May 15th - 31st
15th May
Awoke at Bungendore showground’s and waited patiently outside the shower while each of us showered - Freak Patrol!
Went into Bungendore and stocked up on supplies for us and Carol before heading back to Kalbilli for another fun filled farm stay!
Greeted by Carol at Kalbilli John was out chasing and moving bulls! John reckons bull's have got the best job on the farm as they moved this one bull from one paddock filled with 40 cows to another paddock filled with 50 cows for him to 'service' - Lucky Bugger!!
We made ourselves at home and caught up on all the antics of farm life with Carol. Bec was inspired to do some more scrapbooking whilst Mike and John rounded up and moved some sheep.
The arvo / evening was topped off with yet another happy hour followed by a fantastic meal of sheppards pie by Carol - YUM!!
16th May
Mike awoke feeling unwell though not self inflicted for once! So he spent the morning in bed whilst Bec and the dogs went for a run.
However by lunch time when it came time for hacking around on motorbikes and lighting bon fires Mike miraculously felt up to the challenge so of the boys went to make big piles of wood - I mean big piles and burn them!
Bec and Carol enjoyed a relaxed afternoon without the boys doing some scrapbooking and cross stitch!
When the pyromaniacs returned it was time for Mike to cook dinner so once again it was off to the kitchen with a beer in hand!
17th May
Mike and Pop made a relatively early start and went off fixing fences and collecting old fence posts for firewood - All on the four wheel motorbikes of course! Whilst Bec and Carol tended to the domestic chores around the house before catching up on emails and reading.
After Mikes previous curtain making skills let him down he decided to re-make it. Whilst everyone else had their respective Poppy and Nanny naps as we knew it could be a late night ahead as we were off to Fred and Liz's place for dinner.
Mike and Pop made a dash to the local pub to grab a bottle of wine to have with dinner, while they were there they decided to sample the beer as well so the 10 min drive to the pub turned into a 1 hour trip!
Set off in the infamous Barbie car for the drive to Fred and Liz's for dinner. This trip there was no sudden urges felt by Pop to go rabbit chasing so the trip was a little smoother.
Fred had tonight prepared a lovely meal of roast Venison (Bec was a little nervous at the thought of eating Bamby for dinner as she doesn’t normally venture outside of lamb, beef, chicken or fish!) It was a beautiful meal and another fantastic night shared with some great generous hosts!
18th May
This was to be the last morning we would awake at Kalbilli (unless Mike gets his way and is allowed to buy a piece of it!)
Started the big pack up which didn’t finish until early afternoon mainly because we didn’t want to leave so we were dragging things out!
Said our final final goodbyes - who knows when we will all be together again - it could even be in WA!
Left Kalbilli and headed for Goulburn in the pouring rain- our first real rain on the whole trip. Had a look around Goulburn Town and did some shopping - went off to find the local showground to camp but there was no camping allowed so we had to leave the town area and camp in a rest area on the main highway to Sydney - Not exactly peaceful but our options were limited.
19th May
After a restless night in the rest area we packed up camp and headed back into Goulburn to pick up some new lights for the roof of the bus. Unfortunately after driving 25Km's to pick them up as they were a bargain we find out that they are the lights we wanted but the guy wanted twice what we had been told on the phone!!
Decided to leave the Goulburn area and head for the coast. Carol, Pop Fred and Liz had all recommended going through a place called the Kangaroo Valley - So glad we did what a beautiful valley. Such a pity there was no spots to stop a 6 ton bus to take some photos of the views!
Drove through the valley to Nowra on the coast near Jervis Bay. After a stop for lunch on the river we headed to the showground's to set up camp. A really nice camping area right near the Hanging Rock Lookout - This free camp even had free power!
Awoke at Bungendore showground’s and waited patiently outside the shower while each of us showered - Freak Patrol!
Went into Bungendore and stocked up on supplies for us and Carol before heading back to Kalbilli for another fun filled farm stay!
Greeted by Carol at Kalbilli John was out chasing and moving bulls! John reckons bull's have got the best job on the farm as they moved this one bull from one paddock filled with 40 cows to another paddock filled with 50 cows for him to 'service' - Lucky Bugger!!
We made ourselves at home and caught up on all the antics of farm life with Carol. Bec was inspired to do some more scrapbooking whilst Mike and John rounded up and moved some sheep.
