Three quarters of the Lewis family were up and out the door by 7:30 am for a morning swim! Margaret, however, opted for a cup of tea and some work on the blog.

Although the Robinsons had offered us yet another night's accommodation, we decided to head down the road towards Sydney, but break up the 6 hour trip with a stay over at Newcastle. We'd already overstayed and couldn't believe, once again, how generous and friendly the Robinsons, as all our Australian hosts, have been. We were sad to say goodbye and if any of the Robinsons ever make it to Canada, they certainly have a place with us.

As we headed south, the scenery was lovely and we enjoyed our breaks along the way, including a visit to the town of South West Rocks and the Trial Bay Gaol (jail), a picnic lunch of Subway sandwiches in a park just outside of Kempsey, and a swim at Crowdy Head just outside of Crowdy Bay National Park. Margaret still found things too chilly, so she lay in the warm sand while the kids caught some waves with Barry.

Our detours lengthened the trip, and we arrived at our hostel in Newcastle at 7:30 pm. The hostel was less than spectacular and for $120.00 per night, none of us were overly impressed, but the lady who greeted us was delightful and we knew that a couple of home-cooked meals in the hostel kitchen would make up the cost. Because the activities in Australia have been so expensive, we've really had to watch our pennies. It makes us even more grateful for the wonderful homestays we've had.

While Barry went out for provisions, the kids got some pool time and Margaret got us settled. When Barry returned, we threw some steaks on the barbecue and had a simple but filling supper. That night, we enjoyed visiting with some Dutch backpackers who played guitar and were fun to talk with.