We got up to blazing sunshine and heat and a delicious breakfast made by Mescal and served on the shady back terrace, surrounded by sweeping lawns, bamboo groves, wisteria arbours and a lemon tree.
After making up our mind of where to drive to first we left Mescal with the housework and set out to explore the beautiful Manning Valley. First we went up north for about 20 km to the Crowdy Head Lighthouse from where we had a 360 degree view over the area. Miles of white sand beaches, mountains (The Three Brothers) in the background and forests, farms and little villages abound as far as you could see. A strong gale was blowing from the north east that made the heat bearable. We went down to the small harbour, watched huge pelicans do their thing, took tons of pictures and just let the landscape and atmosphere sink in. We went back to the little seaside town of Harrington to enjoy a picnic lunch at a lagoon under a shady hut watching pelicans, fishermen and boats as well as weekenders go by.
Next stop was Manning Point, a small picturesque village with lots of water access, parks and a great fish and chips shack directly above the bay. On we went to Wallaby Beach and Saltwater, National Parks with splendid beaches and wildlife.
We needed an afternoon break and went to the Taree “house beach” in “Old Bar”, not far from our B&B. We plunked ourselves on the warm white sand and watched the surfers, swimmers and skimmers. 4 volunteer lifeguards were on duty for the small area between the yellow-red flags open to water activities. We stayed for about 2 hours, took a little nap and more pictures.
On our way home we went into the only supermarket of Old Bar to pick up a barbequed chicken, some veggies and fruit for an al fresco dinner poolside at Mescal’s. It turned out to be delicious with some VB beer and wine afterwards. Mescal and Rod joined us for a drink and “de-briefing” of the day and some more tips for tomorrow’s outing.
No comments:
Post a Comment