Surf's Up

 We enjoyed our time in the Great Lakes park. On Wednesday morning the kids swam for hours. I had a long swim as well. Lars was in for about 5 seconds. We then scootered into town via the boat ramp. The kids were fascinated watching the fishermen cleaning their fish and giving the scraps to the pelicans. There were pelicans everywhere. Charlie decided that we should fillet some fish too. So after lunch in town,

Bevan from Seymour took pity on us and gave us a lesson

me and Charlieboy went off to the fish co-op. I figured that this was the only way the poor little bloke would get to fillet fish with me as his father. So we slapped our money on the counter and walked out with a good sized snapper, a sand whiting and some prawns.

When you take your fish to the cleaning area, people assume that you caught them. When they saw us trying to fillet the poor things, they would have concluded that these were the first fish that we had ever caught. But, it was about the experience. We had a BBQ cook-up for tea. The fish weren't a huge hit. Charlie loved the prawns and William enjoyed ripping their heads off.

 Yesterday morning (Thursday) we pulled out of town and headed for Black Head (Hallidays Point.) After performing a unique 32 point turn in the main street, we settled in for the day. We went to have a swim in the ocean bath. It had been cleaned and was filling slowly. So we set up our premium shade gazebo on the beach and swam in the surf. We then relocated to the sea bath. This was amazing. It was warm and clean and there were hardly any people. Charlie and I got the skim ball going for a bit of donkey. After a big day at the beach we drove our bus up to the headland for a spot of tea. Lars cooked up spag and the view was unreal. There was a very friendly bush turkey and a number of Kookaburas. After the sun went down, we set off for Kempsey. This was a couple of hours drive. We found ourselves a spot up a side street and bedded down for the night. Free camps are a great money saver. I love going to sleep with the sound of the interstate trucks coming and going.  

Hannah reading by the pool at the Ocean Bath at Black Head




William setting up for tea at the headland picnic ground at Black Head

  

Gracie helping with tea preparations



Tea at the Black Head picnic area



Dad and Gracie sharing a quiet fizzy at the end of the day

We woke up this morning (Friday) at about 6.30. We were back on the road by 6.40. We drove to Crescent Head for breaky. It is a town perched right on the ocean. It is hugely popular with surfers. We parked in the best possible spot, with a view over the two main surf breaks. The kids collected rocks and paddled. Charlie and William made some gnarly new friends at the skate park. All the little surfie kids were in their jazziest designer surf wear. William was wearing his Buzz pyjamas. He has taken to almost exclusively wearing his pj's as his daily wear, regardless of what activity he is undertaking. I heard the kids calling him little pyjama dude. William was totally unfazed by this. Both he and Charlie are doing really well with their scooters.

Mum having her morning cuppa at Crescent Head

Charlie looking a bit wild

William and his surfie mates

William and Dad sharing an IPOD

Gracie scaled the back of the skate platform to join in the action. 

Bustin' in prime position above the Crescent Head surf beach - a great place for breakfast

After lunch at a local cafe and a yarn with a few locals we set off for Nambucca Heads. Upon arriving in town, we headed for the Rip Curl surf shop. Everyone except Mum is now decked out with a body board. Mum got herself some jazzy new clothes instead. They are very fitting for a Coastal road trip. This arvo, Lars took William and Gracie to the pool (at our new caravan park) while Hannah, Charlie and myself tried out our new boards. Charlie said it's the most fun he's had on the trip so far. We all had a dip in the heated pool just before dark (except Lara who claimed she that she needed a cup of tea instead).

While Lars was making pizza for tea, the kids snuggled into our bed and watched a few episodes of the Flintstones. The bus is quiet but for the sound of the surf. We will stay here for at least a couple of nights.

Cheers

Phil, Lars, Hannah, Charlie, William and Gracie girl.




 


Camping with Goose, Mav and Iceman

We spent two nights at the Lemon Tree Passage caravan park at Port Stephens. The park was quite well set up. It had water front with a little jetty. We took a walk around the park on Monday morning before William, Gracie and Hannah went to kids club. They decorated sun visor hats for themselves while Charlie and I played downball. William joined us after his creative burst.

While we were mucking around we he

ard the sound of a plane above us. It turned out to be multiple fighter jets performing all sorts of manouvres directly over the caravan park and out accross the water. They were LOUD! While very exciting to watch, I wouldn't settle in Port Stephens on account of the serenity. The planes were pretty constant. A great novelty for us.

We went for a little walk and did a bit of Koala spotting. We found one. We had a long swim in the pool in the arvo. Hannah is the biggest water baby of the lot. She languished for ages in the pool. She was eventually locked in at the end of the day and had to get the manager to let her out. Lara cooked up a storm in the Thermo Mix for tea. It was a pleasant day.

We got going at about 9.00 am this morning (Tuesday) and went and did some grocery shopping. We also picked up some bargains at the Salvo Op Shop. From there we made our way to Williamtown. This is called the Hornet's Nest and it is the home of the noisy fighter jets we had been watching. We perched ourselves at the end of the runway and waited. Before too long two jets arrived. They came about together and landed in succession. This was awesome. The noise was fantastic. All up we watched three fighter jets land. It really was something to remember. Lara managed to get some great photos.

