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.

Fosterville - Somerville Park

 10 - 12 February 2025 

Before heading towards Bendigo for our next stay, we detoured to another lake where Blue-billed ducks had been reported recently. Apparently the low water level at Lake Purrumbete may have sent them elsewhere. We drove to Lake Struan Wildlife Reserve where we could see plenty of ducks - but they were not close enough to shore to get a positive ID. Mick took lots of photos anyway and, later that night, was able to see that there was indeed, a number of Blue-bills. He keeps a list of all the birds he has sighted for the year (as well as a life list) but he won't add anything unless he is absolutely certain. He was now able to add the Blue-bills to the year list.

We drove on through Lismore, Beaufort, Maryborough and then on to Bendigo. We had chosen to stay at a Hipcamp - our first - just out of Bendigo. We had called ahead and were told we were the only ones booked in. We were met on arrival by Cheryl and shown to the site that we had been allocated - but we could move to another one if we wanted. We were happy to stay at "Valley View" because they had set up the port-a-loo there for us. It was such a nice spot, we paid for two nights straight away.

A very peaceful spot!

Proximity to the Greater Bendigo National Park was important and after a very peaceful night we set off into the park in search of some more birds. We didn't have any luck there so headed into town with a stop at Lake Weeroona, right on the edge of the CBD. It's always a very popular spot, with lots of people enjoying the warm weather. 

From there we went into town to buy a new pair of binoculars - Mick's were probably 20 years old, not the greatest quality and had recently broken, so it was definitely time to upgrade. We found the Camera House store and he chose a nice pair of Nikons, which he is very happy with.

We dropped a gas bottle off to be tested, redated and refilled before returning to camp for lunch and a very relaxing afternoon. Just on dark we went out in search of some night birds we heard calling. Mick didn't get any photos but we did get a look at one that perched on a branch quite close to us.

We couldn't pick up the gas bottle until late in the morning so we really appreciated not having to leave this lovely campsite until after almost 11:30am. By the time we had driven in to the gas place it was lunch time so we stopped for a picnic at Lake Weeroona before continuing on to Glenrowan.

Lake Purrumbete

 8 - 10 February 2025

We chose Lake Purrumbete as our next stop because we wanted to escape the weekend crowds on the Great Ocean Road and there was a chance of seeing Blue-billed duck. We left Port Campbell, stopped at Cobden for coffee and were at the caravan park around 11:00am.

We chose a spot that had a view towards the lake, set up and went for a walk. No blue-bills! To add to the disappointment, the wind started to blow and just kept getting stronger. We checked the forecast again and it would be like this for the two nights we were booked in for. It was cold and windy, but we had fortunately set the camper trailer up so that it blocked the wind most of the time. We escaped the wind duing the afternoon by driving into Colac to do some shopping, and in the evening by making use of the camp kitchen.

It was nice to be close to the water 

Lake Purrumbete is a fishing spot and there were lots of people with boats, but not too many out on the lake due to the weather. We tried to enjoy our time there, but the weather really spoiled what could have been a lovely weekend. We checked the forecast for the rest of the week on the Otways and Great Ocean Road and came to the conclusion that we would have to forego that part of the trip - it was going to be even windier and then there would be some very heavy rain. It was time for a rethink and we decided to head towards Glenrowan - a bit of a detour, but we could go back to the coast later.

Not wanting to drive for a whole day, we chose a spot near Bendigo to stay and rang ahead to book, before leaving Lake Purrumbete.

Port Campbell

 5 - 8 February 2025

We chose Port Campbell as the first stop on our Great Ocean Road journey. After lunch (and a  spot of birding) at Peterborough,  we settled in to the caravan park and discovered we were camped beside one of our favourite Youtube travelling couples. We found Steve from Trip 4 2, to be just as friendly in real life as he is online, although we didn't get to meet Ally. 

We had initially booked for 2 nights but added an extra one as soon as we arrived. It was clear this would be a nice place to stay, and an extra day would allow us to have some "down time" and see the sights. On our first day we walked along the beach into the village and called in to the Visitor Information Centre on our way home. Armed with some maps and brochures we planned our next couple of days.

Mick was keen to see penguins to add to his bird list and I was keen to do some sightseeing so we planned to drive east towards the Twelve Apostles with the aim to arrive at sunset. We headed off and stopped at Loch Ard Gorge, one of many spots where ships were wrecked. The Loch Ard was lost with only two survivors found in the bay. We walked along the clifftops where interpretative signage tells the story of the shipwreck, and also provides information on the geology, flora and fauna of the area.

Loch Ard Gorge

From Loch Ard Gorge we continued east to the Twelve Apostles and were quite surprised how full the carpark was at around 8:00pm. It was a beautiful evening after a very hot day and it seems we weren't the only ones with the idea of enjoying the sunset at one of Australia's best known natural attractions.

We made our way along the boardwalk and found a good spot. We could see the telltale signs of penguin footprints on the beach below and waited until about 10 minutes after sunset to see a small group of about eight Little penguins making their way from the water to the beach. There is a colony of about 800 birds but we were happy just to see the first few. We headed home very satisfied with the evening out.

