The Sydney to Brisbane drive (Day 1)

When was the last time we had McD's brekkie? I think it was the last time we went camping and that was back in May. Wow, a good half a year!

And to think that the traffic on a Saturday would not be too bad, I was so wrong. Perhaps it did not occur to me that the school holidays would have begun the itinerary was put together. Yes, I had an itinerary complete with a very detailed checklist. I am paranoid with forgetting to brings things with me on a trip and would rather have a black and white version of my mental note.

So, from our humble abodes in Strathfield, we keyed into the GPS our first stopover: The Entrance.

Located on the New South Wales Central Coast, it is aptly named The Entrance as it is where the magnificent Tuggerah Lake meets the Pacific Ocean.

It was not difficult to tell who the local residents are:

We did not really explore town much, as we decided to continue towards Bungwahl. It took me ages to find the correct match in the GPS, which runs on a 2008 system. There were certain roads which did not exist back then which does today, adding to my confusion.

Well, we finally did find our stop for the night: Yarramin Park Farmstay.

I felt excited because we always drive past such gates with long driveways and lush green on both sides but have never drove through.

Cate welcomed us with the accompaniment of her two extremely friendly lovelies, Dollie and Lily (if I recall correctly).

Personally, it felt more like walking into somebody else's home. I guess that is what a farmstay literally is I suppose.

We were greeted by clean homeliness complete with a well-equipped kitchen, which uses tank water.

The living room had a sofa bed, which if required, would need prior notice.

Oh, and a whole chest of good reads and fun games!

The room was comfortable and cosy with a whole wall of spacious wardrobe space.

And what more to ask when you had grapevines for a view?

Stepping out of the side sliding door onto the verandah gave this view:

In the corner near the gate that connected our flat to the owners' home was a collection of pottery.

There was also a fence with fruits Audrey managed to deduce as passionfruit. (Haha, and I call myself an early childhood educator when I have never seen a fresh passionfruit!)

I opened the little gate under the leafy arch and walked out onto the green. At the bottom of the hill, I saw a wooden structure, which I assumed was a stable for horses.

And what do you know? A beautiful creature came out to say hello...

We both highly recommend this place if you are looking for a peaceful weekend getaway for two. And when I say peaceful, I mean peaceful, as I was lulled to dreamland by roosting cuckoos nearby.

Yarramin Park Farmstay
8 Racecourse Road, Bungwahl, NSW 2423
02 4997 6198 (Tel), 0416 202 938 (Mob)

Of course, to catch what was left of natural sunlight, we headed out to nearby Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse.

Established in 1875, it is located at Seal Rocks and is part of the Myall Lakes National Park.

There was a breath-taking gorge as we ascended the hill.

I can hear you ask, "Where is the stupid lighthouse?!" Well, I was asking that question myself when I hiked up this slope.

No, this obviously does not look like a lighthouse.

This is the lighthouse. And to get to it, we had a tremendously steep slope to climb. Great, first day and we gave ourselves physical exercise already.

But for this view, all worth it, no?

This lighthouse is one of only two lighthouses in Australia with an external stairway.

And with such steepness, it made sense to have this sign.

I wonder if I fit into the latter category...

Access to the lighthouse is from sunrise to sunset all year round. If you have extra cash to spare and would like to experience living in a lighthouse cottage, give Seal Rocks Accommodation at Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse a try and let us know how it went.

Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse
Lot 1 Kinka Road, Seal Rocks, NSW 2423

Forster was where we stopped for dinner at Beach Street Seafood.

We figured we wanted something simple and fast. And besides, not many other places were open. Needless to say, I had fish and chips with garden salad!

I have to admit that the fish was very fresh and would think that they have quite a patronage with a clean and brightly lit shop that is open every day of the week, as well as helpful waitstaff.

