Big Bamboo

The huge bamboo is over 140 year old

Looks like they couldn't spell back then either.

More about the wine

“Less about the tour, more about the wine,” I said under my breath as we were first taken through the family history of the Douglas Vale Historic Vineyard.  *sigh*  We were on a strict timeline and ff you had a choice between listening to someone’s family history or tasting wine, which would you choose?

However, we did learn that the first resort hotel in Australia was in Port Macquarie, up on the hill.   the It was the jail.  And the 160 year old bamboo forest was spectacular.

David and Sheryl in Port Macquarie

I can’t resist telling you that in nearly all the host homes in which we’ve stayed, the men have done the cooking.

The chicken had been marinating in oils and spices for 2 days.

And the thick green apple quarters were carefully placed in a pattern in the hot, sweet butter later covered with flaky dough and turned into a succulent Tarte Tatin.  Yum!  It was a convivial evening sprinkled with good wine, good food and good company.

Crystalline Pottery

Too bad you can’t really see the detail on the vase, but the finish looks exactly like the frost crystals you get on the window during a cold spell.  It simply looks fabulous.  He gave us a demo and did it in half time, transforming this lump of porcelain clay into a beautifully symmetrical fruit bowl.  He says he works pretty fast and can make 8 of them in an hour!!  And, he had to take his website off the internet because he can’t keep up with the orders.  Imagine.

Hmmm....

“Have you used the telescope yet?”         

(You have to read what's on the 'telescope')

Reflective Garden

During our drive, we passed through gentle little towns and along seemingly still sleeping streets.

Visited the Reflective Garden, filled with statuary not just of saints, but of seemingly random people and things.  For example, I don't know what that wall above signifies with it's strange sculptures.

There’s a beautiful pond nearly covered with water lilies.  It’s still and quiet, but underneath lurk a mass of eels.  There’s something to reflect upon – don’t let the boat tip.

Whistle Stop for lunch in Port Macquarie

What a view!

I don’t know how high we are in this photo, but that’s Port Macquarie way down below, another charming town with salt water lakes and a very active fishing industry and oyster farming.

One of the Rotarians’ sons is a commercial fisherman and he provided a delectable lunch of peel-and-eat-shrimp and oysters.  The oysters were so fresh the flesh was still pumping.

All you can eat for $10.  We couldn’t even finish all the shrimp.

Up Close and Personal 

These cheeky Kookaburras hung around our picnic table.  Turns out he likes shrimp too.

Goodbye Forster. I love you.

I could live here and be very happy.

Everything I saw about Forster just made me like it more.  It’s not too big (25,000) though it swells with tourists during the winter.  But I could get over it. 

They have beautiful beaches with serene little coves and gently scalloped bays.  It’s unbelievably beguiling.

There are fenced areas of the ocean for swimmers (yes!) and they have a pool if you prefer chlorine to salt.  I’m guessing they purify with chlorine but I didn’t go there so don’t actually know for sure.  They have boardwalks through the municipal gardens with lots of benches, so you can bring a book and settle down in the cool shade for a read.  They have the most active  Rotary Club per capital in Australia.  And they have really nice people.

Thanks David and Sheryl for showing us around your lovely town.

Getting around in Forster

“When you get on the bus, could you tell the driver that I’m driving with David in the car, so I won’t be on the bus after all,” said Sheryl my hostess.

“No problem,” I replied, and when I boarded the bus I told the driver that David and Sheryl would be coming along to the wine tasting in their own car.

“But I don’t know how to get to Steve’s,” he replied, “that’s why David was supposed to come on the bus!”

Hans had just boarded, so I asked him to run back into the mall and find David and Sheryl.

“He doesn’t know how to get to Steve’s,” I said, “so ask him to come with us.”

Off he went and came back fairly quickly without either Sheryl or David.

“I ran into Sheryl and asked her if she knew how to get to Steve’s.”

“Sure,” she replied, “so I came back.”

“It’s not David who doesn’t know how to get there, it’s the bus driver!  He doesn’t know where Steve lives and that’s why David has to come with us, to direct the driver.”

“Oh.  That’s not what you said.”

Getting around in Forster

Crush me, squeeze me, make me wine

Mmm.  We tasted a sparkling wine, a Semillion, then Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, finishing with a Muscat.  What was supposed to take only 1 hour took two, and then we had to hustle to get to the restaurant for dinner.

Wow!

The R C of Forster prepared this amazing feast for us tonight for $20, and this was just the appetizer!!  They had teriyaki lake trout to follow.  The tray Sue is holding is for one person!!

Have I already said life is grand?

