Over the Hills, and Through the Woods...

We left Nimbin in the dust and drove all day, just about until we reached Port Macquarie. Some days on the trip have consisted solely of driving, listening to Triple J and laying down the km’s on the highway. We stopped at Bloodwood Rest Area – another noisy truck-stop-type free camp. Tim stashed the surf board on top of the roof over the picnic table, not foreseeing the downfall of his cunning hiding spot.

The next morn, we drove the short 20-30 minutes to Port Macquarie and rocked up to the top of the escarpment overlooking Town Beach. Below us, surfers dropped in on some massive waves. Our excitement started to boil up, daydreaming of finally catching a wave of our own. All of the sudden, Tim grabbed Steve’s bicep, mouth open and speechless in shock. Turning around, we looked to the back seat of the van, where the surf board would have been, had we plucked it from its hiding spot and brought it along. We forgot to pack up the board this morning – out of sight, out of mind.

Well, there was no point in all of us going back to get it, so Steve and I grabbed our beach bag and wished Tim luck as he raced back to Bloodwood. We spent the next few hours tanning, swimming, playing ball games – the usual beach routine. Time ticked on achingly, as we wondered if Tim had recovered the surfboard. Finally, he showed back up on the beach with as shit eating grin. “Where’s the board? Was it there?” Shaking his head in disbelief, we realized the board had been reclaimed by another passerby. We tried not to let it dampen our spirits, but we were really disheartened to lose the freedom of being able to surf whenever we pleased.

Somehow the beach day didn’t seem the same anymore. As it was late afternoon anyway, we left and drove to Meadowie Rest Area and whipped up some Chicken Alfredo Crepes for dinner, amongst the raging cicadas.

Things always seem brighter in the morning, and we headed to Newcastle with our chins up. Spending a morning lapping up the sunshine at the Ocean Baths was relaxing. We then drove to Blacksmith and registered at Blacksmith Holiday Park. The boys went fishing with sea worms on the breakwater, whilst I attempted to run in the dry sand as a workout. The workout was less than impressive, and no fish were silly enough to take a treat from a stranger, so we called it a day.

Budgewoi was our next stop. A friend Joel we had met earlier in the year on our Exmouth Whale Shark trip made sure that his family batch was free for the weekend, and graciously left us the keys. We pulled up to the marigold house on Sunrise Avenue, and were able to put our feet up. The place reminded me of my late Nana’s; you know how Nana’s houses always have a distinct smell to them? Not a rotten one, just, distinctive. We speculated that Joel’s grandparents owned the cottage.

Our suspicions turned out to be true, as we explored the town. Our meander down the street crossed our paths with a dear old blue-hair who interrupted us to rave about the local bakery’s cream buns. “They’re only $1 on Thursdays, can you believe it?!” Well, we couldn’t resist a new friend, or a carby treat, so we followed her into the bakery, treated the old darling to a cream bun and had one ourselves. We then continued our walk, passing the local lawn bowling club, the pokies, and the butcher, baker and candlestick makers.

Since you had to be a member at the lawn bowls, Steve and Tim decided to take sport into their own hands. I drove them to Swinger’s 9 Hole – a local golf course (shirts optional) and left them to their own devices. Apparently during their romp, they spotted quite a large, yet harmless redbelly snake, who was probably more afraid of them than the other way around. That eve, we raided Joel’s Nana’s DVD collection and watched an Australian cult classic – Red Dog.

Day 2 in Budgewoi began with our ritual tanning session in Catherine Hill Bay. The afternoon saw us complete a major grocery shop, and doing prep work for pizza making. We each dedicated ourselves to a different themed pizza, pouring our love into them for Joel’s arrival. When he got there, his hipster Volvo was packed with surf boards. Although the sun was setting, we were eager to get wet, and ripped over to Budgewoi Beach. Joely gave us a quick brush-up lesson and we hit the waves. Unfortunately, the swells were huge, as well as rough and I spent more time bobbing around in the whitewash with a long board attached to my ankle than on top of the water. It was all fun though, and we went back to Nana’s place with smiles on; Joel and Steve stopping at the local video store to rent a DVD for the night.

 We popped our pizzas in the oven, but were taken aback when they came out with the parchment paper melded onto the bottoms! Like true backpackers, we ate it anyway. There was enough Tasty cheese on those suckers to cover up the waxy flavor. Then, the shocker: the boys had rented Wolf Creek – a based-on-a-true-story-horror movie that ranks as an ultimate no-no viewing for backpackers in Australia, and especially for me, who can’t stomach horror movies in general. In sum, I lasted about half an hour before I couldn’t handle it anymore and went to read my book in blissful ignorance.

In the morning, Tim and Joley went for an early morning surf, while Steve and I slept in. They left as two, and returned as three, with Joel’s friend (also Tim), and another couple, Dom and Hayley joining us after breakfast. With our crew, we traveled convoy-style from beach to beach until we found one that was surf-able; Norah Head. We paddled out against the current, and no sooner had we reached the break, a massive wave picked me up like a WWF star and tumbled me like a dryer on spin cycle.  After a few more tries, and a ride shoreward on my knees, we called it quits to dry up on the nearby green hillside.

That night, our Canadian cohort whipped up a traditional meal; steak, roasted carrots and mashed potatoes with sour cream and chives as thanks for the hospitality. (No doubt, a meal similar to what we will be having back in Canada). We all played countless rounds of Jenga and sipped on a Ginger Beer or two before tucking in.

As the sun’s rays rippled into the morning sky at 6am, Steve and I joined Joel and Tim #2 for an early morning carve session. We went back to Catherine Hill Bay, after the other sites were either too big or too small for us. I chose the long board again, while Steve stubbornly insisted on using the 6’1” short board. With breathless joy, I actually managed to catch a few waves, renewing my faith in surfing! Steve had less luck, but enjoyed his practice with dogged determination. At the very least, it was a great morning swim!

When we got back to the batch, we ate a slight breakfast and did a quick tidy before getting into our vehicles and heading south. Destination, Sydney!