Everything You Could Want

Square Perspectives Photo Challenge ~ Australian Landscapes #4

Destination: Murray’s Craft Brewing Co, Bobs Farm Port Stephens, New South Wales

When you’re hungry and thirsty, Murray’s Craft Brewing Co on Nelson Bay Road is the place to be.

There’s plenty of beer on tap, along with local wines created by Port Stephens Winery. The restaurant has an extensive menu and the servings are generous and delicious.

After your cravings have been satisfied there’s room out on the grass for a friendly game,

which is sure to leave you feeling thirsty again.

 

While our travel plans are on hold I’m joining in every day with Becky’s July Square Perspectives Photo Challenge over at The Life of B. The rules are simple: photos must be square and fit the theme of perspective. My posts represent the definition of perspective as a vista – seeing something over distance or time.

Size Does Matter

Square Perspectives Photo Challenge ~ Australian Landscapes #3

Destination: Shoal Bay, New South Wales

From the outside this building looked like any other holiday accommodation. And on the inside our holiday unit was quite normal.

But the balcony was a different matter. It was huge.

And so were the views of Shoal Bay, from Tomaree Head around to Nelson Head.

Across the water, the white sand of Jimmy’s Beach and the little town of Hawk’s Neck were clearly visible.

With so much to see, we could have stayed on the balcony all week!

 

While our travel plans are on hold I’m joining in every day with Becky’s July Square Perspectives Photo Challenge over at The Life of B. The rules are simple: photos must be square and fit the theme of perspective. My posts represent the definition of perspective as a vista – seeing something over distance or time.

Just Around the Corner

Square Perspectives Photo Challenge ~ Australian Landscapes #2

Destination: Yamba, New South Wales

From Convent Beach a narrow sandy track winds across the top of Yamba Point. The windblown coastal vegetation grows high on each side of the track, keeping the view a secret until the last minute.

Around the last corner all is revealed – Pippi Beach and the beautiful blue water of Wooli Bay.

You just need to get past the panadus palms.

 

While our travel plans are on hold I’m joining in every day with Becky’s July Square Perspectives Photo Challenge over at The Life of B. The rules are simple: photos must be square and fit the theme of perspective. My posts represent the definition of perspective as a vista – seeing something over distance or time.

From On High

Square Perspectives Photo Challenge ~ Australian Landscapes #1

Destination: Yamba, New South Wales

As he soars past Yamba Lighthouse, this paraglider might well be thinking he has the best view in Australia.

He sails over Clarence Headland

where the relentless pounding of the waves has shaped the rocky shore

towards the fine white sand of Yamba Beach and the crescent shaped Convent Beach beyond.

On this particular day, he’s probably right!

 

While our travel plans are on hold I’m joining in every day with Becky’s July Square Perspectives Photo Challenge over at The Life of B. The rules are simple: photos must be square and fit the theme of perspective. My posts represent the definition of perspective as a vista – seeing something over distance or time.

So Much More

Exploring Australia

With so much to see, Crackneck Point Lookout on the New South Wales Central Coast is an ideal vantage point.

The little town of The Entrance sits snugly beside the sandy curve of Shelly beach. The narrow channel the town is named for connects the vast waterways of Tuggerah Lakes to the Pacific Ocean.

Far off in the distance Norah Head Lighthouse is just visible atop Norah Head. Container ships heading towards the port at Newcastle don’t need its guiding light during the day.

The views from Crackneck Point are beautiful at any time of year but, between April and November, visitors come armed with binoculars as well as cameras.

They’re hoping to spot humpback whales.

Pods of whales migrate every winter from the Southern Ocean to the warmer waters of the Queensland coast to mate. In late spring, they return south with their newborn calves. Up to 25,000 whales make the journey every year, so it’s not unusual to see them travelling close to the coast.

The lookout at Crackneck Point is perfect for an afternoon of whale watching.

Perfect in Winter

Exploring Australia

It may be the middle of winter, but the day we visit Palm Beach the weather couldn’t be better. 

Unless you live in Sydney you may not be familiar with the Northern Beaches suburb of Palm Beach. But if you’re a fan of Australian television soap operas you’ll definitely have heard of its alter ego, Summer Bay. Palm Beach is the setting for the outdoor scenes of the TV show, Home and Away. 

Located on a narrow peninsula, Palm Beach is almost completely surrounded by water. On the eastern side is the famous beach featured on television, a 2.3 kilometre stretch of white sand edged by the Pacific Ocean. North of the peninsula is the wide expanse of Broken Bay while on the west is Pittwater, a deep and wide river estuary . 

We’re staying in Gosford on the northern side of Broken Bay, and the best way to travel to Palm Beach is on the local ferry.

From the terminal at Ettalong, the ferry sails into the open waters of Broken Bay. The half hour journey follows a clearly marked route between Box Head and Barrenjoey Headland. Even from a distance the Barrenjoey Lighthouse stands out high above the water on the headland. 

At Palm Beach the ferry docks at the pier alongside Pittwater Park. We’ve already decided to avoid the busy beach area popular with fans of the TV show; instead we stay on the quieter Pittwater side.

With freshly cooked fish and chips for lunch, we settle ourselves near the water’s edge. Children paddle in the shallows, sailboats at anchor gently rock in the tidal current and we just sit, enjoying the beautiful scenery. 

