Day 279 - Wednesday 4 October - Checking out Newcastle for real

Day 279

Wednesday –

4 October 2017  - Started my next novel “Girl in Between” by Anna Daniels. I picked this one up at a caravan book exchange and thought it sounded interesting. It is the debut novel for the Aussie author, who had writing for TV shows such as The Project.

Cessnock – Newcastle

 Thank goodness for free Wi-Fi in Foghorn Brewhouse. While Paul is shmoozing at the beer tents I have found a quiet corner to catch up on some stuff. 

Today I was determined to get out and see some stuff other than the inside of a brewery, so after getting out of bed at 8.15 and running through the morning rituals, we left at 9.30am heading for Newcastle once again. Yesterday I had researched some places to head to, so with the GPS locked in, we followed the directions towards town.

There seems to be a hell of a lot of road works going on in and around the main centre that meant we had to ignore some of the given instructions and follow the detour signs. We did however manage to find our intended destination down at the waterfront.

We parked in yet another paid parking bay, they seem to be everywhere and the locals we spoke to are as fond of them as we are. Paul fed in enough money for an hour and we began our wander along Queen wharf to a view tower. It was180 steps to the top and provided a restricted view due to the dirty Perspex that enclosed the viewing area. The early morning fog also played a part in diminishing the view.

We returned to the wharf and back the way we came, passing a shag giving itself a preen. In the distance was Nobby’s Beach and the lighthouse on the head that I wanted to get to. We dodged the road works and the slow moving people to the beachfront where some were brave enough to take to the water.

We rounded the spit, following the path that traced the lower edge of the cliff on which the lighthouse sat. There wasn’t much of a view to the lighthouse from this spot but we could quite clearly hear the foghorn blaring, warning the incoming cargo ships attempting to enter the port.

Paul was keenly aware of the parking time limit and after I had taken my photos, I grabbed the keys and began a jog back to the car, absolutely beat by the time I got there, but glad I had two minutes to spare on the timer. Paul finally arrived a minute over and we drove on around the point, passing below the fort.

We found a stretch of parking that was free, so we parked up again and hauled ourselves out and along the Bathers Way walking trail. This track took us past the ocean baths where we could check out the large pools, waves from the ocean crashing beyond the wall. There were a few attempting to swim, but it was quite obvious it was just a little chilly.

We continued on to the main beach and then up to a park that gave a good view back over the beaches. We returned through the city streets, admiring the old style architecture of the terrace housing. We again encountered plenty of road works that made it difficult for cars to get from one place to another and for pedestrians to cross the road. We did eventually get back to the car in one piece.

Having seen where roads were closed helped us navigate on to our next destination, the ANZAC memorial walk. We were lucky to pick up the last parking spot in the small car park, grabbed our lunch bag and made our way out on to the bridge. The cliff that the bridge follows is a popular spot for hang gliders and we watched one floating around as another one took to the sky. We walked the length of the bridge, stopping at the far end for our lunch. It was a picturesque spot to be eating.

Once done, we returned to the car and drove a little further down the road to check out Bogey Hole Beach and the view back to the ANZAC memorial walk. It was a wonderful afternoon now that the fog had lifted and the sun had warmed things up.

From here we did a quick stop at the obelisk and the viewing area back over the main beach. Here we watched a bird having a bath in a small pot before making our way to the very large Christ Church Cathedral. We parked in the grounds before doing a lap of the building. So many bricks!

Newcastle is a very hilly and steep spot and we coasted down the hill to park outside Foghorn Brewery once again. I left Paul to return for a beer while I walked on through the centre to check out the town hall. The building is undergoing restorations and was shrouded in a shade cloth, but the cloth had been printed to replicate the building so I could still see what it was like.

I then walked through the civic gardens, checking out some of the old buildings, more churches and artwork, along with a fountain water feature.

Satisfied that I had seen everything, I returned to Paul, had a water and then we made the trek back to the Hunter Valley. I wanted to return to Petersen’s to pick up some of their bubbles to bring back for Christmas and then Paul wanted to return to Hunter Beer Co to try their bacon beer. We did both and then made it back to the van for 4pm.

Paul decided to put the car on the trailer ready for tomorrow’s move and when everything was put away, we sat down to enjoy some wine n cheese. We noticed grey hound trainers turning up with their charges, so when we were done, we found a spot to watch the dogs go around the track. We chatted with another traveling couple from Warnambool, swapping our travel stories, but when the wind began to blow we ventured for indoors again.

 Paul cooked up dinner, as I went through the photos and wrote up the blog and then we settled in for a quiet evening of reading.

Day 278 - Tuesday 3 October - Off to Newcastle

Day 278

Tuesday –

3 October 2017  - Finished the third book in the Bourbon Kings series. It was an easy read to take in and finished with the fairy tale ending “Happily ever after” which was a expected given the trashy element, but it kept me entertained.

Cessnock – Newcastle

It rained for a fair bit of the night, though nothing torrential and when we finally got up the ground was only mildly damp. I went for my shower and returned to Paul still in bed finishing the exciting part of his book. I organised brecky and then we readied ourselves for the day, packing up the car and heading on to Newcastle.

