[Surferdude]

I always reckon the best part of any holiday is the unexpected.

So when a blonde woman walks into my motel room in Canberra  or we drive through an area and then see on the news the next morning it was rocked by a 4.2 earthquake, I reckon we’ve had a good holiday.
Oh. And not to mention the immense low pressure system (with category 2 cyclone strength winds) which attacked the NSW south coast while we were settled in a demountable cabin on the headland of one of the more exposed parts of that coast.

Anyway, after putting it off twice due to unexpected work demands, my wife and I and her sister set of on our long planned road trip south on the 29th May. Owing to a last minute commitment to a superannuation seminar we stayed in Brisbane the first night then headed south via the Northern Rivers to call in on a guy I know from another forum who breeds his own coffee in the Lennox Head hinterland. His one request? “Don’t tell my partner we met on the internet”. She’s a potter of some note and they have 40 acres given over to beef cattle and coffee in a very pretty area in the hills. He invited us down to his house for some “real” coffee and it turned into a 3 hour interlude before we resumed our journey.

Bloody nice coffee (Google “Red Door Coffee” for details), good company and he grows some damn nice oranges too.
So, on to Forster-Tuncurry for an overnight stay and we re-joined the Pacific Highway via “The Lakes Way, a picturesque drive south through the Myall Lakes region where you can hire a houseboat and disappear for a week or two if you are so inclined. A beautiful area, brightened even more by a section of the massive ghost gums which used to enliven a part of the Pacific Highway near Bulahdelah until they were bypassed some years ago. If you are ever in the area I’d also recommend a side trip to Halliday’s Point a picturesque spot just north of the twin towns.
Our next port of call was Maitland where a good friend has a tyre dealership. We managed to find another couple of hours to spend in a coffee shop with him catching up as it’s some years since I last saw him. Maitland is a town with a lot of history and a drive or walk along the main street will display plenty of historical buildings.
Next stop was a Denman pie, definitely among the best in the world. My wife and her sister had not experienced them before but agree the claim is not over the top. Then another quick stop in Cessnock to catch up with another dealer (same family as the previous).

We fetched up in Sydney for the night, staying at Dural in the Hills District.

*********************************************************************************************

That'll do for now. I'll add to this  over the next few days and post some pics as well.

What's that?

The blonde?

Oh well.

You'll just have to wait.

[Doggie 1]

I
What's that?

The blonde?

Oh well.

You'll just have to wait.

     

[rustynutz]

Nice one, Dave....

[Doggie 1]

C'mon, you can confide in us. 

[rustynutz]

Was probably the cleaning lady...

[Doggie 1]

Was probably the cleaning lady...

It probably was but he's making us wait. 

[rustynutz]

I guess when you're that age any stray woman is exciting....even the cleaning lady 

[Doggie 1]

 

And eighty eight is not old and you wouldn't notice the moustache after a while anyway 

[rustynutz]

 

[Surferdude]

 
You guys are picking on me.

[rustynutz]

Never!   

[Doggie 1]

Always 

[eye30]

I always reckon the best part of any holiday is the unexpected.

So when a blonde woman walks into my motel room

You can wake up from that DREAM now   

[Dazzler]

Thanks Trev.. Enjoyed your first instalment..

[2i30s]

I'll bet the blonde lady is Trev's wife.    [not the blonde in Dave's pic.  ]

[Surferdude]

I'll bet the blonde lady is Trev's wife.    [not the blonde in Dave's pic.  ]

Nah. I've never had a blonde wife.

[Seoul-mate]

Surferdude Heads South into the teeth of the Gale

Was the blonde's name Gale by any chance?

[Surferdude]

Surferdude Heads South into the teeth of the Gale

Was the blonde's name Gale by any chance?

Megan's not blonde.

[rustynutz]

I don't think he was talking about Megan....

And Dave, I hope Gale didn't have sharp teeth....

[Surferdude]

Stage Two...................................