The arvo / evening was topped off with yet another happy hour followed by a fantastic meal of sheppards pie by Carol - YUM!!
16th May
Mike awoke feeling unwell though not self inflicted for once! So he spent the morning in bed whilst Bec and the dogs went for a run.
However by lunch time when it came time for hacking around on motorbikes and lighting bon fires Mike miraculously felt up to the challenge so of the boys went to make big piles of wood - I mean big piles and burn them!
Bec and Carol enjoyed a relaxed afternoon without the boys doing some scrapbooking and cross stitch!
When the pyromaniacs returned it was time for Mike to cook dinner so once again it was off to the kitchen with a beer in hand!
17th May
Mike and Pop made a relatively early start and went off fixing fences and collecting old fence posts for firewood - All on the four wheel motorbikes of course! Whilst Bec and Carol tended to the domestic chores around the house before catching up on emails and reading.
After Mikes previous curtain making skills let him down he decided to re-make it. Whilst everyone else had their respective Poppy and Nanny naps as we knew it could be a late night ahead as we were off to Fred and Liz's place for dinner.
Mike and Pop made a dash to the local pub to grab a bottle of wine to have with dinner, while they were there they decided to sample the beer as well so the 10 min drive to the pub turned into a 1 hour trip!
Set off in the infamous Barbie car for the drive to Fred and Liz's for dinner. This trip there was no sudden urges felt by Pop to go rabbit chasing so the trip was a little smoother.
Fred had tonight prepared a lovely meal of roast Venison (Bec was a little nervous at the thought of eating Bamby for dinner as she doesn’t normally venture outside of lamb, beef, chicken or fish!) It was a beautiful meal and another fantastic night shared with some great generous hosts!
18th May
This was to be the last morning we would awake at Kalbilli (unless Mike gets his way and is allowed to buy a piece of it!)
Started the big pack up which didn’t finish until early afternoon mainly because we didn’t want to leave so we were dragging things out!
Said our final final goodbyes - who knows when we will all be together again - it could even be in WA!
Left Kalbilli and headed for Goulburn in the pouring rain- our first real rain on the whole trip. Had a look around Goulburn Town and did some shopping - went off to find the local showground to camp but there was no camping allowed so we had to leave the town area and camp in a rest area on the main highway to Sydney - Not exactly peaceful but our options were limited.
19th May
After a restless night in the rest area we packed up camp and headed back into Goulburn to pick up some new lights for the roof of the bus. Unfortunately after driving 25Km's to pick them up as they were a bargain we find out that they are the lights we wanted but the guy wanted twice what we had been told on the phone!!
Decided to leave the Goulburn area and head for the coast. Carol, Pop Fred and Liz had all recommended going through a place called the Kangaroo Valley - So glad we did what a beautiful valley. Such a pity there was no spots to stop a 6 ton bus to take some photos of the views!
Drove through the valley to Nowra on the coast near Jervis Bay. After a stop for lunch on the river we headed to the showground's to set up camp. A really nice camping area right near the Hanging Rock Lookout - This free camp even had free power!
20th May
We had been told about a local market to check out yesterday so we headed in the direction of the primary school to have a look but it was tiny so we ditched that and headed for the Aviation Museum.
Bec decided looking at planes wasn't up her alley so Mike went in the museum whilst she caught up on emails and walked the dogs around the oval. Mike really enjoyed the planes - the display was a history of all the naval aircraft used by Australia since the Navy's inception - Very Interesting
Left the museum and headed for Jervis Bay. Took the dogs for a walk around the foreshore and decided we would have Fish and Chips down on the jetty for lunch. Spent some time relaxing in the sun and watching the world go by after filling our tummies with greasy fish and chips - YUM!
Although the coastline was great we decided to turn around and head back north towards Sydney as at the moment we were heading south again. Drove north through Nowra and headed for Berry. A great funky little town which Bec had a great time wandering around whilst eating a local ice-cream!
We were in need of a launderette so we headed back to Nowra and checked into a caravan park so we could do some spring cleaning!
21st May
Did some early morning shopping and got our first quote for going to Bali in October - As most of you will know we got engaged in Bali so it is fitting to celebrate our anniversary there and it also means we will get to see Mike parents for what will then be the first time in 10 months!
Left Nowra and headed North to Kiamma a town made famous by its Blow Hole - supposedly the best in Australia - It wasn't working when we where there but the photos of it working are pretty spectacular.