We finally made our destination at 11.45am, parked and then followed google maps to the Foghorn Brewhouse. Paul set himself up at the bar, talking to the owner / brewer and settled in to the stool next to him before taking photos around the venue.

Paul began his tasting and we realised we would be in for a longer time than expected, so I had to move the car from our original spot and find another. Once I had returned we ordered lunch and watched the NBL v NBA game - Sydney  v Utah. Sydney never stood a chance, not surprising when they finished in the bottom half of the league last season. The food was amazingly good. We won’t need much for dinner.

By 2.30pm, we were finally able to leave the bar. I am beginning to feel like we are holding up the bars around OZ and may have to start stipulating that we do more sightseeing and spend less time as bar flies.

We did a quick walk up the main street before returning to the car and making the trek back to Cessnock. I could tell me were now closer to Sydney, with the  traffic increasing significantly, as we joined the rat race once again.

I had sleeping beauty join me for the drive once again, though he stay asleep for long as he had to answer my phone.

We finally made it back to Cessnock by 330, stopping in town for fuel and groceries before returning to the van. I settled in with a DVD for a bit as Paul wrote up his review. However, by 5.30pm I figured we should get out and walk laps of the oval to put some steps behind us.

We made it back to the van to eat dinner, which was really our lunch and then settled in for the evening.

Day 277 - Monday 2 October - Back to the coast, Nelson Bay

Day 277

Monday –

2 October 2017 

Monday again, they come around quick. Today is a public holiday in NSW so we figured it would be busy out and about with many making their way home. We laid about lazily in bed reading until 9am and then dragged ourselves out and started the day, including paying for a n extra three nights here. We were then ready to head out just after 10.30am with the car and lunch packed for our journey to Port Stephens and Nelson Bay.

Once set in the GPS, we followed the given directions towards the coast. We were in for a bit of a drive, an hour and 20min and numerous km’s, but we weren’t in any hurry.

I messaged Leon, the rep we met last week at the oyster and craft beer festival to let him know we were heading to Murray’s Brewery for midday and then set about looking for caravan parks to move on to in the Central Coast region.

I located the one we stayed at in Umina back in 2003, but at $84 a night, we weren’t staying there this time around. Instead I located one in Toowoon Bay for half the price and I locked us in for a four night stay.

We were soon making our way down the main thoroughfare towards Port Stephens, traveling along with little traffic and then we noticed the bank up heading away from the seaside escape and back towards Sydney. The trail of cars seemed to go on forever and we hoped that it would be cleared by the time we were looking to head home.

At 11.45am we saw a sign indicating Murray’s Brewery and we pulled into the car park to be overwhelmed by the number of large coaches ferrying Asian tourists to the winery / brewery, fun!

We battled our way through the crowds with Paul eventually taking up a spot at the outdoor bar. I busied myself taking photos before joining Paul to listen to the barman give his spiel about what he was pouring. He even had me taking in one and while I like the initial taste, it was very bitter in the end and not to my taste. 

When Paul had been through the taps, he met up with the senior barman and continued to chat, being given a selection of bottled beers he hadn’t tried.

We returned to the car to collect his growlers and then it was back to the bar to have them filled and just as we were ready to leave, Leon turned up, so we ordered drinks and sat down at a recently vacated table to enjoy them and the company. It turned in to one of those unexpected afternoons where you come away glad that things fell into place. 

In the end we stayed for more drinks and lunch, which was delicious, an incredible feat considering how busy the place was and the food that was being turned out by the kitchen. We were very impressed with the whole venture and they have been smart encouraging the Asian tour groups to ensure cash flow, even if they are rude and obnoxious.

It was 2.30pm when we finally said goodbye and made our way into Port Stpehens. Our beautiful sunny day had been replaced with cool and cloudy and as we drove closer to the coast we could see the water was quite choppy.  

We pulled up at the boat ramp and did a quick walk to admire the view. A sea rescue vessel was just arriving, pulling in a small run about that had obviously found trouble.

After our walk, we drove on to Nelson Bay, parked at the Woollies and then headed out into the town centre, a lively tourist destination. By now the weather was turning against us and it was starting to spit. 

We made our way to the foreshore, walked along the front to the boat harbour and out along the harbour wall. The rain was just starting to impede our wander as we began the trek back.

We stopped at the seafood shop for 2 dozen oysters for $25 and then did a quick stop for supplies before returning to the car. It was a shame the weather had lessened our time in the area, as I would have liked to look around further.

Once on the road, we set the GPS again with it indicating we would be home at 5.20pm, however the traffic we encountered earlier had not dissipated and we joined the long, slow crawl back towards the main highway, lucky we weren’t in a hurry.

In the end we added an extra 30min to our journey, finally pulling in just before 6pm. We were straight into dinner, cooking up the oysters and having the salad we had packed for lunch and then never ate. After dinner it was into today’s homework. 