Checked out our old house at Castle Hill to see how the landscaping I completed just before the sale was looking. All pretty good except they need to take a gerni to the front retaining wall. The natives have grown well and provide plenty of privacy from the street (so they couldn’t see us stopped outside and taking photos.
The next day we spent catching up with some old workmates of my wife then headed over to Dee Why to meet with the owner of another forum I’m involved with. And watched some lovely waves rolling in – unridden by me as I didn’t have a board with me.
On Saturday we went into the CBD for my sis in law to revisit her favourite place in Sydney, the Queen Victoria Building. Parked in Darling Harbour and got the monorail across as it was p*ssing down rain. Unfortunately when we wanted to go back the rain was just as heavy and the monorail had suffered some sort of breakdown, so we had to walk back.
Next day we headed south, stopping overnight in Bateman’s Bay. But we drove down the M7 which skirts to the west of Sydney proper and onto the Hume Highway as far as the Southern Highlands for a stopover in the picturesque (and cold) Bowral. Then via the road down through Kangaroo Valley to the coast at Nowra. The bridge at Kangaroo Valley is very old and the road down the range twists and turns through some awesome rain forest. We were in cloud pretty much all the way down, even though it was early afternoon by that time.
Bateman’s Bay is growing up. There’s a pretty decent shopping centre there now as well as an extremely pretty ocean inlet. The most scenic way south from here is to follow the coastline through national parks to Moruya. We weren’t in a hurry so we detoured into the historical village of Central Tilba (as opposed to its neighbour, Tilba Tilba). There are photos to come of some of its old (by Aussie standards) buildings and a quaint misspelling on a sign.
All this time the weather reports are warning of a massive front heading east across the country and in the throes of devastating Melbourne and the Gippsland just ahead of us. Predictions of up to 120 kph winds, torrential rain and massive, dangerous seas were holding our attention as we were booked into a cabin on the headland at Merimbula.
We made our destination mid afternoon, in pouring rain (but nothing like what was to come). Checked in and settled down. Decided we’d go nowhere as it was too wet but we did venture out to the local RSL club for dinner.

[Surferdude]

A few pics.

A trawler in dry dock in Tuncurry. Just after i took this pic (early morning) a bleary eyed old salt staggered out of the wheel house and down the ladder. Thought he was gonna have a go at me but I don't think he was seeing too well.

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It's a long way down to the river here but the floods can get pretty close to cutting this brige off


Surfing at Dee Why Sydney


Still surfing at Dee Why Sydney


A very elaborate clock in the QVB in Sydney's CBD


The Tilba Garelly (Gallery)


More Tilba (Tea Rooms)


Nice old pub, complete with a couple of local "characters" having a beer on the balcony.


There's a lookout above the town. These rocks are behind it.


Looking towards the coast from the lookout.


We had visitors trying to stay out of the rain. The signs say not to feed the local wild life but they would virtually take a piece of apple out of your fingers. So we weren't the first.

[Doggie 1]

Nice pics.
I love the Bateman Bay area.
But what about the blonde? 

[Surferdude]

Nice pics.
I love the Bateman Bay area.
But what about the blonde? 

Stay tuned. That happened in Canberra.
About episode 6.
Or maybe 4.

[Doggie 1]

 

[rustynutz]

C'mon Dave, just humour the old fella......

[Doggie 1]

 

[Surferdude]

Chapter 3. (where dave gets to hear about the blonde).

At about 5am the next day, the storm hit. Literally in about 5 minutes we went from heavyish rain with little wind to a full on gale and torrential rain. The wind gusts were up to category two cyclone strength and gusting so everything was rocking and creaking and rumbling. And within an hour the waves had grown enormously, pounding onto the rock shelf below us.

The wind didn’t let up pretty much all that day so my wife and her sister elected to stay in the unit and read while I went off to catch up with another guy I’d ‘met on the internet”. This fella is a retired chiropractor and he lives in a house which is styled on the sort of A frame cottage you’d find in Devon (which is where his wife comes from). The view from the sun (joke) room is across the river to the airport. The river is chocka block full of oyster beds if you like oysters. He’s been surfing even longer than I have and turned out to be a great guy.
Unfortunately there was no surfing to be done. It would have been suicide. But he sent me pics from 2 days later when it was perfect.

On the morning we left Merimbula I woke early and although the wind had dropped (somewhat) and there were breaks in the clouds revealing some blue sky, the surf was, if anything, bigger. It’s the first time I’ve ever been able to ‘feel’ the pounding through my body. It was like the earth was rumbling although I think it was more likely coming through the air as the waves closed out on themselves above the rock shelf about 100 metres away and 20 or so metres below us. In the pre-dawn darkness it was an awesome sound.

