Arrived yesterday at Bellingen via Coff's harbour airport and was met by Bobbi, a friend we first met in Zakynthos some years ago. Bobbi, who originates from Hobart, was living and running holiday villas in the Greek Island for many years with her husband, Dimitri. She decided to return permanently to Aus to revive her career as a singer. She is now living with Pete, a guitarist, and together with a couple of other musicians they perform at local venues as well as giving singing/guitar lessons.
Bobbi's other passions are bird watching and photography which is how we became friends in Zakynthos. Bellingen is a pretty town near the Coast about midway between Sydney and Brisbane. It has a sub-tropical climate and is quite different to other places we have visited as it tends to stay green most of the year and the temperatures do not vary much. Bobbi and Pete live on the main road through the town in a 2nd floor flat with views towards the distant hills. On our first evening, galahs, parrots, magpies, kookaburras and other birds start to descend on the 1st floor roof outside their verandah as Bobbi puts suitable food out for them. She feeds mince to the kookaburras and magpies who take it from her hand. In the distance you can see sea eagles, ibis and black cockatoos flying past. However, the most spectacular sight (and sound) is at dusk when the air is filled with tens of thousands of flying foxes, huge bats with a wing span of about 18 inches, which roost during the day in the trees by the nearby river. They feed on fruit and nectar and the sky is filled with them as they set out every evening to feed.