Found a nice spot on the top of a hill overlooking the bay to camp so we set up and ended up being joined by 2 other groups of campers! Took the dogs for an afternoon walk around a nearby football oval. Very nice area but a little hard to enjoy as its blowing a gale!
22nd May - Happy Birthday Dad (Jeff)
Went back to the blowhole after breakfast to see if it was working today but again no luck!
Drove into town and went for a walk and visited the original miner's huts on the main street. They are the oldest shingle roofed buildings in Australia! Very pretty as they are built side by side along the street and are all now crafty shops,
As the wind was still strong we were spending most of our time inside so we continued driving North in the hope of finding something or somewhere to go that might be warm and out of the wind! So we went to Shell Harbor.
A great little town with an amazing beach - As it was still really windy Mike decided to fly his new stunt Kite, but as the wind was so strong and gusty Mike was worried his kite might get damaged, so we watched the wave's crash on the beach with a cup of hot chocolate!
Set up camp in the Surf Club car park - the security guard knocked on our door at about 8 o'clock to tell us he was locking the gate and that we weren't supposed to camp here but said that "I didn't see you here" and let us stay - Nice Bloke
23rd May
Had a nice walk along the beach with the dogs in the morning before setting of up the coast for the Blue Mountains
Drove through Wollongong and Penrith along the way and stopped briefly in both but as they were both so big and busy we decided to continue on to Katoomba.
Stopped at the Wentworth Falls lookouts which are three lookouts with views of the Blue Mountains - Such an amazing site for as far as the eye can see there are just mountains and trees I can only imagine the thoughts of the early settlers when they were faced with crossing these mountains!
Drove into the Katoomba Township to get a map of the mountains lookouts and try and find a camp for the night. Ended up finding a camp at the cascades right near the infamous Three Sisters lookouts.
An amazingly cold evening we're sure it was 1deg at about 9 o'clock! Though we are at 1000mtrs elevation so to be expected!
24th May
Went to the Echo point and enjoyed the view of the three sisters with about 400 screaming primary school kids and 100 camera totting Asian tourists! We thought getting an early start would mean it would be quite!
The view from Echo Point is one that really must be seen to be appreciated the view from the top down to the valley floor below is spectacular - one school kid standing next to us commented that "the trees look like the top of broccoli - don't ya reckon mate"
Had a ride on the sky train - This is basically a cable car that is suspended over the valley. The train has a special glass floor which changes from opaque to transparent electrically allowing you to look straight down to the valley from 400 feet up! We shared the experience with 30 screaming school kids on the way over and 10 Asian tourists with cameras on the way back!
Tried to warm up with a hot chocolate whilst admiring the view of the mountains, before packing up and heading for Bec next town of choice - Summer Bay! Really called Palm Beach.
Arrived in Palm Beach after a couple of hours driving - we have decided to bypass Sydney on this trip - We have both been there before and the big cities are just too annoying to negotiate in the bus and they don't overly interest us anyway.
25th May
Went down to the "Summer Bay" surf club to hang out with the Home and Away crew but "stone the flamin crows" none of them were there - Very disappointing! But there was some evidence we were in the right place as the Summer Bay Surf Club sign had "Alf Stewart" written on as being the club president!
After a walk around to check out all the areas filming is done in we sadly left the area and made our way north to Avoca Beach for a couple of days in the caravan park - we have been doing a lot of traveling lately and we needed time to "Relax"!!
After some food shopping we set up in one of the nicest camp spots overlooking the lake on a great grassy site!
Had a very lazy afternoon lying around the bus, reading books and the news paper.
26th May
After a very late start (Almost in time for lunch) we headed out into town for a walk with the dogs. Along the way we stumbled on a dog groomer and as Mimi need a bath we dropped her off and continued the walk into town with Charlie.
Avoca is a very small and tranquil town it would be a great place to have a holiday house as it has a very relaxed feel. On the walk we found a garage sale and Mike decided we should just have a quick look (I think it's his grandma coming out in him) and Bec found a book she would like but we had no money but the lovely lady said she could have it as a gift to enjoy on our trip!
Walked back to the bus so Mike could fix one of the roof lights we were going to replace but have changed our minds after the rip off attempt in Goulburn!
After fixing the light we both went for our afternoon exercise run - into town and back followed by some weights and other exercises back at camp.
27th May
Another late start - All this Holidaying is making us very tiered!!