Because we had been hearing about road closures (particularly south of us due to flooding and trees down) I got on the web to check if we could get through the way I was planning and it all looked clear.

For drivers who have used one or more of the routes up from the East Coast of Australia to the top of the Great Dividing Range, I can heartily recommend the road from Pambula (just south of Merimbula) up to Bombala which nestles in a sort of depression in the High Country, east of the Snowy Mountains. Some years ago I drove up there early one morning in my company Subaru Liberty and just before the climb started a Subaru Forester came out of a farm road on my left and ended up about 500 meters behind me. So as I start to climb, I start to play (as you do) but not really pushing it. Just enjoying the beautiful balance and neutral handling of the Liberty. Anyway, soon the Forester is not far behind me. WTF? So I slip into it and over the next few kilometres I discover that if I drive at 9/10ths I can pull away from him. 8/10ths and he slowly reels me in. Anyway I ended up driving 9/10ths most of the trip up over the edge of the range but still had time to register this was beautiful rain forest with the forest floor literally covered in tree ferns.

When we made it to the outskirts of Bombala I eased right back and sat just under the speed limit. The Forester passed me, the driver glancing sideways, giving me a brief nod and a slight wave of the hand which translated to, “Thanks for the workout”. It was actually a Forester GT and I guess, coming out of a farm road he knew the route pretty well. But, bloody hell I had to work at it.

Naturally this trip up in my wife’s Corolla, with her and her sister on board (and no sign of the Forester or I might have been in trouble), was much more sedate and served to confirm my earlier fleeting glimpses of the scenery. Great drive. Do it if you can. The surrounds of Bombala are typical high country and the Bombala River adds to the picture. From here you drive through to Cooma which is the jumping off point for the NSW ski country. Low clouds prevented us from seeing snow on the peaks but news reports had shown enough of a dump for the resorts to open a week early this year.

We stopped in Cooma (I love this town). Walked up and down the main street and had lunch in a café in a very old building with photos on the walls showing local history. Then it was on down into Canberra where we intended to stay 2 nights. In fact we changed this because we got in early enough to spend plenty of time at the Australian War Memorial and the motel we stayed at had no vacancies for the next night due to a poultry convention at the nearby Canberra Showgrounds. Yep. That’s right. A Poultry Convention. What they didn’t tell us was that some of the farmers were arriving that night with vans and utes full of chooks – and roosters!!! Which started crowing about 2 am.
We had already decided to spend the morning in Canberra and head north after lunch. I figured Cowra was within reach. So we made friends with some of the farmers and had a look at their prized feathered friends. We were wandering about the courtyard and I went back into my room to get something and as I turn around this blond woman walks in, head down, looks up, sees me and freaks. As you do. Her room was next door. Interesting as Claire was sitting on the bed, just out of sight of the doorway until the woman took her three steps into the room.

So there you go Dave. All totally innocent.

[Surferdude]

Some pics

A Centurion Tank in the grounds of the Australian War memorial


And some more shots from there.

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Rabbits in the afternoon sun. Rabbits are an introduced pest in Australia and have produced all sorts of control methods over the years. There are rabbit proof fences in WA and Qld. Queensland also has a law banning the keeping of rabbits as pets. The measures seem to work as we don't see them in numbers like in the southern states. I remember my son living in a unit at Lane Cove, a classy suburb of inner NW Sydney and there was a school oval next door. One afternoon we counted over 100 rabbits on that oval.
We also developed a disease called Myxamatosis which was quite successful until they became immune to it. More recently there is another virus the calicivirus which was developed by the CSIRO and actually escaped into the wild before testing was complete. it has proven more effective in warmer climates.



From the steps of the War Memorial, looking down and across to Parliament House. The new one is in the background (with the flagpole) The original is the lower building just in front of it.



The dome from inside



Simpson and his donkey at Gallipoli.



This is maybe a better shot of the Parliament buildings.



Looking up over the Eternal Flame and Pool of Remembrance.



Canberra is hot air balloon territory.



Couple of galahs canoodling on the power lines.

[Doggie 1]

 
Great pics.
You should have had your clothes on then she wouldn't have freaked out so much. 

[Surferdude]

Great pics.
You should have had your clothes on then she wouldn't have freaked out so much. 

It was cold. I had a shirt on.