Stepping Back A-Times

Having time-out from travelling The Man and I took the opportunity to step back into a place we had only recently re-discovered. We find ourselves here because The Turtle, our much-loved caravan requires a little TLC and we have always loved the Forster area in mid-coastal NSW, the lovely beaches and the tones of a gentler time, which can still be found here.

The Turtle (our caravan) is going on into a second decade now and the bathroom was looking a little sad. The white plastic’s had yellowed and become brittle and the wall panelling had revealed an ominous crack which was entertainingly sensitive to the weather. The sink had never really worked well and that was something I had come to hate with a passion so considering we planned to be travelling full time for some considerable time yet… we decided to treat ourselves to refurbishing the bathroom.

Doing a bathroom up at the best of times is an expensive prospect and a caravan bathroom is no exception but biting the bullet, we booked her in and set about arranging alternative arrangements for a week. We were going on holiday!

We weren’t going too far though and we found ourselves a nice little spot down near Forster on the mid-central coast on NSW between the ocean and the mountains. The region here was historically identified as part of the Big Swamp. This was when the area was the frontier of civilization just under 200 years ago. It gained this name because it nested pockets of low-lying land, that which was often marshy. Streams and rivulets spagettied their way through the forests of tall and majestic trees and at the ocean’s edge those golden sands just rolled right across the tidal strip between low coastal brush and gullies of tall timbres for which the region is renowned.

Booti Booti National park was our playground for the week and our favourite entertainment was for me shucking oysters in Wallis Lake or dropping into the local co-op where they are already packaged, even with a handy little oyster fork. I spend many hours enjoying these glorious molluscs  during the chill nights back at the flat with a nice red to wash them down. The Man on the other hand spent much of his time waving the metal detector across the tidal extremes of many of the beaches. We had a great time and his haul was impressive I am happy to add, of both oysters and metal bits.

The best of these times though is spending times with friends and family, chill mornings at dawn feeding the wildlife though the cookaburra proved to be particularly partial to fingers and those glorious cups of hot chocolate in front of the telly on the cold winter nights.

It is lovely to take those few days time out, but with the feet beginning to itch I am eagerly awaiting the depth of spring as we make plans to head south once again for a last stint in the Big Smoke before we head further south to greet the summer.

Stories of travelling Australia and the travelling experience of a wandering lifestyle, you can experience the richness of life on the wallaby.

Come join us in an adventure in
Discover Australia and Her Ancient Lore.