After packing the bus we left Avoca and continued our migration North towards Newcastle.
Found a nice town The Entrance on the way. Stopped for a quick look around town. Though after the late start we decided to continue traveling as the area was nice but the weather was cool and not the nicest to be around the beach.
Just up the road we found a nice protected beach at Budgewoi so we took the dogs on the beach for a run. When we returned a guy had stopped as well in an old coaster so Mike did his usual and went over for a chat - Big mistake Mike has never met a grumpier guy in a motor home - most people on the road are great to talk to as we all share a fairly common interest - not this guy he was extremely negative to the point he told us we were crazy to have bought a Diesel bus! Thanks Mate!
Decided to head back down the road to Norah Heads as we were going to stay where we were but after his grumpiness we decided not to - He also said the ranger always comes there.
Found a nice spot to camp under some trees in a secluded Rotary Park near the beach.
28th May
After exercising the dogs we left Norah Heads and started heading for Morisset inland from Lake Macquarie.
On the way we spotted a bus exactly the same as ours that was being wrecked out the front of a house so Mike pulled over for a quick look - It had been driven there using a huge electric motor powered by a generator - Very unusual - would have been a lot of work involved in welding the electric motor in the place of the diesel!
Drove to Morisset on the way in to town we spotted a sign for the showground so we went for a look - there were some other caravans already there so we figured we could camp here. As it was only early morning we decided to head for Toronto to have a look at Lake Macquarie.
Took the dogs for a walk near the river in a park - Very nice area great views over the lake very much a holiday and retirement town but still very nice.
After our morning tea overlooking the lake we thought we would take advantage of the warm showers back in Morisset at the showground's. So we turned around and set up camp in the showground's. Mimi and Charlie were entertained by the trotting horses being worked around the track - Every time they trotted past the dogs would run up and down the bus trying to get out and run with them - very entertaining!
Spent the afternoon relaxing and sorting out Bec's travel plans for her trip back to Perth next week.
29th May
Left the showground's early and drove north to Newcastle.
Went to the tourist info centre in Newcastle to ask about buses for Bec to Sydney and about caravan parks that take dogs but none do so we won't be staying here.
Went over the road to Flight Centre Travel agent to book our trip to Bali! Yay!
Left the travel agent and went for a walk through the main mall in town - Something amazing has happened on this trip - Bec has started to not enjoy shopping as much as she used to - maybe it's the fact that a nice mini skirt or nice pair of high heel shoes aren't too practical around the camp fire! So we only spent a little time in the shops before taking the bus down to the foreshore so we could have lunch.
As we had spent a fair while traveling along the coast we thought we might head inland towards the Hunter Valley for something different and maybe sample a wine or two! Over to Maitland in the Lower Hunter valley - Nice town which had a showground though we couldn't camp there - so we had to continue towards the Upper Hunter.
Found a reasonable rest area on the highway near Braxton to camp for the night. Met a couple from Perth in their caravan. Nice couple who also had a dog the lady reminded Mike of his nanna Wendy - Yup you guessed it she could have talked underwater! And could easily have done so whilst talking in riddles about three different subjects!
Had a very restless night as there was a lot of truck noise from the highway Mike counted 14 trucks in 1 min!
30th May
Continued north on our tour of the Hunter Valley wine region - Though we haven't seen a winery yet!
Bec had seen some information on a convent in Singleton so we headed for there but found the tours were only run on the weekends. So we continued through to Muswellbrook and we went to the tourist information centre to see about the location of the wineries and any other things we should see. The guy recommended heading to a cheese factory on the way out of town before turning back south and following the Hunter Valley back to Maitland.
Well the cheese factory certainly was that A Factory with a tiny side door leading to the "tasting area" - A table and some ice-cream containers with cheese in them! No Thanks! So we left here and headed for Denman where there were some wineries to visit.
Drove down a two kilometer gravel driveway to the first winery Cruickshank Estate were we sampled a few of their Red's - Bec bought a nice red named Velvet - very nice drop! After a chat with the locals and a couple from Tasmania we headed for the nest winery where we had lunch overlooking their gardens and sampled some of their wines.
It was then of to Denman further south to see if we could find somewhere to camp for the night and hopefully get some diesel as things were getting a bit desperate in that area - all the petrol stations had petrol but no diesel!