There's something about watching a fighter jet that makes me feel incredibly inadequate about my chosen career. If only I'd paid more attention in maths. I presume that most of the pilots managed to obtain something better than a pass in year 10 vegie maths.

We left Williamtown and hit the Pacific Highway again. We had a roaring tailwind which meant that Bustin Loose maintained its crusing speed of 80 km/h without difficulty. Gracie rode shotgun and played on the IPad. She loves sitting up the front with me. She conked out after an hour or so today. All this relaxing can be quite tiring.

We are now camped in the Great Lakes Holiday Park in Forster Tuncurry. It had the best website. The kids have mucked around in the pool and we had a little walk before tea. The park has water frontage and we are looking forward to exploring further tomorrow. We plan to stay here for a couple of nights.

Cheers

Phil, Lars, Hannah, Charlie, William and Gracie

Lots to report

It's been pretty busy since last we reported. On Friday morning we decided to pack up and get a move along from Narrabeen. We were bound for Abbottsford in Sydney's inner west. Our good friends Michael and Kathleen Row moved from Larch Street to Sydney at the end of last year. They were silly enough to reveal their new address.

We decided to first make our way to Manly. It took about 30 minutes to get from Narrabeen to Manly. We trawled the streets looking for somewhere to park. We found a great 2 hour park just off the main drag. We togged up and made our way to the flags. I wasn't overly keen for a swim at the surf beach. As we approached the flags, I spied a beautiful sight. A huge sea bath at the end of the beach. For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to swim in one of these pools. It was big and beautiful and we had it all to ourselves. We swam and threw the skim ball around. Classic catches were the order of the day. It was delightfully warm and we had a fantastic time.

After a swim we were back to Bustin Loose for a quick cook-up of sausages. The lure of Adriano once again got the better of Lara and Hannah. Lara disappeared for some of his famous macaroons. Very tasty. It was funny to drive the old Bedford through the packed Manly streets. I may as well have been in a flying saucer. People just stared and laughed and waved. It seems the old bus has a universal appeal.

We arrived in Abbottsford at about 5.00 pm on Friday arvo. It was a very slow trip from Manly. I'm not sure that we went the most direct route. But alas, we got there. Abbottsford is a beautiful suburb on the shores of Hen and Chicken Bay. Lots of cafes as well as lots of lovely homes. I also saw more Ferraris and Lambos than I have seen in a long time. These were usually piloted by squashy little men (probably with self-esteem issues).

Gourmet Pizza for tea on Friday night with Michael and Kathleen. Saturday was a spectacular day. 28ish degrees and a perfectly blue sky. Michael and Kathleen took us on an excursion to the famous Bondi Beach. It was amazing. We played in the surf and had a fantastic time. It was a fascinating place. William and little Joey (Kathleen and Michael's 2 year old) spied a very briefly dressed 20 something female. The poor thing must have left her top at home. They both went for a closer inspection, much to her surprise.

There were a great number of Japanese tourists on the beach. They were fascinated by the little blondies. They snapped multiple photos and vidoes of the children. At one stage, there were probably 10-15 of them gathered around the kids snapping like crazy. They were particularly taken with Gracie and little Joey, but they snapped in every direction.

We had sandwiches at the beach before returning home. A couple of half-cooked saugages for tea (cooked by me on my manager's special barbie) and then an early night on Saturday night.

We set off From Michael and Kathleen's at about midday today (Sunday). We had a fantastic time with them. Gracie and their Imogen got along really well and the boys just loved little Joey. It was a fantastic time and we felt very spoilt to stay in their lovely home. We hit the F3 via my Great Uncle Brian's home in Carlingford. It was great to catch up with him so soon after seeing him at Cam and Zoe's wedding last week. We stayed with Uncle Brian and Anutie Barb when we travelled in 1999. It was a real treat to catch up and see where he is now living. He'd even done some baking. We feasted on home cooked biscuits and chocolate treats.

We are now in Port Stephens. We have a powered site and we look forward to exploring a bit tomorrow. The park has a pool, which the kids are excited about. It has been a very action packed few days. We are now starting our meandering along the coast. We'll spend a couple of nights here before moving on.

Cheers Phil, Lars, Hannah, Charlie, William and Gracie.

The Big 4-0

Yesterday was Lara's 40th birthday. All she wanted to do for her birthday was to sit in the Botanic Gardens, overlooking the Opera House and feast on the delights of Adriano Zumbo. Lars was a bit taken with his tasty looking treats when she saw them on Master Chef. So that was the main aim of the day.

We jumped on bus 155 from just outside the caravan park and it snaked its way to Manly. We had a fantastic buffet breakfast at the Manly Novotel to start proceedings. As always, we enjoyed our Novotel experience. William won the day for the most impressive "plating up" when he returned from the buffet with bits and pieces of just about everything. Most of which he didn't actually eat.

