Koala hospital and Roto House

Today is our last day in Wauchope. Joy had to work until midday and after a very yummy lunch we heded back into Port Macquarie for one last time. This time it was visit the Koala Hospital and there just happened to be two koala sculptures as well as several rehabilitating koala.

 

On the same site is an historic family home, Roto House, that belonged to John Flynn and his family. This house was built in the 1891 and is an excellent example of Victorian architecture and use of local timbers such as mahogany. The Flynn family remained In the house until 1976 when it was fully restored by the National Parks and Wildlife Service and opened to the public. It is certainly worth visit. We were impressed with just how cool it was inside without the aid of modern air conditioners.

 

 

This link has an excellent virtual tour of the house.

Roto House | NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service

 

Posted with Blogsy

A drive into the hinterland

Friday dawned wet and much cooler and in fact Pete had measured 42 ml of rain. We decided that a road trip would be a good way to spend the day so we set off, with a picnic lunch, towards Comboyne. This small town is inland 40km and 700 metres above sea level from Wauchope.

This area is very much a farming area with dairying being a predominant industry so the Koala outside the Community Centre just happened to be Cowala.

Further up the road we came to the Boorganna Reserve. Normally from this elevation you would expect some great views but unfortunately the cloud cover was too low. The area also had a walk down through the semi tropical forest to a waterfall but once again the day was against us. A land slip had closed the track though we didn't venture a short distance. The flora was quite different to what we have come to expect from typical Australian bush. We saw Rosewood, Corkwood, Coachwood, Carabeens and the dreaded Giant Stinging Tree. We had encountered these last year when we were here and they are to be absolutely avoided.

 

Next we drove back through Comboyne and through a secondary (gravel and red dirt) road out to Kew to join the main Pacific Highway. This road took us through forestry and farmland alike. We were very much surprised at how green everything looked. Farms also have a very different look to them when compared to NZ farms. Many of the eucalypts are left both in and around the paddocks.

 

Our last stop for the day was the Bago Winery and Maze which is on the outskirts of Wauchope. We have driven past the turn off on many occasions and thought that today was the day to visit. The drive in was also through forestry and on a gravel/red dirt road. What made it even more difficult was a grader and roller that was working on it. It seemed to be along way though probably only 3-4 km but it was hard to visualise how there could possibly be a vineyard in the area. But we were pleasantly surprised eventually drive into a small oasis with plenty of vines, a maze and a shop/tasting room. We decided that it was just a coffee that we wanted so we sat out under the verandah and enjoyed the peaceful view. The maze is something we will decided to leave for another time as it was raining again. Sitting overseeing it was "Bago Blossom The Amaze-ing Koala."

 

Bago Maze | Bago Vineyards

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Koala Sculpture Trail

Throughout the Greater Port Macquarie region a Koala Sculpture Trail has been set up recently. Fifty large fibreglass koalas have been painted by local artists and then placed throughout the area 5o create a public art trail. Yesterday we tried to spot and photograph as many as we could though we probably only saw a third of them. The are all very colourful and all have their own personal names. Guula (Aboriginal name for Koala), Granny Square, and Princess Lasiandra can all be found in Wauchope. Berry Beautiful can be found at Ricardoes Tomatoes.

Port Macquarie-Hastings Council Hello Koalas Public Art Sculpture Trail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

More hidden treasures in and around Port Macquarie

On Tuesday we went for another drive around the Port Macquarie area. This time we took a picnic with us, with the main item of food being a platter Joy had made up especially for us. It is amazing what a great selection you can get when you as the boss order from your deli!!.

Our initial destination was across the Hasting River to the North Shore, which we had to do by car ferry. The ferry plies between both sides of the rive on a rope pulley system, takes about 5 minutes a trip and cost $3.30 each way.

Unfortunately the day was wet (though still very warm) and the only picnic spot in the area didn't have a covered table. So after a drive around the area, where we saw oyster farms and some very flash housing, we took the ferry back again and found ourselves a covered picnic area.

 

After a walk around the area Joy took us to another hidden jewel - Ricardo's Tomatoes and Strawberries, 10 km north of PMQ. This place is growing the most amazing tomatoes and strawberries, all hydroponically, and has become a tourist destination in it ps own right. Here you can pick your own strawberries, enjoy a coffee in the well appointed cafe and purchase a range of products such as jams, pickles made from their own produce as well as a range of giftware.

We had a lovely time, enjoying a coffee, picking our own strawberries and browsing the giftware. We also purchased a bag of their tomatoes, and like they advertise, they taste the way nature intended them to.

 

 

Ricardoes Tomatoes & Strawberries - Port Maquarie's Best Tourist Attraction!

That evening we enjoyed a very yummy dessert of strawberries and ice-cream.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Sightseeing in and around Port Macaquarie

Joy's weekend are Monday and Tuesdays so she had plans for both days. She and Peter always likes to take us out and about to see the local sights when we are staying with them and we are always surprised at how many new places they can find to take us. The greater Port Macquarie area certainly has plenty of places to visit and things to do.