There were no areas to camp in Denman but there was diesel luckily! So we headed out on the Golden highway and stopped in a Rotary run rest area for the night. We had just parked up when an old couple pulled up in their caravan and decided to back up over the grass and park right next to us - so Mike started up the bus and moved forward rather angrily - I think they got the message!
31st May
Mike had read about a Brewery in Cessnock in the Lower Hunter Valley so we continued on the Golden Highway to Cessnock. Went into the main town to stock up on food and for a walk around, before heading back out to the brewery so Mike could sample a few of their beers - Very Very nice beers they had a beer that was very much like his favorite Little Creatures Pale Ale so he was very happy.
On the way into town we had seen a sign for a champagne cellar so we went for a look they had nice champagne though they also had some very rude ladies serving them so it was nice but we didn't stay for long. Next door was Bec's second favorite place to visit after a Champagne Cellar Door and that was a Belgium Chocolate factory so in we went to try some of their samples - Yum!
Went a little further up the road to another cheese factory - this one was a lot nicer but it was full of a crowd of old American ladies all trying to stuff their faces on the cheese samples and Ice cream but Mike managed to push his way through to try some of the great blue vein cheeses - very nice! Had an ice-cream outside overlooking the valley where we were asked by an American guy "Hey guys is that your RV wow that's cool are you guys really on your honeymoon?" Mmmmm No the sticker on the front window saying "HoneyMoonin" is just there for fun!
Left the Cessnock area in search of somewhere to camp - Found a nice big park in Kurri Kurri with a fenced oval so we stopped there for the night so we could let the dogs out for a big run around the oval.
We had been told about a local market to check out yesterday so we headed in the direction of the primary school to have a look but it was tiny so we ditched that and headed for the Aviation Museum.
Bec decided looking at planes wasn't up her alley so Mike went in the museum whilst she caught up on emails and walked the dogs around the oval. Mike really enjoyed the planes - the display was a history of all the naval aircraft used by Australia since the Navy's inception - Very Interesting
Left the museum and headed for Jervis Bay. Took the dogs for a walk around the foreshore and decided we would have Fish and Chips down on the jetty for lunch. Spent some time relaxing in the sun and watching the world go by after filling our tummies with greasy fish and chips - YUM!
Although the coastline was great we decided to turn around and head back north towards Sydney as at the moment we were heading south again. Drove north through Nowra and headed for Berry. A great funky little town which Bec had a great time wandering around whilst eating a local ice-cream!
We were in need of a launderette so we headed back to Nowra and checked into a caravan park so we could do some spring cleaning!
21st May
Did some early morning shopping and got our first quote for going to Bali in October - As most of you will know we got engaged in Bali so it is fitting to celebrate our anniversary there and it also means we will get to see Mike parents for what will then be the first time in 10 months!
Left Nowra and headed North to Kiamma a town made famous by its Blow Hole - supposedly the best in Australia - It wasn't working when we where there but the photos of it working are pretty spectacular.
Found a nice spot on the top of a hill overlooking the bay to camp so we set up and ended up being joined by 2 other groups of campers! Took the dogs for an afternoon walk around a nearby football oval. Very nice area but a little hard to enjoy as its blowing a gale!
22nd May - Happy Birthday Dad (Jeff)
Went back to the blowhole after breakfast to see if it was working today but again no luck!
Drove into town and went for a walk and visited the original miner's huts on the main street. They are the oldest shingle roofed buildings in Australia! Very pretty as they are built side by side along the street and are all now crafty shops,
As the wind was still strong we were spending most of our time inside so we continued driving North in the hope of finding something or somewhere to go that might be warm and out of the wind! So we went to Shell Harbor.
A great little town with an amazing beach - As it was still really windy Mike decided to fly his new stunt Kite, but as the wind was so strong and gusty Mike was worried his kite might get damaged, so we watched the wave's crash on the beach with a cup of hot chocolate!
Set up camp in the Surf Club car park - the security guard knocked on our door at about 8 o'clock to tell us he was locking the gate and that we weren't supposed to camp here but said that "I didn't see you here" and let us stay - Nice Bloke
23rd May
Had a nice walk along the beach with the dogs in the morning before setting of up the coast for the Blue Mountains
Drove through Wollongong and Penrith along the way and stopped briefly in both but as they were both so big and busy we decided to continue on to Katoomba.
Stopped at the Wentworth Falls lookouts which are three lookouts with views of the Blue Mountains - Such an amazing site for as far as the eye can see there are just mountains and trees I can only imagine the thoughts of the early settlers when they were faced with crossing these mountains!