Day 276 - Sunday 1 October - Hunter Valley Produce Trail

Day 276

Sunday –

1 October 2017  - Start of Daylight Savings, back to being 3 hours behind Perth.

Cessnock – Pokolbin

The beginning of daylight savings had us all confused this morning. Not realising our watches were smart enough to add on an hour during the night, I woke thinking it was actually 9.15 am, adding another hour onto the already forwarded time my watch was showing. We read for a while, but feeling guilty when the watch is reading 8.45am and thinking it was now 9.45am, we got out to start our day. I went for my shower, checking my phone for the time, but as it said the same as the watch, I was still none the wiser.

When I returned, Paul was also questioning the exact time and in the end I reverted to checking the clock in the car as it is still on Perth time, 5.57am it read, ok 8.57am it was, much more acceptable and so glad we got that sorted. Guess our electronic devices are smarter than we are.

We had our breakfast, cleaned up and then took advantage of the gorgeous morning to walk laps of the showgrounds. The trainers of the trotting horses were out in force putting their animals through their paces, some were working really hard, their heavy breath being heard down the track. 

We returned to our van, sorted what we needed, made lunch and then took off for a day of Hunter Valley wine, beer, chocolate and cheese tasting. Our first stop was Broke Road through Pokolbin, a main thoroughfare were much of the to do’s reside. Once we had pulled into the street, we stopped at Pertersen Wines where we first tried out the Hunter Valley Chocolates. We wandered through the small shop front, enjoyed a tasting of their chocolate buttons and then picked up some nut clusters and chilli bark. 

We deposited the goodie bag in the car and then walked into the cellar door of Petersens who specialise in bubbles. We muscled our way to the front, set up our little spot and settled in to try their range. They are known for their pink blush and it was very nice. I also enjoyed their moscato range and Paul enjoyed the red bubble versions they make. In the end I came away with a four pack of piccolo blush for ease of travel. 

 

Next on the list was Hungerford Hill across the road. Like Petersen, we visited this winery when we were last here in 2003. It is quite upmarket and pretentious and while the staff didn’t come across that way, the prices for the wines said it all, so we tasted and left. 

Chocolate, bubbles and wine down it was on to a brewery. Hope Estate is another winery that has expanded to beers. The estate itself is huge and like Sandalford back home, it is used as a concert venue, today however they were celebrating Octoberfest. We thought we would have trouble getting in, or at least be charged $55 each, but Paul gave his spiel and we were able to go through. 

We chatted to the owner of the estate, checked out the brewery, spoke to the head brewer and then the head barman walked through the beers for Paul, all 12. In the end we came away with a souvenir stein, filled with beer and a 6 pack of cans. Gad we didn’t have to fork out the $55.

Paul enjoyed his porter on the outside terrace, as we took in the views over the staging area and the festivities of Octoberfest. When he was done, it was time to head on and find a place to eat our lunch.

We made our way towards the Matilda Bay Brewhouse, hoping to find a place to stop, but in the end we put our lunch rolls together in the car and ate them before making our way inside. Paul was keen to get into brewhouse seeing it was a great WA brewery way back when and before selling out to the big boys, CUB. He was pleased to see they had Redback and Dog Bolter on tap, though he noticed differences in their taste. It was also disappointing to find only the cider was brewed at this site, so it really wasn’t a true brewery.

To keep me satisfied, I indulged in a banoffee tart, waiting for the beer tasting to be over and once it was, I was happy to lead us away from breweries and on to another winery, Capercaillie. 

We visited this winery in 2003, after a recommendation from a friend and were keen to get back and try some more. They are only a small operation, not like the monster money makers we had passed on Broke Road and you don’t often find their wine in the west. We enjoyed talking to Tina, who was serving up the tastings, though the wines weren’t as great as we remember. The bottle we had returned for was now $70 and we weren’t paying that. In the end I bought a bottle of Verdelho and we came away with a list of must see wineries and distilleries to check out in Tasmania, that we could pass on to friends heading there in November.

With the Verdelho in hand, I felt like cheese, so we made our way back up Broke Road to McGuigans winery where the Hunter Valley Cheese factory has an outlet. The place was very busy and we were disappointed to find there were no free samples. In the end we chose a couple of blocks to take home with us. At $31 I figured it better be good stuff!

It was now 5pm and we were ready to make our way back to the van so that we could enjoy a glass of wine and some of our expensive cheese. Paul spoke to Ballsy, still revelling in the Tigers win. Paul was glad to hear that Ballsy’s brother had managed to get tickets to the MCG and enjoy watching his side break their 36 year premiership drought.

We set out our cheese despite having no crackers and then prepared dinner. With the confusion with the time this morning we have found that we are pretty much in sync with the new order of things.

After dinner we got out and walked the showground track again, pleased that it was still light. We worked out what we would do tomorrow and decided we would continue to hang around here and drive out to Newcastle rather than up stumps and move on again.

Once back at the van, Paul completed his reviews and I did my bits n pieces, before we finally figured it was time to head for bed and read.