Our home for the month of January! We are so glad we chose the motorhome and not a "caravan" or a tent or 2 hotel rooms/night like we were debating!
Michaela is Mary's sister and we couldn't have survived the first 3 days without her or Marg!
Michaela is Mary's sister and we couldn't have survived the first 3 days without her or Marg!
Wednesday, January 4 was the day we picked up our KEA Motorhome. (Many of you will be as relieved as I was that there was actually a motorhome waiting there for us!) Michaela again met us at the hotel and led us one hour west to the motorhome place. After getting the run down and packing in some of our luggage we were ready to melt! The temperature hit low 40s and we were stuck in the motorhome in a shed. The luggage that we did not need stayed in the van locked in a compound at the motorhome place. (Now let's hope that's there when we get back!) Michaela led us to the ALDI grocery store and then back one hour until we met the freeway. With a wave, she went back towards Sydney and we were off on our grand adventure! Within an hour, the kids were past starving, the heat was low 40s, the AC in the back doesn't work for the boys unless it's plugged into power and then.....Kent puked! Ahhhh....gotta love holidays! Actually, he was better after he ate, sat in my chair and let the AC blow in this face for 1/2 an hour. On the drive, we were surprised at the scenery. It is very much like BC. The freeway was lined with lush green trees and walls of rock. It was very beautiful.
Our first night was spent at One Mile Beach at Anna Bay. We rushed on the beach at 5pm with our good towels (for showering) and one boogie board. The view was stunning and the boys loved jumping the waves and trying out the board. Khye, Colt and I went looking for shells and stopped to talk to a fisherman. He has just pulled in a shark for supper. It was about 18 inches long and I imagine it was kind of cute before he cut its head off! After our walk, I approached a small group of adults to ask where I might shop for towels and a beach umbrella. They are not locals but do live at the beach for 7 weeks every summer with their families. It was quickly decided that they could just give us 6 towels and their sun shelter! Ellie, Paul and friend, Tim (who has worked in Banff and who's Aunt just left Australia for a 1 year teacher exchange in Calgary) delivered it after supper and stayed for a quick visit. Two of the towels display Paul's favorite Aussie Rules team: the Dragons and I guess that makes us fans now too!
Ellie and Paul's grandsons and friends also taught our boys how to sand board. It is tobogganing on sand and what a blast that was! They flew down the dunes and climbed higher and higher each time. We are all greatful that we learned this on the first day of our camping trip! We spent that night in the parking lot/day use area under a beautiful tree. In the morning, Colt said, "That would be an awesome tree for a koala". And when we looked up, there it was! A koala right above our motorhome! That was BONZA!!
Thursday, January 5 took us north to Forster (pronounced Foster). After taking several wrong turns and looking for 1 of 3 beaches for an hour, we accidentally stumbled upon one! Forster Beach is very cool because it has an ocean pool that is perfect for little kids. They still get the ocean water and great views without the "wildlife" or the waves to knock them over. There were beautiful shells there for Khye and Colt to collect and we also used the public BBQs for the first time while visiting with a very nice Aussie family. We camped farther down the road at One Mile Beach (yes, again...) and enjoyed more sand boarding there. The waves were too huge and dangerous for us so we headed back for another quick spash at Forster Beach.
And so today, after leaving Forster Beach, we headed north, on the scenice route, to South West Rocks. Along the way, we saw a group/herd/bunch/family of small kangaroos and poor and rich farms. The water here has been everyone's favorite because it stays shallow for a long way and the waves were excellent for boogie boarding. We are camping at a BIG4 site tonight and all had great showers! The boys were attracting other kids at the playground because they were playing catch and have funny accents! So that's about it. We're living the good life...no bugs, great surf, perfect sand....it's been tough! Just a side note, Howard is an amazing driver....the motorhome is a standard...shifting with the opposite hand while driving on the opposite side and he makes it look easy! I have to go...the driver is trying to sleep. Will right again soon. JJ
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