Day 33 – I said, “I DO!” Bronwen proposed to me this morning on the beach! I am now sporting my replacement wedding band. It is Titanium and very shiny. I love it. Sadly we never did hear from the Fijians who had their children diving head first in the mud pools to retrieve my wedding ring.
Despite a GPS-failure we figure we walked 12km from pace-counters. Up and down from the beaches to the headlands we went to a nearby lighthouse.
No doubt you have seen all the photos of injured koalas in the news, related to the bushfires. We went to the Koala Hospital in Port MacQuarie to understand more. The hospital had self-guided and escorted tour options. We did both. The volunteers that are taking care of the animals are very dedicated, and engaging. We spoke with many of the volunteers. The koalas at the hospital are there for many reasons, not just injuries from burnt habitat.
Koalas are susceptible to chlamydia and many in the hospital have conjunctivitis to the point that their vision is lost. Others are there because of motor vehicle accidents and dog attacks.
Our tour guide was very passionate about his morning trip to recover three koalas that morning from Taree, NSW. He described how they used bells and streamers on the end of long poles to coax the koalas out of the trees in the safety of a burlap bag for transport to the hospital. It was all very interesting, and yes they were absolutely adorable to watch. Happily many of them will return to the wild after receiving veterinary care.
Day 34 – 17km of beach walking in spotty rain was absolutely what the doctor ordered. The weather has been so dry, nobody is whinging about a bit of rain. Not even this guy.
Technological advances have changed the way that the beaches are monitored for sharks. Ray Dykhuizen if you’re looking for a change in occupation – this UAV stuff is just starting to take off!!
Along the breakwater individuals and families have painted the rocks. Some are memorials and some are just fun – it was enjoyable to see.
We had a picnic lunch in a city park along side some beautiful mangroves, and gardens. On our trek home we caught a glimpse of a water dragon (and were happy not to get too close).
Day 35 – Before leaving Port MacQuarie we returned to the Koala Hospital to enjoy their antics again. We arrived when the animals are receiving their morning ‘room service’. The koalas are more active, and some interact with the care-takers.
Drop bear!!
Heading south we attempted to see the “big bottlebutt” – a large bloodwood tree (a gum tree with red sap, when the bark is damaged the red sap comes out resembling blood). Recent fires had the access road a little chewed up, and we couldn’t make it all the way in. There were fallen trees on the road we chose not to navigate around with our little Toyota Corolla for fear of becoming high-centred.
Approaching the Sydney metropolitan area we needed to jump out of the car for a stretch. We visited the Hunter Region Botanic Gardens. There was a little café in there which served up Brent’s favourite meal – chicken pie with ginger beer. We spent about an hour looking at the cacti and other plants despite the snake warning signs. Seems they have a friendly red bellied black snake and a few brown snakes in the area (we didn’t see any however).
Our day concluded with a reunion of the 705-855 telephone exchange in Sydney. Chrissy Roy and Kathryn Whitton met up with us and we went for dinner in Crows Nest at a Lebanese restaurant.
Dinner was great. Stories were exchanged. We had a very nice time and appreciated the chance to catch-up with friends from years ago.
Not reviewing all of our hotel reservation documentation ahead of time, we were unaware of the limited check-in times at our hotel in Liverpool. Panic – our visit with Chrissy and Kathryn ran long and the desk was closed. Do we sleep in the car? Pay for another hotel? Happily there was an automated check-in outside the hotel, and a lock box with keys in it for us. We did not get the passcode for the lockbox in a text message – damn technology – but there was an emergency intercom we used to gain access. Yay!
Brent And Bron Abroad 