Christchurch to the Gold Coast 2021

 

Tues 18 May – Glen drove us to the airport for our 2:50pm flight to Sydney. The plane was only half full, all wearing masks. Into the train to Central Station and a very short walk to a hotel we had stayed in before. We dropped our stuff in our room and set off to a Telstra Shop to activate our phone. As we had not been here since December 2019 our sim card had to be changed and a new number issued. It takes up to 24 hours for this all to happen! Takeaways for dinner.

Wed 19 May – Back to the train station for the 8:18am train to Lithgow on the western side of the Blue Mountains. Our camper is stored at Wallerawang about 14kms from Lithgow. It was a slow trip stopping at every stop in the Blue Mountains. At Katoomba we were off loaded into a bus as the track is still being repaired after the forest fires. We caught a taxi for the last bit of our trip to the storage yard arriving at 12:00. The camper seemed to be all intact but dirty and covered in spider webs. Inside, all was great with no unexpected guests (snakes, mice, or spiders). Unfortunately, the truck battery was flat. So much for the mini solar panel I installed in 2019. Not unexpected, however. Jumpering up the house batteries did not help. As our cellphone was not working we were a bit stuck. A man arrived to sort some stuff and we borrowed his heavier jumper leads. Still no go! We even tried his battery. Very kindly, Chris our new best friend, offered to take me back to Lithgow where I bought a new battery at Repco. Back to the camper, in with the battery and it started first try! Val meanwhile while had packed away all our stuff. We left “Andy’s” home for the last 18 months and headed back to a camp in Lithgow via a Supermarket, for food for dinner and breakfast and a tyre place to inflate the tyres. The temperatures are much the same at CHCH as we are still in the mountains. Power and heating are required! A large whiskey and bed.

Thurs 20 May – A good nights sleep before heading off to do a large Supermarket shop. Our cellphone is still not activated so we went to a Telstra Shop where they told us there was a problem at their end which is being worked on. We called into a carwash and gave “Andy” a well-deserved wash. Lithgow is an old coal mining town (est 1850) with some very cute miners’ cottages remaining.

We left Lithgow and drove back up into the Blue Mountains to Katoomba and booked into a camp with wifi, our only means of communication! It was a nice sunny day, so we sat outside for lunch and then fixed a few minor problems. This camp is very close to most of the lookouts including the Three Sisters, so we did a short walk before dinner.

Fri 21 May – We plan to stay here three nights as there is some great walking and hiking. We walked to the Scenic World who run the Skyway, Gondola, and train into the valley.

Our plan was to walk around the cliff track, passed the Three Sisters, to Echo Point and down the Giant Stairway, along the valley and back up on the scenic train. All possible according to the staff. Walking back to our camp a wet fog rolled in, not forecast. We postponed our trip until tomorrow and settled for a walk into the town in the drizzle. The shopping area is bigger than we thought it would be.

Sat 22 May – The day dawned cool fine and sunny. Our cellphone came right in the night thank goodness. Val did laundry and I replaced the tube in one of the bikes. We set off for our hike along the cliff track, passed Echo Point and the views of the Three Sisters. We left the tourists and climbed down the Giant Staircase into the Jamison Valley. The Staircase is a combination of steep rocky steps and metal ladders. Incredibly steep but with a handrail most of the way. We then followed a track along the valley. We were going to eat lunch in the valley but it was cool and in shade, so we continued on to the scenic railway which follows a 52 degree slope back out of the valley. At the top we sat and had our lunch before a short walk back to our camp. Total distance walked was 8kms. We had done this same hike 20 years ago with Norma and Noel! Relaxed in the sun for the rest of the afternoon.

Sun 23 May – We left Katoomba and followed the Great Western Highway out of the Blue Mountains turning off at Springwood just short of Penrith and drove thru some outer suburbs of Sydney and into farmland passing the towns Richmond and Windsor. We headed on to Wisemans Ferry, a small town on the banks of the Hawkesbury River. The river splits here and there are two ferries crossing both branches. Our camp was right on the river with some great views. We off loaded the bikes and rode back into the town for an ice-cream. A lovely sunset!!

