15 March 2011 - Budgewoi, Central Coast NSW

Sorry to leave our little wildlife camp at Crowdy Bay, - left at 8am again.  Heaps of caravans on the road today in both directions - Stu has developed an automatic wave everytime a van comes towards us going the other way, & it's nice that most wave back.  Lovely big concrete highway in parts, then absolutely disgusting parts in some areas. Rolling hills & quite a few cane fields, with quite old houses, some with rusty old corrugated roofs.  Passed through the Manning Valley, population 47,000 - makes you wonder where they all are as there are so few houses.  It is mostly farming, at present really green.  We couldn't believe the number of very, very large rivers & bridges we passed over,  all salt water.  Some cute little river settlements alongside.  We also saw an area of mangroves, reminding us of home on the Kaipara back in good old NZ.    Stopped for morning cuppa at one of the many rest areas along the highway.  They actually have signs telling you how many rest areas in the next 50kms or so, & what distance to them which is really helpful.  Most of them have shady shelters & toilets, some with BBQ's.

One other aspect which kept us  amused along the way was the number of funny names many  which conjured up comical images - e.g. Blackbutt, (explanation not required)  Cheesetree (which variety - ? Edam, tasty or Gruyere?), and my favourite, Bulahdelah (Bull a dealer).  I always thought it was the dealer who did the bulling???  Also passed through the Hunter Valley which of course is a wellknown wine region & would you believe that Stu didn't want to stop?  Further down I had a touch of nostalgia as we began to pass signs to places I recognised from my childhood when we used to travel from Sydney on the overnight train to stay in the country with a much older sister for the school holidays.  All such a long time ago it surprised me that I did remember, but suddenly it didn't seem so long ago after all.

We arrived in Budgewoi about lunchtime & managed to find our way to the caravan park our friends suggested to us,  thanks to our dear friend Mrs GPS who we couldn't do without with so many highways crisscrossing each other at times.  She does make the odd mistake & we get the giggles occasionally at the number of times she utters that word 'recalculating, but it's not her fault that they make new roads or alter the landscape.  Anyway, the camp was huge & so is Lake Munmorah on whose shores it rests.  It was very quiet , but in the summer holidays would be like a little town of it's own (180 sites)  Lots of permanent caravans with permanent annexes attached &  beautiful cabins, all with covered verandahs  ( about 150 of the 180 sites).  All beautifully set out with named roads (fish, flora & fauna), playground for children of course, & lovely ablution blocks, stainless steel BBQ's & stainless steel sinks attached, & a HUGE opensided but covered kitchen / dining area.  It was $29 per night which we thought was quite cheap but of course it wasn't peak time.  Next door to the camp is a beautiful public park, again with a very large covered & decked picnic area with tables & seats.  They really do things well here in that respect. Every morning someone comes along with a leaf vaccuum to clear the paths & roads.  Most of the caravan sites had large concrete pads which you park beside so that you can step out of the van onto that, usually covered by your awning.  We love our awning which goes up so quickly, just pull out the supports & it unrolls & goes up.  Gives great shade & can be kept quite low to the ground if required, giving privacy or protection from sun or rain.  Once we were settled in we contacted our friends, the purpose of our visit to this area.   They used to live in NZ when our children were small, moved to Perth many years ago, & to the central coast about 6 years ago.  We were invited to have breakfast at their house next morning, so we were collected at 8am & given a lovely cooked brekkie (fancy Stu not having his muesli, toast & marmalade!)  Naturally it was a rather long breakfast session with all the catching up to do as we last saw them 6 years ago in Perth.  Later in the day they took us on a wonderful beach walk where I wasted a lot of time standing on a monsterous slab of rock with large waves breaking, trying desperately to get 'the shot'.  Just as well we don't use film anymore or I would be broke with all the dud shots I took.  It was quite bracing & the best wave was so good I had to run from it instead of getting my photo of the day.  Stu & my friends were way back studying sea life on the rocks, & thought I had turned to stone I stood there so long with the camera to my eye - Stu doesn't call me Paparazzi Jan for nothing!  Oh well, we all have our little quirks - don't we???
On the way back from the beach we called into a quaint little pub at Catherine Bay (or Catho as the aussies say).  It's a tiny little settlement with very small, old cottages  like the old NZ baches.  Like many places at home, they are fighting a fierce battle to try & stop development, so the whole area is covered in signs declaring their feelings about it.  I took a photo of the pub & a couple of aussie guys remarked that it would cost me $10 for taking their photo, to which I cheekily replied that I was going to charge them $10 for making them famous - they were quite amused luckily.  Everyone was friendly & typically aussie.  In the evening we went to the local Bowling Club, where we got a lovely meal for $8, the cheapest thing we've had since we arrived.  Of course it is all subsidised by the gaming machines of which there were many, complete with TAB screens with all the horse racing happening around Australia. 

 Before we left this morning we took an early morning walk where I chatted to a couple of elderly guys fishing on the bridge - very convivial.  They were catching blackfish which they assured me was lovely to eat.  Seemed to be plenty of them there (fish that is).

All in all we thoroughly enjoyed our time on the Central Coast, & it's always nice to catch up with old friends.  Hope we make some new ones along the way as well. 

We arrived in Sydney to catch up on more old friends & relations, so there will probably not be any sightseeing as Sydney is my old home town & is a double edged sword for me - I love it but can't wait to leave it again.  Cities are not our favourite places although the Sydney area is quite beautiful, especially where we are on the North Shore.  So much bush, water & rocks.  We are camping at the St Ives showgrounds.  Nice & quiet, only $20 per night, quite a few caravans, buses, etc.  No limit on how long you stay & some have been here for weeks. 

No blog now till we leave Sydney to head south en route to Victoria.  Stay tuned & thanks for your comments.