December 19, 2009

Around 8 am, we decided to leave Mt. Warrigal in Shell Harbour.  Our mission was to reach The Entrance which is a little holiday spot north of Sydney.  Before driving through Sydney, we were told that the drive through Woolongong up to the new Sky Bridge was a must see.  We motored in that direction and made our first stop in Woolongong.  This town is a little larger and more metropolitan displaying buildings of a newer vintage and more modern condos on the beach.  In the park, a large group of residents were seen exercising....seems this is a community activity that attracts many.  The beach and views were great and in the park, they had barbecue areas, complete with gas.  No charge....just push the button.  Pretty darn nice!

The escarpment on this coastal drive was quite pretty and one of the reasons why the Sky Bridge needed to be constructed.  When we reached the Sky Bridge, we could see the fallen rock from years gone by and the difficulty and risk there must have been in past years when driving the area.  But no longer, the new Sky Bridge bypasses the dangers and provides travellers with a safe and very picturesque route through this part of the coastline.  At Stanwell Park, we turned towards the Freeway to motor quickly through the area past Sydney.

After we managed to pass through Sydney we had a slight holdup as there had been an accident.  The traffic lights were very badly synchronized which made things worse and my sister and I were a bit impatient, but we survived.  It just took us an extra half hour.

Once past the accident, we ended up on the freeway again, without traffic lights.  We took the exit at Gosford which is a fairly large town, on a lake.  Towns in Australia have fairly strange names, and Woy Woy is just another.  We passed the exit to this town and the name just made me chuckle.

Entering The Entrance, we found our little motel which was run by a Chilean.  He started to speak Spanish with me and I conversed for the next two days in Spanish, when I saw him.  He  seemed to enjoy that.  The room was perfect for the two of us and central to the area where we just wanted to crash for a couple of days.  We had no plans to travel the following day.  We would just enjoy the area. 

The Entrance is a holiday town and many of the people who were there were quite different from the areas South of Sydney.  It is located on the NSW Central Coast where the Tuggerah Lake meets the Pacific Ocean, thus the name.

The Central Coast is well known for its pristine beaches and great relaxed atmosphere. The Entrance has been the place where people have been coming since the 1800's to just "get away".  My observations were that many of the people flockeing the area were less affluent than the South Coast areas we had visited, and prices in establishments reflected this. There were several caravan parks in the area, rather than elegant villas and properties. 

The promenade along the waterfront of The Entrance, hosts a marketplace and playground for children on most days.  To entertain the public and to help wildlife, there is a daily Pelican Feed at 3:30 pm.  This started over twenty years ago by accident when staff from a local fish and chip shop would throw out scraps. It became such a ritual that whenever the staff were late in throwing their scraps out, the pelicans would cross the road and come up to the shop to be fed.  Thousands of tourists come to see this which helps the area’s tourism.

The Central Coast offers beautiful pristine views with sand dunes, lighthouses, and white beaches.  We spent some time walking the beach and watching the kite surfers whip back and forth over waves.  We drove further North of The Entrance to Norah Head where they offer accommodations right at the lighthouse. 

On Monday, December 21st, we woke and ate a minimal breakfast and began our journey home to Canberra near 8 am.  We were late enough to miss most of the rush hour traffic through Sydney and the drive was speedy once we reach Motorway M5.  There are no tolls on the Motorway but you have up to 48 hours to report and pay a fare which was a maximum $7 AUD.  For this price, the route is well worth it, saving about an hour off driving time through the city.

After passing through Sydney, the motorway turned into freeway and we decided to take a slight detour back into the edge of the Highlands, to a couple of towns that we had not visited due to rain.  Mittagong and Bowral, are very close to Moss Vale (where we had previously visited).

Mittagong has a fine collection of sandstone buildings dating from the early years of European settlement in the mid-19th century. Many are used as craft shops and coffee houses.  The town's pretty gardens are open to the public throughout the year. It’s a great place to potter, for antiques and books, good food and wine.  

Bowral has become the bourgeois capital of the Southern Highlands, and as such, hosts many boutique stores, restaurants, and a hell of a lot of cafes. The beauty of townscape and countryside, and the climate - enhanced by over 100 years of plantings of exotic deciduous trees, "English" gardens, and annual massed displays of bulbs and perennials - gives it a unique attraction in the Australian countryside.  Bowral was the birthplace of Sir Donald Bradman, dubbed the greatest cricketer the world has known.

Back on the Freeway, we approached Canberra but passed through a very flat area that was once a lake, years ago, and is still referred to as Lake George.  The droughts have taken their toll on the Australian countryside.  Fire bans exists, more than 75% of the year and people are very cautious with the use of water.  Water usage is limited and anyone with a green lawn (rare) has a notice posted that their water is either “grey water” or “bore water”. 

Sure enough, the climate in Canberra appeared to be the same as when we left.  It did not appear that it had received any rain.  It was now time to prepare for Christmas !

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