“What shall we do today?” was the question going around the tables at the Beach Bum Café this morning.

There were many options available, and I’d already made one of my choices by arriving in my bathing suit, unable to resist the lure of the water. Sharks be damned.

While I was swimming, with Hans watching over me just in case, David and Sheryl picked up some picnic fixings and after a quick shower back at home, we took Noreen and headed for the Dragonfly Lily Winery. 

Their entire selection was tasted, lest we settle on a wine only to discover a better one could have been had.  With that important decision behind us, we took our two bottles and our friends and had a sumptuous picnic of ham, beef, buns, chutney, cheeses, tomatoes and greens, pineapple and cookies.

I can honestly say that a good time was had by all.

Blue tongued lizard

This blue tongued lizard lives in Sheryl’s back yard where he likes to sun himself.  She threw him a few small pieces of apple, which he ate greedily as we four stood around and watched his bright blue tongue flick in and out as he manoeuvered the apple into his mouth.  Unfortunately, we didn’t get a photo of his tongue but trust me, it’s bright blue.

Nasty Magpies

The cyclist in yellow caught our eye because of her unusual helmet.

Turns out the magpies here are quite aggressive and dive bomb her, waiting until she’s on one leg as she prepares to mount her bike before diving onto her head and pecking at her between the slats on the helmet. 

Little Nippers

These Little Nippers, as they are called, are training to be future lifeguards.  I may have that wrong, but they are learning how to run on the sand and be quick about it!!

You can’t see the fenced part of the ocean from here, called the bull pen, but it’s to the far right of the picture and that’s where I did my laps.  I’d forgotten how salty the ocean tastes though I did my best to keep as much as possible out of my mouth.

A place of unspeakable loveliness

This is our hosts’ ‘private’ beach, a short 20 minute walk from their house.  Pretty, isn’t it? 

We sauntered over there last night in the fiercest wind I can remember.   At the lookout, conversation was nearly impossible as the salt-scented wind swallowed our words.  But then, this picture is worth a thousand words.

Blue Hills

These aren't the famous blue mountains, but the colour is nevertheless quite intense.  The mountains are full of hazy forests of gum (eucalyptus) trees whose quiet respirations give the hills their bluish tinge.

Galahs

These birds are quite pretty,but not the prettiest ones we've seen in Australia.  However, they have caught the fancy of bird lovers overseas and every year people try to smuggle the birds out of the country.  Or their eggs.  It's a jail sentence if you're caught, plus a hefty fine.  But the lure of selling them for $10,000 apiece seems to make the risk worthwhile.

Sorrowful goodbyes

This Rotary Friendship Exchange has been a wonderful experience in almost every way.  The only part that hurts is having to say goodbye every few days to the wonderful hosts we've had and with whom we've all bonded in the short time we've been together.  And it's not just the hosts, but we've met so many wonderful people, many of whom we know we'll never see again.  That's becoming sad.

We've been treated so well.  Too well!  We're scared to death for the return trip as they've set the benchmark very high.

When we leave one town for the next, Steve plays "I am Australian" in the bus, and we're getting to know the chorus and singing along.  It's become our unofficial anthem in Australia.

First Ocean Swim in Australia

"We'll go for an early morning swim tomorrow," said David, our host.

I'm excited, but also a little scared.  They do net the beaches against sharks here, and were' going swimming near their house where there are no nets.

"Will you save me from sharks?" I asked.

"I've done it before," he said, and proceeded to tell us this story.

"When I was 18, I saw an elderly couple being swept out to sea by the current.  They were at least in their 50s.  When you're 18, 50 year-olds look old to you," he explained.  All four of us are well past  50 now.

"So I paddled out on my surfboard and rescued the woman.  The man was able to get to some rocks and eventually made his own way back to shore.  When he got there, he fished out his wallet and turned to one of my mates, handing him a 10 pound note."

"Here you are laddie, and she's worth every bit of those 10 pounds."

"I don't know," said the mate, looking over at the wife who was, after all, 50 and not that attractive.  "I think you deserve some change," and returned 5 pounds to the man.

Kookaburras for lunch

 "They kill snakes by slamming them against a tree or rocks," said Catherine, pointing out the kookaburra sitting in a tree nearby.  The Rotary Club of Gloucester had prepared a steak sandwich picnic for us on the grounds of a local park as we drove through on our way to Forster on the coast.

"We put our bacon rinds in the compost," she continued, "and the kookaburras come and pluck them out, think they're worms.  Then they smash the bacon rinds against the fence to kill them."

