GROSE FUN AT THE RIVER

“The Grose River has its catchment in the northern section of Blue Mountains National Park and flows into the Nepean River at Yarramundi, near Richmond” (www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au).

“The Grose River and its tributaries have eroded an extensive labyrinth of gorges and canyons through the Hawkesbury (upper) and Narrabeen (lower) group sandstones, exposing cliffs of commonly over 200 metres and up to 510 metres in height” (www.colongwilderness.org.au).

So this is where we visit regularly for a bit of afternoon leisurly fun - a great alternative to the beach which is more than an hour away. There is a convenient extensive sand bank for the littly’s to play on and what great fun it is to swing into the water from a rope hung on a tree!
The sand bank wasn’t always there and has been caused by clearing, urban expansion, changed fire frequency and the roads built around the river catchment.

We taught the dogs to dive under water after sticks - the photos speak for themselves (look in the ‘having a great time’ album link).

Lynda and Natalie have finally arrived in Australia - WELCOME and we are looking forward to the many laughs and conversations to be had.

Port Macquarie and Barrington Tops Holiday 2007

Well, to sum it up, it was a blast. Arriving in Port after a 5 hour drive from Sydney we immediately saw that this was a great place for the hol’s. Fortunately for us we had sunshine the whole week in contrast to stories from the locals who told us of the storms and rain they had the previous week.

After a quick stop at the agent to pick up the keys we arrived at our ‘pozzie’ – a modest home which had hues of brown and mustard colours everywhere and wooden crafts of butterflies and such scattered on the walls and on the brown furniture; perhaps some of the older generation would know which era I am alluding to – the 70’s of course.

Nevertheless the house was functional and best of all it had beach front access…well one only reached the beach after negotiating many species of spiders and their entangling webs on a short treck through an enchanting forest which reminded you of a scene in the Lord of the Rings where shmegal might jump out at any moment, after which sliding down a steep 10m sand embankment landed you on the cool sand and water. But let me tell you the end result was amazing – an untouched beach that emulated wildness and serenity.

The rest of the week was spent in interesting and endless conversations of catching up and laughter with the other 4 families we have come to know over the past 8 years in Australia. Ernie took over 2000 camera shots of which 750 are waiting to be looked at on their website www.anfields.net (Click here to view the photos). There you will find moments in time which has captured the fun we had.

Some of the younger ones embarked on a 1.5 hours walk from one of the beaches (I cannot recall the name of) to the local light house. Boy oh boy was that a walk never to forget. The trail cris-crossed along the coast leading onto many pristine, untouched and wild beaches with pure white sand which squeaked as you left foot prints for the ocean to wash away. One or two look outs were also jotted along its path where the views into the sea misted air reminded one of the forests hugging the shoreline in the King Kong movie.

There were also interesting creatures encountered (although rarely seen) along this walk which one would not even want to glimpse at. How shall I describe them….white and tall looking and from a distance displayed a black dot that fortunately could not be seen in detail…local nudists!!!! By golly, the girls freaked out and just wanted out. Being a public walking trail, these creatures would remain in the shadows of the large rock crevices and forest lining the shore and retreat like crabs deeper into the shadows when tourists came along so as not to spoil the scenery.

Apart from our beach experiences we ventured onto Queens lake to test out Christiaan’s catamaran. The wind wasn’t always in our favour, being gusty and unpredictable most of the time, but skimming across the water at great speeds we sure did, in fact tipping the craft over at one point. It’s great fun though hanging off the side and trailing inches from the water whilst hanging from a relatively thin cable.

We also managed to ‘ave a go behind a tinny on a surfboard, almost like wake boarding except on your knees. The trick was to get up onto your knees from the starting position (on one’s stomach) holding onto the rope for dear life whilst keeping your balance on the shaky board (there are a few snap shots on the Anfields’ website).

Following our adventures by the sea, we continued our holiday journey to Barrington Tops for New Years. We camped out at Riverwood downs next to a strong flowing creek which I think is a tributary of the Manning river. This is a dog friendly place, so there are dogs everywhere – our pets certainly enjoyed the company. Apart from the camp fire smoke and quiet in the morning, we also enjoyed canoeing and tubing down the small but significant rapids of the creek and spent New Years Eve dancing our way into 2008 with a big group of South African acquaintances and friends –

Attention Oom Jack van Niekerk – Oom Buks (Jan) van Aswegen was daar. Hy bly nou ook hier in die Suide Land van Oz.

So that is a summary of our holiday.

We pray and hope for the Almighty God’s richest and most abundant blessings and favour for you this year 2008.