William and Gracie also got to sit in a stretch Hummer. We then wandered along the Esplanade and watched some beach volley ball before making our way to Zumbo's tiny shop. We each made a selection. They were boxed up and we then headed for the Ferry. Within moments of taking our seats, we couldn't find Gracie. Mild panic set in and Lara and I rushed everywhere to try and find her. She was eventually located lying happily one deck down watching the passengers boarding. This was a little bit of drama we didn't need.

After arriving at Circular Quay, we headed for the gardens and found a beautiful spot overlooking the Opera House. This was a similar spot to where we sat when we last travelled in the pre-kids era. This time, things were not quite so relaxing. It was, however, lots of fun. Gracie's selection had a drop or two of something in it. I feared she would start swearing and telling rude jokes. She only had a taste and was then happy tasting everyone else's.

The kids climbed trees and mucked around. We then had a walk around the Opera House (inside and out) before getting back on the Ferry. A quick stock-up at Aldi in Manly and then back to Narrabeen. At about 6.00 pm we set out on our scooters to find somewhere for a special birthday tea. We eventually found a small fish and chip shop. We ordered up and ate on the step out the front. It was on a major road and the traffic was whizzing past. Not exactly what I had invisaged for a flashy birthday tea. Lara seemed content. The food was very good.

A quick play at a park on the way home and then everyone went to bed early.

It was a day to remember.

Arrived in Sydney

Set off this morning from our average stop-over in Goulburn. Slow trip to Sydney. Poor old Bustin doesn't really like hills. We do get there in the end. Went to
Lane Cove caravan park. Had been recommended and it looked terrific. Sadly they only cater for people with pretend campervans. So we hit the road again and headed for Narrabeen. I'd never heard of it either. It took us an hour or more to get here. We

missed a few turns and i had to perform a couple of creative manouvres. Easier said than done. It's miles from the CBD. We were a little too focused to worry about doing a shop. As a consequence tea lacked a few minor ingredients.

When Lars said were having burgers, I pictured a lovely big burger with the lot. As it turned out we just had burgers. No bread or sauce or lettuce or anything at all that I expected. Just plain burgers and a piece of corn. Both very tasty. But it was a bit like having a VL commodore without tinted windows or a sub-woofer. Just not what I was expecting.

Played two square with the boys while Gracie and Hannah mucked around. We did argue a bit today. Mainly with the kids. At one stage I was so exasperated that I told Charlie that I was seriously thanking of driving back to Melbourne. I said I would send him back to school next week. His reply was "isn't it the holidays next week?" Doh. I hate it when an idle threat backfires.

I put together my new BBQ - can see now why it was a manager's special.

Lara's birthday tomorrow - off to Manly for some pastries.

Cheers

Getting going

We have been slowly getting things organised for the last couple of months. The beloved conveyance is a 1971 Bedford Bus called Bustin' Loose. It was bought by my Mum and Dad in 1996. They used it frequently until the last few years. We brought it up from it Portland in January of this year and set about updating it. We were under some time pressure but received a huge amount of help from good friends

and local tradies. Special thanks must go to my great mate Kenzie. Without his expertise, I'd be rocking in a corner and dreaming of one day taking a holiday. He worked tirelessly. Special thanks also to Jason at High Class Upholstery and Martin at Quinlan Joinery. These boys were fantastic. As was Macca at Nordens and the hardworking team at TG Pell electrical.

We finally set off on Monday 4 April. We left home at about 2.00 pm. We picked the kids up from school with a team of well wishers. I felt a bit like Bourke and Wills. Our first stop once we actually got under way was Broadmeadows VicRoads. We had seat belts fitted to Bustin Loose (one of the many small improvements) and we needed to get it complied. I picked up the Engineers Certificate on Monday morning. Since Broady was on the way out of town, we stopped there. The kids played two square beneath the shadow of the Broadmeadows Magistrates'Court.  A friendly but disinterested girl counted the seat belts and stamped my docs and we were complied. Too easy.

We stopped for tea in Benalla and then continued on Holebrook for a free camp at the Submarine park. We were very tired by this point. We landed in Holebrook at about 10.30 pm. Highway very busy. Lots of trucks. Thankfully, it was mostly dual carriageway.

On Tuesday morning, after playing on the Submarine and having breaky, we set off again. We stopped for a lazy morning tea in Gundagai. Lars heated up Hot Cross Buns. Then off to the Dog on the Tuckerbox for a photo shoot. We then headed up the highway and stopped at Yass for some lunch. We found a skate park and the kids had fun. We recalled some old family stories involving the Yass Memorial Swimming Pool and had a lavish lunch of two minute noodles.

I fired up the UHF radio this afternoon. I thought it was important to hear what the truckies had to say. To my amusement, Bustin Loose was the object of some CB chatter and a number of cheap shots from them pesky interstate truckies. All in good fun. I got lots of waves and smiles Some people just stop and stare. Not sure why.

Anyway, the bus is now quiet. We are parked in a dodgie caravan park in Goulburn for the night. The only redeeming feature is the bird aviary.A number of quite exotic budgies. William suggested that we could steal one. I'm not sure where we'd keep it! With the sound of trucks in the background I am ready to call it a night. Sydney tomorrow.