Another fabulous day

We reunited at Di’s Garden where tables and chairs had been set out in the afternoon shade.  All the hosts had brought an assortment of salads and drinks and the Rotary Club of Walcha treated us to a barbecue of steak, sausage, onion and tomato.

And so, once again radiant with cholesterol, carbohydrates and contentment, the afternoon passed in a pleasant blur.

But the day didn't end there, though it could have.

We all got together in the evening at the Bowling Club (that's lawn bowling, not pins) for a delicious smorgasborg.  Despite our intentions not to eat after stuffing ourselves at Norm and Di's, we did eat because the Rotary Club of Walcha was treating us and it would have been rude to refuse.  And Canadians are nothing if not polite. 

There was a lively game of bingo and I won a prize!  The prize was a number of free tickets to a meat draw (selection of leg of lamb, steaks, sausages, etc.) and one of my tickets won so I asked James to collect it since the gift was going to our hosts.  We were delighted to be able to repay their kindness.

We got us a Convoy!

A number of the Walcha Rotarians were on hand with their 4 x 4s and loaded us up.  We were off to the gorge.  There were 9 fully loaded SUVs.  We were a convoy!  All of us were connected by CB radio, just like in the days of truck convoys, with Fearless Leader in front and Tailend Charlie bringing up the rear. 

Originally, we were to drive into the gorge in the 4x4s but recent heavy rains as well as a small deluge yesterday morning kaiboshed that plan.  Too dangerous.  Vehicles have been known to slide sideways off the steep road so instead, we were driven to a beautiful viewpoint called Budd’s Mare and along the way admired the countryside of rolling hills dotted with sheep.  The viewpoint was beautiful and though I know the local Rotarians were disappointed not to be able to take us into the gorge, we don’t know what we’re missing and so simply enjoyed what we could see.

It was a place of unspeakable loveliness.

Bugger the Garden. Where's the Wine?

An amusing welcome sign in a garden that definitely was not buggered but obviously lovingly tended.  Fortunately, we had persuaded Anne to let us skip breakfast because there before us was a lavish spread of morning “tea”:  spongecake filled with strawberries and whipped cream, assorted homebaked cookies, slices (known to Canadians as squares) and trays of scones decadent with jam and cream.  Oh my.  It was all so delicious.

That was the start of a fabulous day.

Pioneer Lodge

The town puddled under a dull, persistent rain but Barry supplied the ladies with umbrellas so we could walk around town and explore the shops while the men retired to the local pub.  We were trying to work off the fried banana bread.  I’m not sure that worked, but we enjoyed ourselves despite the rain.

The Rotary Club supports the Pioneer Lodge in Walcha, which we toured under the guidance of a local historian who was able to tell us about the many artefacts we were viewing.  A highlight for me was when he played a 1910 gramophone which plays cylinders. The sound was scratchy and tinny, but it was amazing to hear a recording from 100 years ago.

As we walked around and our guide showed us the outdoor toilet, he mentioned how things have changed.

“In the old days, you went to the toilet outside and ate inside.  Now, we go to the toilet inside but eat outside.”

Remembrance Day in Walcha

We stopped at Grazes Café in Walcha for morning coffee when we arrived.  They serve decaf so Hans and I had our first coffee in 2 ½ weeks and it was good.  Even better was the toasted banana bread we had which in Australia they butter, then toast it before serving it warm.  Yummy!!

The mayor, also a Rotarian, joined us and at 11:00 a.m.  we stood to observe a minute’s silence.  Lou had thoughtfully brought along enough poppies for all of us to wear over our hearts.  We weren’t the only ones to stand, as other customers also stood.  When the minute was up, a gentleman at another table recited The Ode to the Fallen, a short but poignant acknowledgement to fallen soldiers everywhere.

Walcha

Our introduction to Walcha came at the house of Barry and Mona who welcomed the team by touring us through his wine cellar.

“Champagne or still white?” he asked, a bottle in each hand.

“I like both.  Do I have to choose?”

Walcha is off the beaten track so you really have to work if you want to get here.  And if you’re here for 40 years, the locals will finally forgive you.

It’s a charming small town of only 1700 or so, but you can double that number if you add in the adjacent farms.  Despite its small size, Walcha has the most active Rotary Club per capita in all of Australia!!  Now that’s something to brag about.  And in addition to Rotary, Walcha has an equally active Lions Club.

Clearly, these are people worth getting to know.

Whip Bird

The picture is of a bush turkey seen on our walk in the rainforest.  But I would have loved to show you a photo of the whip bird.  It makes a sound exactly like the crack of a whip.  Exactly!  We could hear it all through our walk, but they are quite shy and never spotted one.  Even the locals walking with us had never seen one.

