We left deep depressions in the soft earth of the
Belmont caravan park. The grounds are an on-going problem there and I suggest
that in time there will only be cabin style accommodation left available to the
travelling public. Newcastle had been explored to our satisfaction and services
completed so it was time to move on.
We joined the week day traffic swollen with school
holiday travellers and headed north once more on the Pacific Highway. There had
been debate about driving out to Nelson Bay on Port Stephens, this would have
entailed a return journey by more or less the same route and while we accepted
that the beaches and villages along this southern coast of Port Stephens were
probably as attractive and wonderful as the tourist brochures suggested, we also
accepted the fact that you just cannot see everything. So we pressed on north
bypassing Raymond Terrace, past the low lying Grahamtown Dam then detouring to
Karuah which is a small well-appointed settlement on the banks of the Karuah
River and the estuary where the river enters Port Stephens. Despite the
bleakness of the day, we could see this place could have great appeal to keen
fishermen. We popped into the bakery and general store to boost their economy then
pressed on, returning to the Pacific Highway.
We stopped at Bulahdelah, a further forty seven kilometres on; a small town
of just 1,100 folk and parked beside the busy main street to have lunch. The
Myall River flows through the township and on into the Myall Lake which is one
of several coastal lakes that make up the Great Lakes. The others are The Broadwater,
Smith Lake and Wallis Lake beside which we are camped tonight.
Lakes Way is a sixty nine kilometre alternate route
from Bulahdah to just south of Taree which climbs over wooded hills across the
northern side of Myall Lake, skirts around Smith Lake and then hugs the narrow isthmus
of land between Wallis Lake and the Pacific Ocean to Forster before crossing
the entrance to Tuncurry. Our very ancient copy of the Lonely Planet’s East Coast Australia explains that the
route is twisty and narrow but well worth the wonderful views of the lakes. The
road certainly is that, with an appalling surface even if it is sealed, but the
views of the first lakes are just tiny glimpses through the forests of gums.
There are many laybys where one can pull over and let faster traffic pass; one redeeming
feature of the route. At the southern edge of Wallis Lake, roads head off
toward the coast to Elizabeth Beach, Boomerang Beach and Blueys Beach, but we
stayed on the main road and giving our attention more to the lakes. We considered
briefly staying at a caravan park on the isthmus beside the lake at Tiona however
decided that the shady park would be just too depressing on such a dreary cold
day even if there was some shelter from the biting wind.
Camps 6 suggested another camp a little closer to
Forster, this one which, with a name like Camp
Elim, was surely to run by Christians. We entered the gates tentatively
expecting to see dozens of families enjoying communal holiday living but found
only two other parties here. There is a large sign at the entrance prohibiting
alcohol, drugs and pets; none of these bans a problem for us. And with the
price of $19 for a powered site, we were keen to stay. The caretaker was most
welcoming but did not suggest we should join any evening prayer sessions or
even a coffee happy hour which was the order of the day when we stayed at a
similar camp at Londonderry just north of Penrith.
We wandered over to the lake to find a couple of
windsurfers blatting along at great speed in the ferocious wind. The facilities
here are good and the opportunities for activities here are countless; table
tennis, canoeing, walking, swimming, and an array of towers, ropes and the like
to challenge the bravest of monkeys, children or assault troops.
But soon the rain set in and we were glad to settle
into our little home with the heater blasting away, the blinds down and reading
material on hand.
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