Mon 24 May – A short drive to the ferry and a rough, bumpy road following the river before heading north in a loop to Gosford. I know this is not the direct route from Katoomba to Gosford, but it dodged most of Sydney and let us see the Hawkesbury River, a vital link to inland NSW in the early days.

Our camp at Gosford was in the Greyhound Track, a nice grassy site. The temperatures are much warmer now we are out of the mountains.

Tues 25 May – We left the Dog Track and drove thru the centre of Gosford and onto the Central Coast Road. There are a series of large lakes to the west and the Pacific Ocean beaches to the east. The road follows a very narrow strip of land between the two.

We crossed the Entrance Bridge and stopped at Norah Heads for a walk along the beach with views of the lighthouse.

Our camp was at Budgewoi Beach. After lunch we walked to the beach where a huge surf was pounding in. Nice temperature around 22C.

Wed 26 May – Just a coffee before driving to Cave Beach where we had arranged to meet Kevin (Val’s cousin) and Suzanne Jelley for brunch. We enjoyed a catch up with them. They had been on a road trip and had come down the Hunter Valley and were on their way home to Sydney. We carried on for a few kms to Blacksmiths Beach with Lake Macquarie on one side and the beach on the other. Another short walk to a beautiful beach with a big surf. At night we watched a Blood Moon (not very spectacular) and then a Luna eclipse.

Thurs 27 May - We are quite close to Newcastle, so we shopped at an outer suburb then crossed the Hunter River and camped at Stockton Beach.

Newcastle is a port city situated on the mouth of the Hunter River. Our camp is on the north side of the river and we off loaded our bikes, rode to a ferry, crossed the harbour, and explored the city and beaches. There was a great bike track around the headland. Unfortunately, they are working on this track, so we had to take to the roads for a steep ride up to the ANZAC memorial and down into the main city streets ending up back on the river. A great ride!! Back on the ferry to our camp.

Fri 28 May – We have been listening with increasing concern of the Covid 19 outbreak in Victoria and decided to make a run for the Queensland border just in case they decided to close it. We have travelled most of this trip before, so we drove 400kms up the M1. Not a great hardship as the road is two lanes in each direction so we can tootle along at our 90kms and everyone can pass us. We stopped for the night at a camp at Emerald Beach, north of Coffs Harbour. We walked down to the small beach where the surf is pounding in. These surf conditions are forecasted for the next few days.

Sat 29 May – Back on the road for a 300km drive over the border into Queensland. Surprisingly, to me, there were no checks at the border, and we continued to a camp at Nobby’s Beach halfway between Coolangatta and Surfers Paradise. We have booked here for 5 nights and have a great sunny site on a hill at the back of the camp. It was a short walk passed some local shops to the beach.

Sun 30 May – Breakfast outside for the first time. I did a couple of jobs to “Andy” and after lunch we walked south on a walkway and then back along the beach. The morning was lovely but dark clouds in the afternoon.

Mon 31 May – Breakfast outside again. Hopefully, this will be the norm from now on! Biked north on a great cycleway passed Broad Beach and on to Surfers Paradise. Locked up the bikes and went for a walk. Not much seems to have changed over the years!!

The old Surf Regency where we stayed with Lynne and Gary is still there. We went on a detour inland to Bunnings on the way home. The ride was 22kms. Another great ride. After lunch I tackled the bonnet of “Andy” which had developed some large rust spots in the last 17 months, sanding, masking, and painting with spray cans. A slight improvement!! We phoned Carolyn and Gary (Brisbane) and will visit them in the weekend.

Tues 1 June – I finished the bonnet which now looks OK. In the afternoon we biked south to Tallebudgera Beach stopping at Burleigh Heads to watch the surfers tackle the giant waves. Most of this ride was on dedicated cycleways. The weather is warming up and today was very sunny and around 23C. Back at Nobby’s Beach we called into the Surf Club for a wine overlooking the beach. We phoned Judy and Frank McAlister (Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast) and will visit them next Monday.

Wed 2 June – Another warm morning. Val did a huge laundry and I cleaned the floors, defrosted the fridge and cut and polished the new bonnet paintwork. It does not look too bad! This is our last day on the Cold Coast, so we walked along the beach towards Broad Beach for 2 ½ kms. Very pleasant.