Changes of plans

I was so excited when I woke... today I was going out to Montague Island. I called Amber in anticipation... and jinxed it! When I got to the dock, owner Daryl told me he had called the trip off due to weather.

The good news was, this gave me longer to meander towards Kiama so I stopped lots along the way and found Bodalla Dairy Shed, The Berry Treat Factory, the blow holes at Kiama (they weren’t blowing) and the Boneyard rocks... this is such a fascinating coast!

My campsite tonight is the best yet I am at East's in Kiama and I couldn’t get closer to the beach if I tried. There's even a palm tree just for effect. This caravan park has a pool, jumping pillow, kids wading area, lots of little bridges AND the beach. Now it’s a toss up...do I like Narooma best, or Kiama??? I think Narooma still take the cake... just. Tomorrow I drive to Sydney airport and leave the car there to fly home. I can’t wait to pick up Amber from school and start the next part of our journey! She is going to LOVE this!

I've found heaven (at least the southern version)

I woke to sunshine for the first time since I left home and basked in it, only leaving the campsite at the allotted 10am. First stop was the info centre in Bateman’s Bay where I explained what I was doing and asked the lovely young lady if she could tell me about any low or no cost things to do with kids in her town. “Will it be published?”she asked. “Then I can’t talk to you, you will have to talk to the advertising department.” Was this an information centre? I thought. Was it a TOURISM information centre? I was so taken back that I told her not to bother and left.


I drove south, back to Mogo where people had been so welcoming yesterday. It hadn’t been a fluke. The goldmining reinactment town in Mogo welcomed me with open arms and I joined a very informative and kid-friendly tour. Even got to pan for gold, but if this is how slow it is to get rich, I think I had better stick to books. I stopped at the Mogo Ice Creamery felt like coming home. The tiramisu ice cream amazing, by the way.

It took about an hour to get to Narooma and I think I have discovered heaven. If it wasn’t in a cold climate, I would consider living here. Small, laid back, water everywhere, dolphins in the bay, bike trails and walking trails to suit even the novice rider and wonderfully friendly staff at the caravan park. Amber would LOVE it here and I am starting to miss her.

My campsite for the night is right on the water’s edge at East’s. In the morning I will walk 200m down the bike path to the wharf where I meet Daryl who will take me across to Montague Island. Hopefully we will see more dolphins, penguins and seals on the way. Keep your fingers crossed!

It's a zoo out there!

Today was better weather wise... first it threatened to rain while I packed the tent and didn’t, then the rain held off while I kayaked up the creek at Jervis Bay, it held off while I investigate Mogo Zoo and even held off when I put the tent back up in Batemans Bay. When did it rain? I hear you ask... while I was driving was pretty much it today... black clouds all around the rest of the time, but no rain...Yippee!

I put the kayak in at Huskisson boat ramp and headed downstream to the river mouth and Huskisson wharf. There I watched the tour boats going out which took me back to boat driving days. The water here is so clear that, on the paddle back I went right over the top of a huge black stingray. That was such a thrill.

Kayak back on the rooftop (I now have a pretty good routine to get it up there) I headed for Mogo where I had an appointment at 2pm to see the zoo. I nearly made it by the allotted time and chatted to GM John. This zoo was created by a woman with a vision. As you can imagine, I immediately connected with her journey. She knocked on doors until they gave her a permit then took the old and sick animals from other zoos until she proved herself. The zoo is now 20 years old and still owned by the same woman.


Unlike newer facilities, the enclosures aren’t huge or flash. This probably isn’t preferable for the animals, but they have been designed long and narrow so you get to see the animals up close and, I have to say, this makes for a better visitor experience than with the bigger safari zoos. Besides, it’s easy to walk around this one... even for little ones. Did you know that there are NO white lions left in the wild? They have several here. Not to mention these amazingly cute red pandas!

I ended up at the Big4 at Batemans Bay and erected the tent, taking no chances of leaks. Of course, this meant the weather hasn’t materialised, but I can cope with that. Just met some wonderful neighbours who are trying out their new caravan, got some laundry done, so my car doesn’t stink of wet towels anymore, and settled into chilli and rice for dinner. Ahh...life is good!

Back to the coast

I was not happy when I woke: partly because the band had only stopped playing four hours before, partly because everything outside my tent flap was soggy and partly because the path to the toilet was deep with mud and reminded me of Woodford three years ago... come to think of it, the people wandering back and forth in a daze looked like they belonged in Woodford too!

It took me a while to get my act together and stumbled myself to the food tent where I offered another donation for a hot mug of chai. That drunk, I felt better and packed the tent slowly, attempting to leave as much of the mud behind as possible. Goodbyes to John and Kim later, and I was on the road for a long journey south: Jervis Bay the eventual destination.

I took the inland route past Putty, which was stunningly green and beautiful, explaining the weather. My only scheduled stop today was at the Illawarra Fly, a man-made tree-top walkway on the ridge overlooking the coast. Despite low clouds and rain I continued in that direction and, luckily, the clouds parted in time for my visit. The view was lovely and the cantilever platform swayed with the trees in an almost organic fashion. Not the attraction for the faint-hearted because it’s very high and you can see through the walkway. The signage was well designed and colourful for kids, but a little high for them and the walkway, while paved and stroller-friendly, would have been a hard slog heading back. A courtesy golf-buggy shuttle would be much appreciated then!

