Fingal Bay

 25 - 28 February 2025

We had always promised my life long friend Anne that we would come and stay at her new home in Fingal Bay but circumstances meant we never had the chance to get there. This time however, Mick was booked onto a Pelagic boat trip out of Port Stephens so a few nights with Anne and Stephen would be perfect.

We drove north from Belmont and arrived in Fingal Bay in time for lunch. We had planned to stay a few days and were looking forward to catching up. Unfortunately for Mick, the pelagic was cancelled due to engine trouble - making five cancellations in a row for him. Anne and Stephen were generous hosts and we spent the afternoon relaxing and chatting about our travels - past and future.

On Wednesday morning they took us out on a sightseeing tour of the local area, visiting beaches and lookouts on this stunnning part of the coast, including Birubi Beach and Nelson Head Lighthouse. Our time was somewhat limited as Anne and I had a lunch date with another old friend at Stockton.

Birubi Beach -
just one of the many beautiful beaches in the area

Anne and I had met in primary school, in 1968, and have been friends ever since. Deb and I have been friends since before that - starting school together in 1965. We spent a long lunch hour catching up and it seemed like we had never been apart. Deb is a great story teller and the tales of her time as a senior NSW police officer flowed thick and fast. Reminiscing about our time together at primary school brought back many happy memories - and some long forgotten incidents that gave us a laugh.

On Thursday morning Anne took Mick and I out for a walk in Tomaree National Park, finishing at Barry Park, not far from her home. Once again we were able to see some of the stunning coastal scenery that is a feature of this area.

On Friday morning we packed up, had an early lunch with Anne and Stephen, and headed on our way to Old Bar, near Taree,

Belmont

 23 - 25 February 2025

We left Myola and headed north towards Sydney, but turned off to take the scenic route through Kangaroo Valley. Mick wanted to stop at Nepean Dam for some birding and we arrived there in time for a slightly late morning tea. We had a look and realised that the spot we should be in was a bit further on towards the dam wall so drove the short distance down there.

Mick spent a fair bit of time but was unsuccessful in finding the bird he was after. It was a nice spot anyway and we stayed there to have our picnic lunch. From there it was on through Sydney - not something I was looking forward to, but glad we had been able to time it for a Sunday afternoon.

We returned to the motorway and found the drive easier than I had expected - especially the North Connex tunnel that completely cuts out the nightmare that was Pennant Hills Road. If you've ever driven that way, you'll know what I'm talking about. We continued on towards Newcastle and checked in to the caravan park on Lake Macquarie.

The park is in a lovely spot right on the lake so we went for a walk to see if there were any interesting birds - there weren't. Just the usual ducks and black swans. In the morning we set off to do some sightseeing, but first we had to go to Nords Wharf to look for the Glossy black cockatoos.

When we found the spot we realised someone had put the marker on private property so we wouldn't be able to look for them. We decided to move on to one of the beaches, but on the way back to the highway we made a snap decision to drive down to Cams Wharf. This time we were in luck - a pair of Glossy blacks flew right across in front of the car. We turned around and, as luck would have it, there was a place to park right near where the birds had landed. Mick was very happy with this serendipitous find.

From there we drove out to Swansea Heads and went for a short walk, then on to Caves Beach. The tide was low enough for us to be able to walk to the caves, and to walk through. Again, it's a very pretty spot, but also very popular so quite crowded, even on a week day.

You can walk into and through
the network of caves

The weather had been quite hot, and a bit windy, but the worst part was having to pack up in the rain. When we woke up in the morning, there were a couple of spits of rain, but nothing to be concerned about. We set about packing up, and were interrupted by a friendly neighbour who stopped for a chat. That was our big mistake. By the time he had left the rain had arrived and everything was wet and so in the end we just had to deal with it. We would be spending the next three nights with friends and we didn't think we'd be able to set the camper up to dry it out. 

We left Belmont and drove along the Newcastle Bypass and on towards Fingal Bay where we would spend the next three nights with Anne and Stephen.

Myola

 21 - 23 February 2025

We left Gillards beach and stopped at Bermagui to have a cuppa and to try to boon a caravan park in Huskisson for a couple of nights. We eally wanted to stay in Booderee National Park, but at $100 per night plus the park entry fee of $20 we decided we wouldn't ever be camping there again. Our next choice was Huskisson, but there wasn't anything available. We broadened our range to include Myola and Currarong but still hadn't found anything when we set off again. 

