Maria, my girlfriend and I, left Sydney on Tuesday, September 1 2020 for a welcome 5 day escape from Sydney. We arrived late afternoon at Karuah after a hassle-free drive, and settled into our cabin at the Big 4 Caravan Park. Covid safe procedures were followed in checking in to the park.
We were not able to eat at Karuah RSL, as we were from Sydney, so we had to ring our order through to the restaurant in the Club. The food was then brought to the front door of the Club, where we paid the bill!
Wednesday morning, we left at 10am for Port Macquarie. A short detour into Bulahdelah, and then we were on our way. We arrived after 1pm at NRMA Breakwater Caravan Park in Port Macquarie. I had completed our check in details on line and also signed on line the required statements in relation to Covid19.
Photos of Lismore Rose
Brian Peacock and Anne Field 
Brian Peacock, a former Councillor colleague of mine from Rockdale Council (1991-1999), came to collect us at NRMA Breakwater and take us to the Koala Hospital to visit my adopted koala, Lismore Rose. Before we arrived at the Koala Hospital, we paid a short visit to The Sea Acres Rainforest Centre.
All bookings had to have been completed on line before entry was permitted to the Koala Hospital-3 names and phone numbers were provided. Some of the koalas were fed by their handlers at 3pm. We took some photos of my lovely lady; her handler said that Lismore Rose had a lovely personality. The koalas have their own enclosure to live in; some are however returned to the bush. The Koala Hospital, as a result of the $7.5 million raised late last year, can now start a wild breeding program and continue its rescue and rehabilitation work.
Maria and I, dined out Wednesday night at a restaurant near the Glasshouse, a cultural centre. We scanned our details in as required for Covid regulations- in fact most restaurants and cafes used this method. Thursday morning, I chanced upon some bright red swimmers (Sea Folly’s Chilli Red) in the nearby shopping centre; I bought them on Friday morning. They are a little more high cut than I normally wear in the pool! We were booked on the 2 hour Hastings River cruise at 11am . Usually dolphins are spotted on this cruise –alas, we did not see any on Wednesday.
The cruise travelled down the Hastings River and into the canal area on which modern homes have been built. Whilst the first canal was built 40 year ago, no more are permitted to be built. We passed a luxury B and B, Ana Mandara, which recently gained second prize in an Australian-wide competition. Brian Peacock greeted us on the wharf at the front of his house – the Captain indicated to Brian by using the boat’s microphone, that “55 of us might come for coffee!” After the cruise finished, Brian then picked us up at the jetty in Port and drove Maria and I to his house. Volli had returned from golf, and we had a coffee and chat.
The four of us dined at The Grill Restaurant in Port Macquarie on Thursday night. We chatted about life in Port Macquarie, our road trip to date, and talked about “old times at Rockdale Council”. We discussed some of the Councillor personalities of the time. I told Brian some stories from my side of the Council table, and in doing so I imitated the voice of a particular Second Ward Councillor. This is a talent, which I rarely use! My colleagues, over my 17 years in Local Government, would have never known that I also had interesting nicknames for some of them………
I relayed the long story about my “longest pit stop in the ladies toilet at Kogarah Council”. This drama happened so that the then Councillor Susan Gainsford and I would be put back on the Development Assessment Committee, from which we had been dumped. We removed ourselves one Monday evening, each at a slightly different time, from the Council Chamber. We had calculated, that with declarations of interest and our absence from the Chamber, that there would not be a quorum on an item in Premier Street, Kogarah. This strategy was our negotiating tool, and it worked. At the next Mayoral election and Committee selection, we were both back on the DA Committee without a word being muttered!
Friday morning, we visited the Tourist Information Centre in the Glasshouse, where i purchased an Oala Bear. The pure cotton fabric was hand printed using traditional batik techniques. Felicity Robertson Nampitjinpa Yuendumu Is a talented artist from north west of Alice Springs on the Tanami Track. She paints the story of water dreaming based on the soakage sites and clay pans in her country. My Oala bear is in a yellow based print, and she is gorgeous.
Maria and I then left Port Macquarie and drove an alternative route through Lake Cathie, and Bonney Hills. We checked out the lovely nursery in Bonney Hills, but were not allowed to eat at the nursery café, as we were from Sydney.
We stopped at some of the stunning beaches on the way south. Then on to Laurieton and Kew, where we joined the Pacific Highway and travelled south to Karuah. Again, we had takeaway from Karuah RSL for dinner. Sydney residents were banned from the Club, and we were alerted to this from a large sign at the entrance to the Club.
Saturday morning, we decided to make a detour into Newcastle (where I grew up) and stayed 4 hours. I showed Maria the area called Honeysuckle, where I normally stay at the Chifley. We parked the car, paid for parking and walked towards the beach front. The walkway to Nobbys was closed in late August 2020 for an upgrade, which will also include recognition of Newcastle’s maritime history. We saw Fort Scratchley, where my Dad was a cook in the Officer’s Mess in the early years of World War 2, before he then went to Darwin in the Coastal Artillery.
Continuing our walk, we came to the Art Deco Ocean salt water baths, where I swam 50 years ago .- those memories…..Lunch followed at Customs House, and sadly we had to continue our journey south. We arrived back in Chatswood after 5pm, and I then navigated the heavy traffic to Kogarah, arriving at 7pm.
Our wonderful 5 day road trip was sadly over. We both had a great time. Explore NSW, there is plenty to see and do. Ensure that your accommodation is booked, as demand is high.
More photos of Lismore Rose
PS: My next road trip is to Mudgee later this year. I have titled it “The Not Two Fat Ladies Tour to Mudgee” as a spoof on the English cooking ladies, who rode motor bikes. We won’t be cooking the food, rather we will enjoying fresh country food, and lots of it. We will return to Sydney with bottles of wine, jars of honey, as well as other goodies.