Sunset at Twelve Apostles

We rose early the next morning for another birding session at Peterborough, although it wasn't as successful as some of the others had been. We then hit the tourist trail, first visiting Bay of Martyrs and Halladale Point, then Bay of Islands to the west of Peterborough. From there we turned towards the east again and called in to The Grotto and London Bridge before heading back to the caravan park. Because we were out early, there weren't too many people about. They can become very crowded by the middle of the day.

The Grotto

Later in the afternoon I left Mick happily procressing the hundreds of photos he had taken over the last few days, and set off on the Port Campbell Discovery Walk which can be accessed from the bridge adjacent to the caravan park. This walk is about 4.4km and is fairly easy although there are a lot of stairs at the start. The walk follows the cliff line for about the first half, then turns inland through coastal heath. It's an "out and back" walk and there is a carpark at the turn around point.

It's a big climb up the stairs at the start
of the coastal walk

We still hadn't made up our minds exactly where we would go next, but decided on Saturday morning that we would go inland to escape the weekend crowds. The caravan park in Port Campbell had been almost empty when we arrived, but by Friday night was almost full. We called ahead to Lake Purrumbete which had been recommended to us, and made our way there - only about 45 minutes away.  

Portland

 4 - 5 February 2025

We had enjoyed our longer than anticipated stay in Warrnambool and were ready to move on, but still cncerned about fires in the Otways so decided to go in the opposite direction to the one we had intended. Mick was keen to go back to Portland for a night or two so he could get some more photographs of the gannets.

Mick had been out for an early morning birding session with Tony and we left Warrnambool after a final coffee and farewell to good friends. We headed west and were at Portland just on lunch time. We decided to dine again at Mac's Hotel where they have a fabulous, well priced lunch menu. The price had risen slightly since we were there in November but was still great value.

After lunch we checked in to the caravan park and spent some time reorganising our things and doing some shopping. We planned a light dinner after a big lunch and were ready to go out to Point Danger for the 5:30pm tour at the Gannet colony.

Tours are conducted by volunteers each night and all you have to do it meet at the gate - no booking and no charge. We arrived and Mick organised his camera gear including tripod as we knew he would have about 1/2 hour to take photographs. Just before 5:30 a tour bus arrived which had us a bit worried about so many people being there but we need not have been concerned. Because we 'd been before, our guide allowed us to skip the commentary and go straight down to the viewing spot.

Mick was keen to photograph the stray Cape gannet that is part of the large colony of Australasian gannets but it's like finding a needle in a haystack. Our guide was busy with others in the group but generously gave more of his time once almost everyone else had left. He was able to pinpoint the Cape gannet and Mick was finally able to get some photos of it.

Can you see the lone Cape gannet?
No? Neither could I!

With a successful session at the gannets, we were happy to leave Portland after only one night so packed up and headed off the next morning. We had decided to drive east along The Great Ocean Road and had booked a couple of nights at Port Campbell so we didn't need to rush.

We stopped at Peterborough for lunch and so Mick could do a spot of birding and then made our way to Port Campbell.

Warrnambool

 30 January - 4 February 2025

After a successful birding session at Heywood, we followed our friends Tony and Julia to their home in Warrnambool. They had invited us to stay and said we could stay as long as we liked. We thought maybe a couple of nights, but little did we know we would be there for longer.

We parked the car and trailer in their yard and enjoyed a lovely meal and relaxing evening. They planned a birding photography trip for the next day to take Mick to some of their favourite places.

The next morning, after breakfast, Mick went to move the car and trailer to a more convenient location in the yard and it wouldn't start. It was clear there was something wrong, and we were confident it wasn't the battery, but we tried a jump start anyway. Nothing, no sign that it was even trying to start. A call to RACV, and they were there fairly quickly. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to get it started but was certain it was an electrical fault, so a tow to the auto electrician was arranged. Being a Friday, we had to wait until Monday for any news so we made the most of the weekend.

Not a great way to start the day -
but lucky it happened in a friends' yard

There were fires in various parts of Victoria so we weren't too worried about having a few days in one spot. Fires in Little Desert National Park had destroyed Little Desert Nature Lodge, one of our favourite places to stay, and fires in Otways National Park could mean we wouldn't be able to stay there. Smoke from the fires in Grampians National Park created some really interesting morning and evening skies as the smoke clouds moved towards the coast.

Mick went out birding with Tony and Julia late on Friday afternoon and we all went out on Saturday morning with another of their friends to a spot near an abolone farm near Port Fairy. Another expedition was arranged for Sunday morning to Peterborough, which included a stop at Timboon for coffee. despite the anxiety about the car, we had a fabulous weekend.

Smoky from fires in the Grampians

On Monday morning we went with Tony and Julia for breakfast at a local cafe which overlooked the bay. A walk on the beach was followed by a great meal, and then we received noticed from the auto electrician that the car was fixed - a new starter motor - and Tony drove us to Koroit to collect it. 

Because it was a very hot day, we decided to stay one more night which would allow Mick and Tony to have another trip to Peterborough for one last birding session together in the morning. It didn't pan out as good as the Sunday morning, but it was worth a try anyway.

Finally packed, we said our goodbyes and headed off to Portland - in the opposite direction to where we really should have been going. We were extremely grateful to Tony and Julia for their hospitality and hope to be able to repay it when they visit North Queensland.