We had left a couple of messages at caravan parks as sometimes the online booking system shows no availability when there actually is room so we were hopeful. As we continued up the highway we talked about our options and realised we might need to move inland - anything on the coast within coo-ee of Sydney on a weekend was starting to feel like an impossibility.

We stopped for lunch at a rest area and had just opened up the map to try to plot a route when we received a phone call from the caravan park at Myola. Great timing! Yes, they had an unpowered site, but there was two night minimum. No problem, we actually wanted two nights.

We continued on to Myola where we settled into the caravan park. It wasn't the greatest place with many old onsite vans with outdoor rooms attached. Quite a few looked to be very run down, and they were really close together giving a less than attractive impression. 

Mick was keen to go birding to a spot near Currarong so we headed out very early the next morning to Abraham's Bosom Reserve. There are a heap of walking tracks but not much signage to indicate how long any of them are. We walked along the main track and found the bird Mick was looking for. We then walked on to Wreck Beach then back to Abraham's Bosom Beach. It's a lovely reserve worth exploring, with some beautiful beaches.

Abraham's Bosom Beach - just beautiful

The reason all the caravan parks were full was that a Triathlon Festival was being held in Huskisson over the weekend so the place was packed. We had been told about the small private ferry service operating across Currabene Creek from Myola to Huskission. We decided to go over for lunch.

It was a nice walk down to the jetty, and even though the ferry usually operates on an hourly timetable, for the duration of the festival it was basically shuttling backwards and forwards all day. We went for a walk in town which was a bit of a challenge with roads closed and events being conducted in a number of locations. The town was busy, but we found a spot for a very nice pie at the local bakery. We wandered into a number of shops, then back to the ferry for the ride home.

A short ferry ride across the creek to town

Our next stop would be north of Sydney so we decided to drive through from Myola as the traffic on a Sunday would be much easier than on a weekday. Of course we had to plot a course that would take in a birding opportunity! We left Myola and drove up through Kangaroo Valley towards Nepean Dam.

Mimosa Rocks National Park - Gillards Campground

 20 - 21 February 2025

We left Lakes Entrance with the intention to stay somewhere on the NSW south coast - maybe around Merimbula or Pambula. It wasn't all that far so we first detoured towards Marlo and found a nice spot for coffee on the Snowy River. We continued on to Cape Conron National Park and stopped at the boat ramp for a successful spot of birding.

From there we drove on through Eden and stopped for lunch at Waldrons Swamp Rest Area - but we didn't see any sign of the swamp. We continued on and tried to find a spot in a caravan park but they were either full, or what they had on offer wasn't suitable, and they were all very overpriced. We took a chance on getting a site in a national park and were able to book a spot in the Mimosa Rocks National Park, just north of Tathra. 

Gillards Beach had good reviews so we booked and drove on to the campground. We had booked "on the run" and hadn't taken too much care to get the best spot, but the site we had was quite suitable for one night. It wasn't too hard to get the camper trailer level, but there were a lot of tree roots that made the site very uneven to walk on. Because of the position of the site, we were also facing away from the beach. We'll be more careful next time.

Lots of beach and not many people

It was quite late when we arrived so we set up and went for a walk down to the beach. By the time we returned it was time to get dinner organised. We didn't stay late in the morning, and we set off, again not knowing where we would spend the next night.

We wanted to go to Huskisson, so took the coast road to Bermagui where we stopped to try and organise somewhere to stay while we had a cup of coffee.

Lakes Entrance

 19 - 20 February 2025

We weren't sure how long it would take to get from Colac Colac to Lakes Entrance as Google Maps and our GPS are rarely accurate on windy mountain roads. On the advice of locals we took the road through the Nariel Valley which included 67km of dirt. Despite the unsealed road, it was a spectacular drive, and cut off a significant amount of time from the alternative route via Mitta Mitta.