About 1.5 hours further down the road I reached Jervis Bay. My caravan park (White Sands) could not have been more perfect. I have a front row seat to the beach, the surf tinkling as I type. It feels like coming home and I didn’t realise how much I had missed proximity to the ocean. Right outside the park is a VERY kid-friendly walk and bike track, away from any danger, and it runs all the way to town. The beach right outside offers rock pools, the type of sea weed we don’t get in Queensland, and views of a white-cliffed island and lighthouse. Now that’s what a call a great place for a holiday!

Activity and activists

I am sitting in my tent beside Lake Liddell, Musselbrooke after spending the last hour or so sharing conversation and vegetarian dinner with a buoyant group of activists as they prepare for a major action against the proposed construction of a new coal power plant across the water. We are surrounded by coal land: directly across, Liddell Plant puffs white smoke and a coal mine scars the land to the left. The proposed plant behind them will, apparently, take seven years to build and increase NSW emissions by 13%.

Tomorrow, these courageous folk will travel by bus to the plant and carry out a peaceful demonstration. I am amazed how well organised they are. They have thought of every contingency and have two lawyers on hand in case some are arrested. They have been here since Tuesday conducting and listening to workshops and reports on alternative options and they are all on the same page. Many of them are willing to spend the night in jail and submit to bail agreements in order to put forward alterative plans... and the evidence is strong. Apparently, renewable energy options would increase jobs in the area by eight times...

The manager of the campsite, and his chief helper both work in the plant... yet they see both sides of the issue. John took the Climate Camp program to work to show his collegues and show them the importance of the discussion. It is men like these who act as a go-between and increase the chance of society paying attention.

This has been a long day and this ending is one of two highlights. The other came early when I unhooked the trailer and drove 40km to Wollomombi Falls at about 6am. I was in awe of this amazing national park waterfall which was far more impressive than anything I saw in the Blue Mountains. NSW’s highest waterfall, it was shrouded in mist and the lookout was only 750m from the beautiful picnic area. I was the only person here and didn’t want to drag myself away. Amber would have LOVED this.

After breaking camp around 10am I headed south to Tamworth and here the day changed. When asked about things to do with kids in this famous town, the volunteer at the info centre said “we have ten pin bowling and a cinema...”. To his credit, he was over 60 and probably a long way from parenthood but his supervisor didn’t instill much more enthusiasm for the area. One thing grabbed my attention: a park where famous country singers had left handprints in the cement... so I rushed over, only to find the park overgrown and mildewed.

In frustration, I continued south and my faith was restored in a beautiful little town called (the name escapes me right now) where a beautiful monument garden to the First Fleet had been created. This unique garden included a weaving path between ‘gravestones’ for each of the ships and lists of every person on board. A final display included quotes from logs of those on board and bought this part of Australian history to life.

So, here I am... the tunes outside my tent were more mellow than those last night, but I am probably just as unlikely to get an early night because the heavens just opened and the lighteningshow is awesome! Like soldiers before a battle,my newfound friends are preparing for their adventures tomorrow, as must I. Tomorrow it’s on to Jervis Bay...

A long drive to Armidale

Yeah! I am on the road again, and it feels great. It was a big day today, starting at 6am for my long drive (8 hours) from the Sunshine Coast to Armidale. It rained on and off all day, but not so hard it hindered the journey and I have discovered a new way to travel: talking books! I got a couple out of the library before I departed and spent the day listening to Anita Shreve’s novel The Last Time They Met. I had used Roald Dahl recordings when Amber was with me, but today took that one step further. What a great way to pass the driving time!

I stopped at Glen Innes information Centre today. It was a nostalgic visit because this time last year I had been helped by a wonderful man Fred Blair. Fred is perhaps the best tourism ambassador to this area and last year he had made me want to stay in the small country town of Glen Innes for days! Low and behold, Fred was there, and just a helpful filling me in on changes. I learnt that Washpool National Park is a great place to spotlight for the spotted Quoll. I learnt of a few new fishing spots and all the best places to fossick for gems.

While in Glen Innes I stopped at the Celtic Standing Stones. This area was settled by tartan-clad immigrants and the town has marked this history with these Stone-Henge-like structures. There are 40 in all and they mark a 24 hour clock as well as indicate the summer and winter solstice. Every year, the Celtic festival is held at the stones and must be quite a site. What a great place for a picnic while travelling the New England Highway too.

About 25 km north of Armidale (and nearly to my destination) I detoured to Thunderbolt’s Cave. A notorious outlaw in these parts, Thunderbolt alluded authorities by hiding in this cave. It’s a strange attraction –not well marked and at the end of a 200m downward slope. Funnily enough, this actually adds to the appeal because it can’t have changed much since Thunderbolt himself hid here. The path is uneven and not very suitable for little legs (and totally unsuitable for strollers).

When I arrived at Pembroke Caravan Park I was just behind a huge old-car club who were already into the beer. I chose a site furthest away from the place they were said to be partying tonight, but the noise has been pretty consistent. Now, at 8pm they are reving their engines and I wonder if I will get any sleep tonight.

I chatted to one of the hot-rod’s wives tonight. About 60 years old, she had spent a lot of time on the Sunshine Coast 30 years ago, and had some wonderful tales to tell... when flying a kite with the kids at Mudjimba one day, the airport personnel asked her to take it in because it was interfering with the airport radar!

Nearly there again...

The time has arrived and I am packing the trailer (in the rain) and getting ready for my last research trip for Kids Welcome to New South Wales & ACT. There are sooo many things to do in these two states with kids and I really look forward to sharing my findings with you... so, keep checking in to see what Amber and I have been up to!

Happy travels! - Sarah