck when we pulled in. On a big grassy hill, right on the beach, it looked like heaven! And the weather! Finally we could get around in our thongs again!

It's very quiet at the moment, with only a few other vans set up. Originally we were going to stay a couple of nights - then when we saw the place, we decided on 4 nights. Before we had paid, however, I noticed that weekly rates were cheaper - and only $1:60 per child over 5yrs per night. So then we decided we'd stay for a week. When we went to pay, the guy at the office said he'd only charge us for one kid!Even better!! So for $139 a week, we

get to live in paradise. The photo with me in it is our view of the ocean. I have just had the best Mothers Day ever. The kids made some cards for me and I had bacon and eggs for breaky. We then travelled to a town nearby called Tilba, after being told by a couple of people it was a "must see". The whole town has been heritage listed and it is like stepping back in time (except for the cars parked up the main street). It really is amazing. Because it was MY day, I was allowed to roam in and out of the shops there at my leisure and look at all the arts and crafts. We bought some lollies at the lolly shop, some cheese (very yummy) at the cheese factory, and a couple of hand-made scented candles to make the van smell nice. The local bakery makes the best pies! And for the perfect end to a perfect day, I'm about to have some fresh, local oysters for dinner. Next weekend is Narooma's big Oyster Festival. We might have to stay here for two weeks!

FROM PHILLIP ISLAND TO 90 MILE BEACH AND BEYOND

We loved Phillip Island so much we decided to stay there for four nights. We managed to see a lot of the island without paying for anything. I really wanted to see the fairy penguins, but didn't want to pay for the privilege. We were so lucky...on our last day we decided to go back to 'The Nobbies' where we went on the first day. The weather had got a bit wild and the waves were really crashing in on the rocks. It was awesome to see. On the way back to the car, walking along the wooden walkway, we were wondering what lived in the little holes scattered up the hills. Then we saw something in one of the holes. We sat there very quietly and very patiently, and then a penguin poked its head out. We were so close to it, I couldn't believe it!

We said goodbye to Phillip Island on Tuesday morning and drove to Golden Beach on 90 Mile Beach. We stayed at a free campsite right on the beach. There were only two other caravans there, so we had the place pretty much to ourselves. It's a really popular place during summer. We couldn't believe that there was nothing but beach in both directions as far as the eye could see, and no buildings or people. So different to the Gold Coast! The kids had a great time riding their bikes up and down the bush tracks around the van. It was also good to know we could survive in a place with no power. I had my first shower in the van whilst we were there. It's a bit cramped, and not as hot as I normally like it, but it wasn't too bad.

We left there this morning and drove to Lakes Entrance for lunch. We stocked up on a bit of food and then drove past Orbost and across the Snowy River. The forests through that area are beautiful. We passed a few rest areas that we didn't like enough to stay the night, and then found a fantastic free campsite at Genoa. It was dark as we pulled in, but it looks fantastic. It has nice toilets and tennis courts and plenty of grassed area for the kids to run. There may even be room to hit some golf balls Darren thinks! There are about 10 other vans here. It will be good to have a look around in the morning. If it's a nice day we may stay for another night.

ON THE MOVE!

Well, we're finally on the move after 2 months at Numurkah. It was a sad farewell to all our new friends at the caravan park, and then my family. We had a bit of a false start. We were having some problems with the oven, and were told to bring the van in to a caravan service place in Shepparton. They were pretty sure what it was and that they could fix it quickly. So we dropped in to say goodbye to Mum and Dad on Tuesday morning - lots of hugs and tears - then headed to Shepparton. It turned out to be something else and they needed a part - which they had to order in. So back we headed to spend the night with Mum and Dad! The van was supposed to be ready the next morning, but the part didn't arrive and we had to spend another night there. It turned out to be quite nice. We finally left Shepparton with the van in tow on Thursday at 3:30 in the afternoon. We hit a bit of peak hour in Melbourne - bit freaky with the van on behind - and we made it to Dandenong caravan park at 7:30pm.

The next morning we went on Puffing Billy, an old steam train that goes through the Dandenong Ranges. It's beautiful country, and you can hang your legs out over the window sills which the kids thought was great.

That afternoon we travelled to Phillip Island. This is our second night here. What a fantastic place! It's the kind of place we could really live in. We didn't see the fairy penguins because you have to pay for that and we're trying to keep expenses down as much as possible. The scenery is awesome, and the island is covered with beautiful farmland, reserves and little seaside towns. I thought the only thing here was a race track! The weather is a bit fresh, but not too bad. We had a very foggy morning which turned into a beautiful sunny day today.