Historic Port Macquarie

We walked around the town today to see the history of the area.  Unfortunately little of their built history remains as the place gets consumed by unit blocks for retirees.  We met up with Edmond Barton who orchestrated the federation of Australia in front of the Royal Hotel which was built in 1840.

The only remaining government building is the Court House built in 1869 and recently conserved.

The Court and chambers are in good shape.

The old cemetery remains as do some of the old churches.  The town originally drew it's water from a convict built well which is still in place.

During the afternoon we toured the northern side of the town and all the  new housing being constructed on the sand islands in the Hastings River.  We were able to see the town and campgrounds from the northern banks of the river.

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!