In a completely unrelated note, most of the coffee here is instant which suits us just fine since Hans can’t drink caffeinated coffee anyway, and I’m afraid to drink it when we’re travelling in the bus as I’d have to ask Steve to stop at every post.

The White House

“Let others tell of storms and showers.  I’ll only count your sunny hours.”

This quote is on the sundial pictured in front of the house.  You can also see another fine display of the iron lace that decorates the veranda. The Whites were early settlers to the area and as was the style back then, if you had some money to spend, the government gave you generous land grants plus you got free convict labour to work your land.  They ended up with 200,000 acres.  Generous indeed. 

The house is showing its age.  In the living room there is a huge stain on the wall above the fireplace.  Apparently one summer when the fireplace wasn’t in use of course, a nest of bees set up home inside.  Then come winter when they lit the fireplace, all the honey and beeswax melted and dripped through the wall.

The piano had a double candle holder attached to the left and right front of the piano, with candles.  I presume it was so you could read your piano music in the days before electricity.

There were 5 daughters and they all slept on the second storey veranda outside, year round.  There were blinds that could be pulled down so they would be sheltered from the wind and hail (!)

And in a final little note of interest, one of the Misses White married a Mr. Black and moved to Orange.

“Get it off me!  Get it off me!” yelled Aletta, dancing on one foot and shaking her other one in the air.  Rob, our ranger guide, went over and plucked off a long black leech.  It was pretty icky.  After that, I found myself glancing more often at the leaf debris through which we were walking than at the splendor of the canopy above.

Perched on the rugged eastern escarpment of the Great Dividing Range, Dorrigo National Park contains magnificent stands of lush rainforest and spectacular scenery. The hike we took descended a long way down, each step a reminder that I would have to climb back out but I was determined to do it.  After all the eating we’ve been doing…well…this was a small price to pay and it wasn’t going to pay for much of the eating either.

Along the way we saw a choking fig, pictured as the braided roots climbing up one of the trees. Eventually, it will choke the life from the tree.  The fig will remain standing, and the other tree will rot away, leaving a cavity inside the fig’s trunk.

At the bottom we came to a gorgeous waterfall dropping from the heights into a lovely pool, seen on one of the photos.  Ranger Rob told us that in their younger years, he and his wife used to come down here for a swim.  Long way to go for a little frolic.  Now there’s a new suspension bridge easing the trip across the little ravine and this was the turnaround point.  We could either go back the way we came, or make a loop that added an extra kilometer to the hike.  One couple had turned back earlier, and of course I was opting for the shorter route and Penny said she’d come with me.  “But what if I get leeched?” I asked.  “Don’t worry, I can get rid of a leech for you.”  So off we went, and Jenny joined us.  There was another group of 3 or 4 just behind us.

Since I couldn’t walk and talk, but Penny and Jenny could, they walked behind me so I could set a more leisurely pace and they could talk and I could listen.  I wanted to talk, but you know, it was one or the other.  When I stopped for breath I’d gasp out my comment on what they were discussing, then we’d resume our pace uphill. 

Then I felt something chilly  and wet on top of my foot. Glancing down, I saw a wriggly black leech.  Instinctively I tried to brush it away with my finger, whereupon it came off my foot but attached itself to my finger.

“Help me!  Help me!” I shouted urgently, shaking my hand in a frenzy trying to dislodge the leech.  Everyone backed away from me.  “Rub your finger on a tree,” Penny said.  I did and the leech came off.  Later she told me I was shaking my hand so violently she was afraid the leech would fly off and land on her.

Stuff

The Y-Front Cathedral  

It’s actually St. Peter’s cathedral, and the architect Aubrey Hunt created special corner bricks to make inside corners which have been dubbed Y-fronts…

Iron Lace 

The fancy ironwork dubbed iron lace was used as ballast in the ships when they brought settlers over from England.

The Team 

Here’s the team pictured in front of a stained glass window in the shopping center.

Thunderbolt Rock #1

Thunderbolt was a local Armidale cattle rustler who made a good living stealing goods and stock from the countryside.  He always got away because he only stole the best horses and no one could catch him.  The rocks pictured here where his lookout point, watching for unsuspecting coaches and riders he could rob.

Different Expressions

I love some of the expressions I hear.  For example, at the Dag Sheep Station, the toilets are called Dunnies, which is what they used to be called back in the day of the sheep shearers who hired themselves out as they travelled about.  Later, this evolved into the ‘summerhouse’.  “Some are for him, and some are for her.”

Or when we stopped to go shopping one day, and one of the Aussie hosts asked me, “Are you shopping with your friends or with your handbrake?”