Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from 2014

The Greater Port Macquarie

It's nice to have a break from the holiday parks every now and then, and we had that in mid-North Coast when we were able to stay with longtime family friends. We literally set up camp in their horses paddock - power and water connections into the horse stable and all. The horses kept us company and did really well to have us there, with Dusty and Maxie following them around, climbing the gate to pat their noses, stirring up their feed while they were trying to eat. It really gave another unique learning opportunity for Dusty. How many 4 year olds can say they took a week long internship learning the care and feeding of horses in nothing other than a horse paddock? Dusty learned so much that week he insisted that HE knew the best way to dress, feed, and care for horses and the owners had to learn from HIM. Generally he knew his stuff, too! So even though we'd moved on from the amazing South West Rocks coastal town to a rural country property, we were again happier and loving th

Arakoon and South West Rocks

We stayed at Arakoon near South West Rocks for a few days and oh-my-word, it was soooo amazing. Within the first hour of setting up the caravan there were kangaroos all around us giving Dusty a chance to take close up photos... It turned out that Australian wildlife are EVERYWHERE at Arakoon, so the place had a real personality about it. That, and the Trial Bay Gaol, which (as we read) plays a massive part in the history of the region not only as a Gaol, but as a bakery for the town, a life-saving service for ship-wrecked boats, and a full German cultural hub and safety respite during WW1. The building remains are stunning, it is everything I anticipated it would be (I had been dreaming of visiting this historical landmark since I read about it in the Gold Coast Sun 6 months ago).  It didn't matter where we went in Arakoon, it was just darn pretty all the time. From the rocky headlands and beaches in between...  To the fire-red sunset on the beach...  ... The bush trail walks ... 

Macksville, Utungun Farm, Dorrigo (just south of Coffs Harbour)

At Utungan Farm (just outside Macksville), we set up the caravan in the cow paddock. There was so much good stuff happening during our few days at the farm, like sharing meals with our much-loved cousins and generally taking in the scenery and beauty of the family farm, hosted by  Tamara, Matt, Geoff & Nadine, and their folks Marlene and Doug who have been on the land for decades . We canoed up the creek for a little spot of fishing, had a pizza-oven night, bathed in the creek during the hottest parts of the day, played in the dirt and explored the local area.  We visited The Pub With No Beer and loved it.  And took a drive to Bellingen and then up the range to Dorrigo where we discovered - with a huge amount of excitement from the boys - a railway museum with hundreds of old trains and carriages (and other industrial relics from Australia's earlier years) in the open air.   Later on, I took some time out to plan our journey, drawing in the dirt with a stick. I'm finding so