Drove into the Katoomba Township to get a map of the mountains lookouts and try and find a camp for the night. Ended up finding a camp at the cascades right near the infamous Three Sisters lookouts.
An amazingly cold evening we're sure it was 1deg at about 9 o'clock! Though we are at 1000mtrs elevation so to be expected!
24th May
Went to the Echo point and enjoyed the view of the three sisters with about 400 screaming primary school kids and 100 camera totting Asian tourists! We thought getting an early start would mean it would be quite!
The view from Echo Point is one that really must be seen to be appreciated the view from the top down to the valley floor below is spectacular - one school kid standing next to us commented that "the trees look like the top of broccoli - don't ya reckon mate"
Had a ride on the sky train - This is basically a cable car that is suspended over the valley. The train has a special glass floor which changes from opaque to transparent electrically allowing you to look straight down to the valley from 400 feet up! We shared the experience with 30 screaming school kids on the way over and 10 Asian tourists with cameras on the way back!
Tried to warm up with a hot chocolate whilst admiring the view of the mountains, before packing up and heading for Bec next town of choice - Summer Bay! Really called Palm Beach.
Arrived in Palm Beach after a couple of hours driving - we have decided to bypass Sydney on this trip - We have both been there before and the big cities are just too annoying to negotiate in the bus and they don't overly interest us anyway.
25th May
Went down to the "Summer Bay" surf club to hang out with the Home and Away crew but "stone the flamin crows" none of them were there - Very disappointing! But there was some evidence we were in the right place as the Summer Bay Surf Club sign had "Alf Stewart" written on as being the club president!
After a walk around to check out all the areas filming is done in we sadly left the area and made our way north to Avoca Beach for a couple of days in the caravan park - we have been doing a lot of traveling lately and we needed time to "Relax"!!
After some food shopping we set up in one of the nicest camp spots overlooking the lake on a great grassy site!
Had a very lazy afternoon lying around the bus, reading books and the news paper.
26th May
After a very late start (Almost in time for lunch) we headed out into town for a walk with the dogs. Along the way we stumbled on a dog groomer and as Mimi need a bath we dropped her off and continued the walk into town with Charlie.
Avoca is a very small and tranquil town it would be a great place to have a holiday house as it has a very relaxed feel. On the walk we found a garage sale and Mike decided we should just have a quick look (I think it's his grandma coming out in him) and Bec found a book she would like but we had no money but the lovely lady said she could have it as a gift to enjoy on our trip!
Walked back to the bus so Mike could fix one of the roof lights we were going to replace but have changed our minds after the rip off attempt in Goulburn!
After fixing the light we both went for our afternoon exercise run - into town and back followed by some weights and other exercises back at camp.
27th May
Another late start - All this Holidaying is making us very tiered!!
After packing the bus we left Avoca and continued our migration North towards Newcastle.
Found a nice town The Entrance on the way. Stopped for a quick look around town. Though after the late start we decided to continue traveling as the area was nice but the weather was cool and not the nicest to be around the beach.
Just up the road we found a nice protected beach at Budgewoi so we took the dogs on the beach for a run. When we returned a guy had stopped as well in an old coaster so Mike did his usual and went over for a chat - Big mistake Mike has never met a grumpier guy in a motor home - most people on the road are great to talk to as we all share a fairly common interest - not this guy he was extremely negative to the point he told us we were crazy to have bought a Diesel bus! Thanks Mate!
Decided to head back down the road to Norah Heads as we were going to stay where we were but after his grumpiness we decided not to - He also said the ranger always comes there.
Found a nice spot to camp under some trees in a secluded Rotary Park near the beach.
28th May
After exercising the dogs we left Norah Heads and started heading for Morisset inland from Lake Macquarie.
On the way we spotted a bus exactly the same as ours that was being wrecked out the front of a house so Mike pulled over for a quick look - It had been driven there using a huge electric motor powered by a generator - Very unusual - would have been a lot of work involved in welding the electric motor in the place of the diesel!
Drove to Morisset on the way in to town we spotted a sign for the showground so we went for a look - there were some other caravans already there so we figured we could camp here. As it was only early morning we decided to head for Toronto to have a look at Lake Macquarie.
Took the dogs for a walk near the river in a park - Very nice area great views over the lake very much a holiday and retirement town but still very nice.