Beach Street Seafood
Beach Street, Forster, NSW 2428
02 6557 5300 (Tel)

With a cup of gelato in my hand, we walked along the waters to admire the crystal clear waters. We not only could see the sandbed but also every single fish that swam in there. Someone called out, "Look, stingray!" which gathered a small crowd. Was there really one?

Oh my goodness, yes! My first 'wild stingray' encounter. Forster, take a bow. Your stingray and magnificent sunset had my applause for a great first day.

Distance covered today: 419km

Melbourne Winter Adventure 2006 (Episode 4)

Day 3:

OK, I don't have to remind you how we usually wake up in time for lunch during the holidays. So, yes, we woke up in time for lunch. We, or rather Auds drove us to Box Hill so that we could have the infamous 'swimming-in-the-sauce" roast duck rice that Shaun can't get out of his head. And seriously, it was good, way better than what Eastwood's bbq one serves. It was literally swimming in sauce as they serve so much more sauce, a bigger serving, better service, more VEGIES and to top that off, super spicy chilli sauce! And no, it's not the cheesy chilli sauces you buy from Asian groceries but freshly chopped chillies with er, oil and I think garlic. Two thumbs up from me!

After lunch, we headed to our next destination - Phillip Island. Yes, we went to Phillip Island at the peak of winter. Yes, I hear many of you saying, "Wah, crazy ar? Winter you know! It's dead cold there now!" But hey, we're already in Melbourne, so we might as well go, right? So off we went in the opposite direction from the day before and we arrived the island in 1.5 hours.

As soon as we opened the door to get into the Tourist Information Centre, we had to quickly grab our jackets and whatever that we think would make us feel warm to put on. Yes, it was freezing all right. And we had this crazy idea of buying ice-cream to eat, as well.

As per the friendly lady at the Info Centre's advice, we forewent the bushwalking and Churchill Island and went straight to watch the seals first. And to think the Info Centre was freezing, The Nobbies was excruciatingly cold! The wind was so powerful, I was pushed sideways when walking! We were there to catch a glimpse of a colony of creatures on a small cluster of rocks just offshore. As it's name implies, Seal Rocks is where the largest colony of Australian Fur Seals congregate in Australia. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see any of them cute albeit vicious creatures due to a family so indulged in looking, they wouldn't budge from the telescope.


We did, however, take a group photo to remind ourselves of how freaking COLD it was there and how many layers we put on and some pictures of the raging sea (you can tell the wind was a killer).





Lady luck was with us, though. There was a small flock of penguins under the wooden boardwalk and of course, cameras started clicking away.


We ran to the car. Yes, ran. We then drove to a different side of the island, where the main attraction lie - Little Penguins. We paid $17 to watch them come home to their nests after spending 3 weeks at sea. We weren't allowed anything that could take pictures - digicams, phonecams, you name it. We weren't allowed to stand or to make a sound. We sat there waiting for them to come up since 5pm. The first tiny, cute penguin came on shore about 1.5 later. Ooooooh, they WERE cute!!! And as the guide said, they would only move from the waves up to the grass in groups to fend of prey and yes, they did wait!

It was then my turn to drive home. We had to go hunting for food. There was a restaurant along the way (on the island) that served steak on a hot slab of rock (or so they claim) but we had to decline as it was absolutely way over our budgets as uni students. So, I suggested La Porchetta, the Melbourne version of Borelli's, just cheaper and bigger in portions. And yes, the atmosphere had Nic smiling from ear-to-ear.

The night actually ended on a bad note. Well, you see, I'm not good with taking instructions, especially driving instructions. And I don't enjoy it. I am a pretty good driver, I think. But, I have to admit, I was very touchy that night. Something must've bugged me sometime in the day to have made me react in that manner. Oh, and the way some people talk to me, it's as if they think that I'm nowhere near as smart as they are just coz I'm doing a 'less prestigious' course than they are. Puh-leez.

Not so good, but I won my first ever round of poker. So it's all balanced out. No complaints now. =P