Around "Port"

We have set up in a Park near the Town Beach in Port Macquarie and almost in the centre of the town.

We spent the morning in the Sea Acres Rain Forest Walk with a personal guide.  It Is a fantastic way to get an insight into the local environment and vegetation.

 Brush Turkeys shape the understorey and wander into surrounding areas.

There are plenty of beaches and a number of hardy souls were out surfing and body boarding but most of them were in wet suits.

But one cannot spend all one's time at leisure.  There was work to be done so we had to check out one of the local micro brewers to check they were up to scratch.

Port Macquarie

The trip north continued today with our arrival in Port Macquarie.  Apparently this is prime whale watching territory and there were a number of hopefuls at the Tacking Point Lighthouse.

We set up camp on the banks of the Hastings River next to the town centre.

A little planning will now have to take place to use the next couple of days here effectively.

The Sunset Coast?

We are loving the sunsets on the east coast of NSW.  It is not supposed to be the best place to see them but they look OK to me!  This one was at Canton Beach.

And this one was at Port Macquarie.

Canton Beach

In the Central Coast area of NSW is a little place called Canton Beach where we decided to take up residence for the evening.  They are into minimalism up here when it comes to beaches but we did find some beach.

Further around we did find some beach that was designated as "Swimming Area".  We decided to pass on that option.

Made it to Mittagong

After a long day's travel we set up camp in Mittagong this afternoon.  On the nearby Mt Gibraltar there are a number of vantage points that look out over the towns of Mittagong and Bowral.

Bowral can be seen from another location.  Certainly worth a visit.

Wandering Wangaratta

We had wanted to spend a little time in Wangaratta since a very brief visit some months ago. Today was the day.  It is a thriving little town with a busy CBD and a number of the older buildings are being restored or maintained.

 There are a couple of cathedrals in the town.

 Most unusual and intriguing was the Catholic church with a wooden bell tower built on a steel frame.

The Ovens River flows around the town and there are a number of well marked walking tracks along it's banks and those of the King River

Educating Pa

Lachlan came to visit today with a few friends including one very recent addition.  The Class of '17 is in and Lachlan is in control of Funtime Freddy and BonBon, Foxy, Nightmare Foxy and Golden Freddy.  When Lachlan speaks, they are very attentive.

Adam - The Birthday Boy

The family assembled to celebrate Adam's birthday last night.  In order to maintain continuity, he ordered Lamb Roast and Apple Rolly Polly (to the surprise of no one).  The "serve yourself" option works best for the numbers involved.

Then into the Dining Hall for the feast -

and, of course, the cake.

Old Photos

We have been looking at cleaning out the cupboards and found the old sheets of negative film that had been stashed away.  In amongst the dross were a number of gems and I found the originals of some of our favourite photos from around Leitchville.  I would guess these were taken around summer of 1992.
This photo of Kow Swamp decorated the kitchen for many years

 We still have copies of these photos on the walls.  We are getting old!

Netball - Ebony

We watched Ebony and her team in a bit of an arm wrestle today.  Her team was evenly matched with the opposition up to the last quarter when they pulled ahead.  These older girls are playing a faster and more skillful game so they are fun to watch.

 Ebony is playing Wing Defence - it is a tough gig!

Jack Fights Tree

Jack took on one of the larger trees in the playground yesterday and although it was a tough fight, Jack went down with a TKO.  Despite damage he has recovered well.  We have no reports on the tree as yet.

Pam and Noel Visit

Noel and Pam came down to visit over the weekend.  We had a great weekend with them including a family Pizza night on Saturday.  Today they visited Adam and Kate's place to see their pool and provide a little gardening advice.

Then we went to see Allen and Marg Canobie's new house.  It was a very useful visit as they had just completed the building process and had incorporated many of the features we would like to see in our new house.

Budgie Keeping Moves Up a Level

The new Budgie facility is being installed at Donvale.  The backdrop has been completed the supports welded into place and the ground works nearly completed.  The existing budgies have been moved into breeding cages in readiness for transfer to their new and palatial accommodation.  Patrick is in charge of the Breeding Register.

Basketball - James

James and his Celtics team are a great team to watch.  On Saturday they played a team they had previously beaten but had really come to change the outcome this time.  The result was an exciting game that concluded in a draw.

From this biased spectator's perspective, the ball seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time rolling around the Celtics goal ring and dropping off on the wrong side.  Next week will be different!

Jack Meets his Idol

It was a big Basketballing Saturday for Jack, After a good match this morning he went off to meet one of his favourite NBA players, Matthew Dellavedova.  Jack managed to meet him and get his signature.

Basketball - Jack

Jack had an early start to his Basketball Saturday.  He enjoys playing with this team and although they went down today, Jack had a good game.  He got a couple of great goals and scored from a foul.