It’s the perfect way to spend a winter’s day.

 

Chocolate Heaven

Exploring Australia

Have you ever been able to enter a chocolate shop and walk out empty handed? No?

Me neither.

And when the shop is attached to a chocolate factory the temptation is even greater. Even those with the strongest willpower will find a purchase impossible to resist if they visit The Factory in the New South Wales coastal city of West Gosford.

In the large factory shop packets and boxes of chocolate, nougat and marshmallows are artfully stacked in tantalising displays.

Handmade confections named after iconic Australian places fill large glass cabinets.

Through the porthole windows between the shop and the factory floor visitors can see all these treats being made. I have to confess I’m too busy tasting free samples to take photos of the production line.

Luckily I remember to use my camera in the café, where the menu boasts five special hot chocolate creations.

A morsel of cake accompanies each drink, just enough to complement its rich flavours and decadent toppings. With such mouthwatering descriptions, it takes much longer to decide which to choose than it does to devour our treats when they arrive.

When afternoon tea is finished and we return to the shop, it’s even harder to select just a few favourites to take away.

I think I might need one of everything!

A Surprise Inside

Exploring Australia 

 The New England region of northern New South Wales is known for its brisk winters and, even though the sun is shining, we’re feeling the chill. A warming fire and a hot breakfast are our first priorities and at the Walcha Royal Cafe we find all that and more.

The original building on this site, the Royal Hotel, was constructed in 1889. When it burned down in 1938 another building, aptly named the New Royal Hotel, took its place. In 2006, with new owners and a new lease of life, the hotel became known as the Walcha Royal Cafe.

It may be cold out on the street, but inside a fire blazes in the wood-burning heater. The scent of freshly brewed coffee draws us in while an expansive choice of winter fare is enticing. But it isn’t the luxurious warmth of the fire or the tasty food that keeps us lingering after breakfast. 

The cafe particularly welcomes motorbike riders and is a well-known stop on journeys between the inland and the coast. Motorcycles are celebrated in every room, with memorabilia, old photographs and even a motorbike or two on display.

Quirky sculptures made from motorbike parts attract our attention. Some are whimsical creations

while others have a functional purpose.

With a warm welcome, delicious food and this wonderful collection the Walcha Royal Cafe has plenty to offer, whether you’re a dedicated motorbike enthusiast or a traveller just passing through.

Topsoil – Blowing in the Wind

Western Queensland Road Trip Square Tops Challenge #10

Today we’re taking a slight deviation from the road trip to add further to yesterday’s photos of the vulnerable topsoil out west. Elaine wondered what it would be like to witness the effect of wind on the loose soil and I have the perfect images to share.

One afternoon in late January we were travelling on the Newell Highway through western New South Wales. On the horizon we noticed an unusual cloud.

As we headed north towards Parkes the cloud continued to grow. It became apparent this wasn’t a storm cloud. It was a giant cloud of red dust and it was heading our way.

By the time we reached Parkes the dust storm was upon us, bringing with it lightning, thunder and torrential rain.

Visibility was reduced to a few metres as the rain, clogged with dust carried for thousands of kilometres from central Australia, poured down. The next day, everything was coated in a layer of red mud – all that topsoil blown away in the wind.

While our travels are on hold, I’m joining in every day with Becky’s April Square Tops Challenge over at The Life of B. The rules are simple: photos must be square and fit the theme word “top”.

From On High

An Australian Point of View #5 Mountains

One of my most vivid memories of my first year of high school is the day my geography teacher, a European immigrant, made a scathing comment about Australia’s mountains. How dare we call our main mountain range “great” when, in comparison to the European alps it was nothing. I remember, even at the tender age of 12, feeling indignant that he should feel free to criticise my country.

Since then, I’ve seen much of this land and explored many of its mountain areas. I know now that Australia, once part of the supercontinent Gondwana, is the oldest and flattest continent on Earth.

Norseman, Western Australia

Nullarbor Plain, South Australia

Tectonic movement and volcanic activity have shaped the upland areas and erosion by wind and water has worn them away; instead of the rugged craggy peaks seen in Europe and the Americas, Australia’s mountain ranges are characterised by highland plateaus and deep canyons, wide valleys and rounded peaks.

Cradle Mountain and Dove Lake, Tasmania

Mount Wellington, Tasmania

Porongurups, Western Australia

Bungle Bungles, Western Australia

Katherine River and Katherine Gorge, Northern Territory

Australia’s highest mountain, Mount Kosciuszko, reaches an elevation of just 2,228 metres above sea level.

Mount Kosciuszko, New South Wales

The Great Dividing Range, so maligned by my teacher, is the third longest land-based mountain range on Earth. It is 3,500 kilometres long and stretches from the northernmost tip of Queensland, through New South wales and into Victoria. At its widest it is more than 300 kilometres across. The range dates from the Carboniferous Period, making it more than 300 million years old. Surely the term “great” is well-deserved.

Where the mountains meet the sea, Cape Tribulation, Far North Queensland

Daintree National Park, Far North Queensland

Kroombit Tops, Central Queensland

Glasshouse Mountains, South East Queensland

Bald Rock National Park, Northern New South Wales

Alpine National Park, Eastern Victoria

Perhaps that teacher needed to study his geography!