Samurai Beach Resort, Salamander Bay, Stockton Bight Sand Dunes and beach

We started our day with a relaxing dip in the resort’s salt water pool. It was a great feeling to just float on the warm water. 

 

After breakfast (or as the Aussies say <brekki>!!) we drove into Salamander Bay (where we already had gone yesterday for food supplies at ALDI!!) . There is a public library with free wireless internet, as we had found out by chance. In we went with our 2 computers, got the password and log-in number from the friendly librarian and were able to connect with the rest of the world. Reading and writing e-mails, updating our blog and Sigi doing some work. After a good session we had lunch at the Salamander Bay shopping centre and decided to go to Anna Bay with a bottle of wine for a very early “Happy Hour”. We drove to the “Stockton Bight Sand Dunes” which are the largest in Australia. We were duly impressed!! Large stretches of white sand beach and dunes, 1 km wide, 32 km long and up to 40 m high. What a marvellous sight!! We picked a small bay from which we were able to see in all directions and opened a bottle of Penfold’s “Rawson’s Retreat” Shiraz Cab-Sauv that we sipped watching the surfers, swimmers and camel riders…

Yes, there were about 10 camels on the beach, ridden by kids and guided by a young girl who did these tours all day long. Interestingly nobody cared one bit about the red flag at the entrance of the beach indicating “no swimming or surfing allowed”. They all went in, some farther out, some timidly close to the edge of the water. We took a walk along the beach, wading in and out of the water, taking pictures and just enjoying the afternoon. Home again we went for another swim, then ate a cold supper in our room.

Tomorrow after check-out we plan to drive further north to Taree where we will stay till Monday when we have to go back to Sydney.