I attended the first half of a weekend on Deep Ecology (https://www.deepecology.net/) at Narara Eco Village (nararaecovillage.com). It held an important message about our overheating planet and was rather fun, but my legs couldn't tolerate the terrain and I left early.
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I stopped at the Moss Vale Village Park (https://hampshireholidays.com.au/park/moss-vale-park-village-park/) on my way to Santi. Overpriced. It rained a lot. The next day the rain cleared until Ajahn Brahm had finished speaking, and it rained cats and dogs at Santi (https://santifm.org/santi/) as well. It wouldn't be the end of the summer holidays without four nights at the NRMA Ocean Beach Holiday Resort (www.nrmaparksandresorts.com.au/ocean-beach/). First there was good family time at The Steps at Barrington (www.thestepsbarrington.com.au). Short hikes, mountain biking, river swimming and campfires allowed in January. I hate it when Weebly's links don't work. I really should blog somewhere else. In the meantime here are three YouTube shorts: My cicada at The Steps Barrington: https://youtu.be/9CE58CVi5jI Luka at The Steps Barrington: https://youtube.com/shorts/PhfH406D3s0 Steve at The Steps Barrington: https://youtube.com/shorts/UN1D6qInAT8 I spent one night roadside at Kundabung, on my way to Bellingen for Camp Creative. As usual I stayed in the Showgrounds there. I didn't make it to my class in urban sketching every day because I kept damaging my ankle. On the Friday evening, after visiting friends in Urunga I pulled in beside some other vans outside the sailing club in the dark. I found out later that wasn't permitted, but it was an ideal spot beside the river and great fun watching the local dragon boat team arriving to practice. The urban sketching was great fun; you can see what I did at https://www.instagram.com/p/C5Sv5P3oxYm/ or https://youtube.com/shorts/KEHT-ACfhPQ I drove from there straight to Macksville Hospital, arrived there at 8:30am saying that I thought my foot needed X-raying. I spent a hungry day in the emergency waiting room (café closed on weekends) and left at 4:30pm with the advice to get it X-rayed when I got home. Stopping at the Lyons Park beside the river was nice, and I got to Gosford Hospital the next day, where I was seen to in less than 60 minutes. If only I'd decided to drive straight through!! Driving was no problem, only walking, and it turned out to be only a sprain with no bones broken. I needed somewhere to stay in the Quakers Hill region, and found Ingenia Holidays Avina (www.ingeniaholidays.com.au/our-parks/new-south-wales/western-sydney/avina/) with the help of Google. It's nothing like as highflying as its website suggests, but was a useful place to be for three nights. Between other visits, I slept in Bertha two nights at Santi Forest Monastery (santifm.org/santi). The view remains the same even as organisational details develop!
Day One: Maitland Regional Gallery. I always visit when driving through. Nights 1&2: Lake Liddell Recreation Area, a wonderfully peaceful place on the edge of a big lake. I intended one night and stayed two, will go back. Missed: Muswellbrook Regional Gallery. Also see Upper Hunter Galleries. Scone Art Gallery. A gem of a surprise, free, hidden behind Scone Visitor Information, had Rembrandt etchings. Missed: Tamworth Regional Gallery. Night 3: Wooldridge Recreation and Fossicking Reserve. I didn't hire a gold pan and take my chance, but it was a lovely spot to stay for free in the bush. Armidale Art Gallery. Excellent place. Night 4: Glen Rest Tourist Park. A useful and friendly spot beside the highway. Night 5: Blue Topaz Caravan Park, near Stanthorpe, Qld. Another useful and friendly spot beside the highway. Night 6: Ipswich Showgrounds. Convenient, but extremely small sites rather like a parking lot! Nights 7-9: I left Bertha out in the cold for three nights and stayed in a nice apartment hotel near the Gabba. I visited friends John one day, and on the second Queensland Art Gallery and the Gallery of Modern Art. Night 10: I slept in the street outside a different friend John's place in Windsor . Night 11: at Robert's place in Wynnum. Nights 12-14: Pine Ridge (Retirement) Caravan Village, Runaway Bay. I went here because all the oceanside holiday parks were booked out. But nicer and cheaper. Great place! A 20-minute drive to Surfers Paradise. Friday night: Welcome dinner at a surf club, and Luka's birthday. Saturday: Millie's dancing competition. Sunday: I took a rest day at Pine Ridge. Monday: I went to watch Millie's group dance in the street, and then drove off. Night 15: Reflections Ferry Reserve, Brunswick Heads. A bit close to the highway (but an advantage if travelling) and the unpowered sites have the best position, right on the riverbank. Visited friend Anne for morning tea. Night 16: at friends Russ and Jeannette's place on Goodwood Island. Night 17: Nambucca River Tourist Park. I shredded a tyre just before reaching Nambucca. I had hardly drawn breath when one man stopped to help me, and straight away a truck driver stopped to help him. What nice people! I stopped in Macksville the next morning and purchased two new tyres. Night 18: Morisset Showgrounds. They said they were full although there appeared to be heaps of space, so I stopped just outside the entrance beside their dump point. So I had another night at the Killcare Surf Club, always a good place to park ... ... and then - I no longer remember why - drove north before heading south ... ... a month later I was back at Santi, for several nights parked down below somewhere secluded. After the it was back home to Gosford, not really sure where Bertha and I might go next.
I spent my 78th birthday at Patong with Bertha, of course bookending that with visits to both my kids. One night at Copacabana ... ... and then a wonderful weekend at The Entrance for the Giracool Blues Festival, staying at El Lago Tourist Park ... ... followed by a couple of nights at Blue Bay, in the Blue Bay Caravan Park ... ... then back to my favourite place, Fishermen's End at Putty Beach. Unfortunately they've banned overnighting here, so I had to move on before dark ... Meanwhile Bertha and I spent the night together in a number of places. We finished up at January Camp on Dave's birthday. We had one night at Ocean Beach, and another at Killcare. And then we went to Santi Forest Monastery at Bundanoon for two nights right at the end of January. And we were back there again on 25th Feb. After that ....
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AuthorIn mid 2018 I started recording each night I sleep in Bertha: sometimes just for myself, sometimes to share with friends and other travellers. Archives
February 2024
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