We arrived at Omeo at morning tea time so called in to a cafe for a cuppa before continuing on. We found a nice picnic area on the Tambo River at Ensay along the Great Alpine Road. We arrived in Lakes Entrance quite early in the afternoon and spent some time in town before heading up to our friends' house. We had met Ruth and Boyd at a campground on Cape York in 2016 and met up with them at a number of camps. Since then we have remained friends and we always try to fit in a visit when we're in the area. 

Pelicans and Cormorants

Because of other commitments we could only stay one night. We enjoyed catching up and sharing travel tales, as always, and appreciated the generosity of friends we only see once in a while. We packed up again and headed off towards the south coast of New South Wales.

Colac Colac

 15 - 19 February 2025

We set off from Glenrowan but didn't get far before we detoured off the highway to another favourite spot -  Honeyeater Picnic Area and Cyanide Dam in the Chiltern - Mount Pilot National Park. It was morning tea time, so we made a cup of coffee and went for a walk around the dam. It's a lovely spot for a short stop with bonus birding included. 

We returned to the highway and continued on until taking the turn towards Talangatta. We stopped for lunch on the foreshore of Lake Hume at Tallangatta, but it was so windy we had a very quick bite to eat before continuing on towards Colac Colac - not to be confused with Colac which is also in Victoria. "Clack Clack" is only a few kilometres from Corryong and is in a beautiful location on Corryong Creek, with views all around. We set up camp in a quiet spot in the caravan park and settled in for a relaxing few days.

Our friends from Townsville who are travelling full time arrived to meet us the following day. We try to catch up with them whenever possible and we were looking forward to a couple of days together. Judy and John had stayed at Colac Colac a few weeks before so suggested a day trip for the next day.

We set off after breakfast, following Judy and John to Bluff Falls. There is a camping area nearby but it is closed at the moment and looks like it is being redeveloped. There is a short walk from the carpark to the falls and then a set of stairs that takes you to the bottom for a different view. It was there that John crashed his drone into a tree - on the other side of the creek. I wonder how many drones end up left in trees and bushes?

It's an easy walk from the carpark to the falls

From the falls we continued on to the small town of Jingellic in New South Wales for a lovely lunch at the pub, right on the Murray River. We went for a walk and had a look at the campground that is between the pub and the river. It looked like a top spot to camp. We returned to Colac Colac via the road that follows the Murray River, stopping at a couple of lookouots and Clark Lagoon Wildlife Reserve. Our friends drove back a different way - along the NSW side of the river and arrived back at the caravan park only a couple of minutes ahead of us. 

We went to NSW for lunch!

The following day we had a look around Corryong and discovered the sewerage ponds - usually a good spot for birding, but not this one. We visited the shops and picked up some supplies from the supermarket. We also chatted to some locals at the servo to get some advice about which road we should take back to the coast. It's always good to get local knowledge about road conditions.

The following morning we packed up, said farewell to our friends and set off to travel to Lakes Entrance.

Glenrowan

 12 - 15 February 2025

We have stayed at Glenrowan quite a few times so Mick can photograph the Turquoise parrots that frequent the park, so we didn't want to miss another opportunity. We drove from Bendigo straight to the caravan park on a very hot day. We set up but were disappointed that the birds didn't seem to be around.

On previous stays at the caravan park there have been regular visits to the bird bath by a number of birds, and there are usually a few visiting birders - but not this time. There has been talk that the management of the park has been less than encouraging of birders and some feel that she has actively discouraged them. This certainly looks to be the case which is such a shame.

We had wanted to stay a few days, but thought that maybe one would do - until we checked the weather forecast for the places that were next on our list and saw that there might be some significant rainfall and possibly damaging storms. We decided to stay for three nights and hope that the weather wasn't too bad where we were.

Despite the lack of birds,
we did enjoy the peace and quiet

We took the opportunity to catch up on some shopping and general day to day tasks while we were there, and enjoyed the peace and quiet. Most visitors only stayed overnight so the park was very quiet during the day. We also drove over to Benalla to have coffee with Mick's sister. Collette is always pleased to see us, and it was a nice morning out.

We rose early on our final morning to go for a spot of birding in the nearby Warby Ranges National Park. Mick had been told about a spot not far away and he was happy to see that there were a number
of Turquoise parrots right where he hoped they would be. 

We drove back to the caravan park and were packed up ready to leave by 9:00am. We headed off up the highway on our way to Colac Colac, in the Victorian High Country.