Monday's trip was a round trip south of Port Macquarie to Laurieton and Camden. This area is very coastal and has lots of very pretty waterways as well as several beaches. We stopped and looked at Pilot Beach which is one of the safest beaches in the area to swim in. There was quite a breeze blowing which we thoroughly enjoyed as it lowered the temperature by several degrees and was a welcome relieve after the 39 degrees we suffered yesterday!!

 

Next stop was a lookout that over looked the ocean. From here could we saw a large pod of dolphins feeding as well as some fishermen on the rocks below.

After a very enjoyable lunch Joy took us back towards Wauchope along the Bago Road. This is because she was keen to show us a giant tree - Old Bottlebutt. This major new tourist attraction in the area is not particularly well signposted and the three km trip in it takes you along a gravel forest road. Our perservance paid off when we found the car park and information board. The 600m looped track to the tree was well formed and took us through remnant rainforest to this huge 200 year old tree. It is a Red Bloodwood and is the largest one in the Southern Hemisphere.

 

Burrawan State Forest | Forestry Corporation of NSW

 

 

We were also treated to a close up view of some of the local fauna - a goanna was on the track as we came along and it shot up a tree, giving us an excellent view. (Though the photo I took doesn't reflect this.)

 

All in all an excellent day, which ended in the biggest electrical storm we have ever experienced. There was also a good downpour which certainly freshened everything up and cooled the temperatures a few degrees!

 

Posted with Blogsy

A road trip to Wauchope

On Saturday morning we were up bright and early and all packed up ready for Helen to drop us off at the rental car company in Katoomba. We had a car booked for 10am so we could drive up the NSW coast to Wauchope. It wasn't long before we had our Toyota Corolla processed and we were on our way. It is quite a trip to Wauchope which is nearly 400km north of Sydney and inland 10km from Port Macquarie.

 

We had our mapping system all logged into our iPad so it was just a matter following the instructions. We chose to go a slightly longer route to avoid the busy Sydney roads so we headed west to Mt Victoria and then went across the Darling Causeway and onto the Bells Line of Road. This took us down into Richmond, a Western Sydney suburb and from there onto the motorway to the north. We had one slow patch until we reached the M1 and then we were up and away at 110km per hour for most of the trip.

 

By 12:30pm we found a lovely rest area to stop for our lunch on the Hawkesbury River. The day was starting to feel very warm and so we settled ourselves under a tree and enjoyed watching all the activity going on. It was a very busy spot especially for boating and we watched several boats launched.

 

We contined on our way, with one more rest break close to Tyree. From there it was just another good hour to Wauchope and after 6 and a half hours we were pleased to arrive. Unfortunately Joy wasn't there to meet us as she works at the RSL club on a Saturday night but Pete was there to welcome us and make us a much needed cuppa. Later on we thought we would go down to the Club and check out where Joy works and check out the food. We had a very nice meal and certainly gave Joy a surprise.

Posted with Blogsy

Back to the Blue Mountains

Our trip started on Wednesday morning. We were packed and ready when our friends Sam and Joyce arrived to take us across to Queenstown. We had thought we would have lunch in Arrowtown but a drive through the town centre soon put paid to that. It was hard to believe that so many people could be about on a cold Wednesday in November. Yes it was definitely cold with a fresh snowfall on both the Remarkables and Coronet Peak and the air temperature at a high of 11degrees! Instead we drove towards Frankton and stopped off at Walnut Cottage where we enjoyed a delicious lunch. Joyce was able to show us some photos of their trip to Western Australia a few short years ago so we now have a bit of a heads up on what we might see once we get to that area in December.

Photos of Walnut Cottage Cafe & Restaurant near Arrowtown. Photos of our cottage, garden and food.

We had a direct flight to Sydney so it wasn't long before we were landing at Sydney Airport. Initially we had thought we would have to take the train up the mountain to Medlow Bath, but Helen and Rob had a last minute trip to the city so we able to pick us up which was very convenient for us.

 

We had three nights in Medlow Bath, and we felt like we had returned home. It was here that we spent two months last winter. Helen and Rob have since moved back here permanently, from Canberra, so the property has now changed from a holiday house to a home. We had fairly laid back two days. The weather was much warmer- up to 35degrees at times, compared to what we had left in Central Otago. One thing we did do was to take a trip to Blackheath to revisit the Rhododendron Gardens. They have their annual festival in late October/November and although we were a little late there were still a number of plants still flowering.

Last year when we were visiting.

The same lake on Thursday this week.

Helen was also able to take us to another spot in Blackheath that we hadn't discovered last year. This is the local outdoor swimming pool that was initially built out of the ponds that were used to store water for the early steam trains. The area has a mature park like garden that is also full of rhododendrons and there were still many displaying their blooms for us. The pool doesn't open until the last weekend in November so if it is still not when we return at the beginning of December we will be keen to test it out.

We had hoped to take a walk down to the Hydro Majestic, that large early 20th century hotel/resort along the road, but unfortunately time didn't allow it. This building has been left derelict for a number of years and it was while we were here last year that work began on it multimillion dollar restoration project. We will now have to wait for that treat when we return in ten days time.

Hydro Majestic Pavilion

 

Posted with Blogsy