Morpeth street and sunset from main street
Headed off down the Pacific Motorway having booked a cottage in Morpeth for a night to stop along the way to Armidale. Interesting little town, sort of like a mini Daylesford, good wine store, not surprising given we are in the Hunter Valley, it's about 2 1/2 hours out of Sydney. Trying a new wine tonight to go with my Indian curry from the place next door to where I stayed, The Loft in the Surgeon's Cottage. Shiraz Tempranillo, my two favourite wines together - Phoenix from Pokolbin Estate eminently drinkable, smooth dry and full bodied. The cottage is very comfortable, in an old stone building, set in a rustic and green courtyard, and love that they have a teapot and looseleaf tea. Morpeth also has a great pub, the Commericial with a microbrewery so I tried one of their beers sitting at a table on the street. Was very aware of people not wearing masks and not appearing to socially distance, particularly in the pub where people, mainly men, were congregating in large groups. Jac made herself very comfortable in the cottage.
From Morpeth I drove to Armidale on the rather intriguingly named Thunderbolts Way. The road was named after a bushranger, a man who was known for stealing horses but 'only the best'. That man, Frederic Ward, has that road named after him, Thunderbolt's Rock where he is reputed to have had a hiding place, a statue in Uralla, and his grave is marked with a biscuit tin where visitors leave etters for him. His bush ranging career lasted 6 years. 6 years and he has all of that, whereas the Aboriginal people who lived on that land for tens of thousands of years, who were massacred and driven off their lands are hardly acknowledged. There is a tourist map of Thunderbolt's Way which has all the information above, yet I found it hard to pick up anything which had the history of the traditional owners. By looking at local Government websites I discovered the names of the traditional owners in the stretch between Walcha and Gloucester. I think they were Dangaddi, Worimi and Biripi. I apologise if I have got any of that wrong or left out any, but it is hard to find that information. But a bushranger, a criminal who was connected to that area for 6 years and has his story told and celebrated.
The drive itself was good, a large part of the road follows the Nowendoc river. Stopped for a break at Bretti Reserve, a peaceful little free camping area along the river, had a chat to the only couple camping there who told me about Pilligap and the area where there are several artesian springs. Plan now to come back and do a round trip of all the artesian springs, sounds like heaven. My friend was just a kilometre from the main centre of Armidale, a town developed by the squatocracy which apparently still has vestiges of the power of those original squatters. Explored her property, picked veggies from the garden for dinner, had a fire outside then another inside, drank some good Hunter Valley wine and had a relaxing night. Next morning we went to one of the many spectacular gorges around Armidale to look at the Wollombimbi Falls. Poor Jac had to stay in the car as it was a National Park. The area was devastated by bushfires earlier in the year but they have rebuilt a most magnificent viewing platform and refreshed the paths and amenities.
Decided to head back along Thunderbolt's Way, stopping at another river side camping area and stayed in Morpeth again overnight. Didn't want to just stay on the Motorway to get back so thought I'd try the Pacific Highway - don't, it was stop and start all the way and many built up areas, though I did take a few side trips. One to Caves Beach a long stretch of beach which apparently has caves at one end but not at the dog friendly end. Wild surf and sand had streaks of black, lots of erosion of the sand dunes.
We had a long walk then back to the Highway with another stop at Chittaway Bay. The bay is on Lake Macquarie, apparently one of the largest saltwater lakes in Australia. It felt fairly rundown but got a piece of battered fish to eat and sat on a wharf on the Lake. And along came a pelican, swimming up close and looked like she was hanging around for a feed. Took some of the batter off the fish and threw it to her, she caught it in her beak, clacked clacked with her beak to get it down and then patiently waited for more. Jac was completely oblivious, although the pelican would move a bit away when she started walking around. As Em said, I fed a pelican junk food. Then got back in the motorway and headed home to Sydney, braving the Sydney traffic. Some of Sean's extended family were there for dinner and cards and helped try the sparkling fortified wine which was also from the Hunter Valley and was delicious.
Footnote:
Overheard conversation at one of the art gallery/come cafe I went to. 'Victoria is in a bit of a mess' 'Yes its because of the hotel guards who fraternised with the returning travellers' 'mm I think he Premier is Dan Andrews - is he Labor or Liberal?' 'Labor I think' 'Oh well that explains it' .... Despite that have not had one person recoiling from me in horror when I have told them I am from Melbourne or the Mornington Peninsula.