After our morning tea overlooking the lake we thought we would take advantage of the warm showers back in Morisset at the showground's. So we turned around and set up camp in the showground's. Mimi and Charlie were entertained by the trotting horses being worked around the track - Every time they trotted past the dogs would run up and down the bus trying to get out and run with them - very entertaining!
Spent the afternoon relaxing and sorting out Bec's travel plans for her trip back to Perth next week.
29th May
Left the showground's early and drove north to Newcastle.
Went to the tourist info centre in Newcastle to ask about buses for Bec to Sydney and about caravan parks that take dogs but none do so we won't be staying here.
Went over the road to Flight Centre Travel agent to book our trip to Bali! Yay!
Left the travel agent and went for a walk through the main mall in town - Something amazing has happened on this trip - Bec has started to not enjoy shopping as much as she used to - maybe it's the fact that a nice mini skirt or nice pair of high heel shoes aren't too practical around the camp fire! So we only spent a little time in the shops before taking the bus down to the foreshore so we could have lunch.
As we had spent a fair while traveling along the coast we thought we might head inland towards the Hunter Valley for something different and maybe sample a wine or two! Over to Maitland in the Lower Hunter valley - Nice town which had a showground though we couldn't camp there - so we had to continue towards the Upper Hunter.
Found a reasonable rest area on the highway near Braxton to camp for the night. Met a couple from Perth in their caravan. Nice couple who also had a dog the lady reminded Mike of his nanna Wendy - Yup you guessed it she could have talked underwater! And could easily have done so whilst talking in riddles about three different subjects!
Had a very restless night as there was a lot of truck noise from the highway Mike counted 14 trucks in 1 min!
30th May
Continued north on our tour of the Hunter Valley wine region - Though we haven't seen a winery yet!
Bec had seen some information on a convent in Singleton so we headed for there but found the tours were only run on the weekends. So we continued through to Muswellbrook and we went to the tourist information centre to see about the location of the wineries and any other things we should see. The guy recommended heading to a cheese factory on the way out of town before turning back south and following the Hunter Valley back to Maitland.
Well the cheese factory certainly was that A Factory with a tiny side door leading to the "tasting area" - A table and some ice-cream containers with cheese in them! No Thanks! So we left here and headed for Denman where there were some wineries to visit.
Drove down a two kilometer gravel driveway to the first winery Cruickshank Estate were we sampled a few of their Red's - Bec bought a nice red named Velvet - very nice drop! After a chat with the locals and a couple from Tasmania we headed for the nest winery where we had lunch overlooking their gardens and sampled some of their wines.
It was then of to Denman further south to see if we could find somewhere to camp for the night and hopefully get some diesel as things were getting a bit desperate in that area - all the petrol stations had petrol but no diesel!
There were no areas to camp in Denman but there was diesel luckily! So we headed out on the Golden highway and stopped in a Rotary run rest area for the night. We had just parked up when an old couple pulled up in their caravan and decided to back up over the grass and park right next to us - so Mike started up the bus and moved forward rather angrily - I think they got the message!
31st May
Mike had read about a Brewery in Cessnock in the Lower Hunter Valley so we continued on the Golden Highway to Cessnock. Went into the main town to stock up on food and for a walk around, before heading back out to the brewery so Mike could sample a few of their beers - Very Very nice beers they had a beer that was very much like his favorite Little Creatures Pale Ale so he was very happy.
On the way into town we had seen a sign for a champagne cellar so we went for a look they had nice champagne though they also had some very rude ladies serving them so it was nice but we didn't stay for long. Next door was Bec's second favorite place to visit after a Champagne Cellar Door and that was a Belgium Chocolate factory so in we went to try some of their samples - Yum!
Went a little further up the road to another cheese factory - this one was a lot nicer but it was full of a crowd of old American ladies all trying to stuff their faces on the cheese samples and Ice cream but Mike managed to push his way through to try some of the great blue vein cheeses - very nice! Had an ice-cream outside overlooking the valley where we were asked by an American guy "Hey guys is that your RV wow that's cool are you guys really on your honeymoon?" Mmmmm No the sticker on the front window saying "HoneyMoonin" is just there for fun!
Left the Cessnock area in search of somewhere to camp - Found a nice big park in Kurri Kurri with a fenced oval so we stopped there for the night so we could let the dogs out for a big run around the oval.