We woke up to yet more rain and had to put the heater on to try and dry us out a little bit. Rain was forecast all day so we decided to skip school and spend the day exploring areas inland from here. We didn't end up leaving until 11am as the boys had made a great cubby with the next-door neighbour and it seemed mean to pull them away. We took the Bucketts Way route to Stroud, which was full of beautiful old houses and drove on to Dungog a small town surroun...

There was a lot of rain over night and everyone slept in until 830 ish as there wasn't much point in getting up. By the time we had had breakfast and got organised it was too late to go to the library as it was only open until 12 so we worked in the van for a few hours and were all very happy when we finished! In the afternoon we went for a drive out to Soldiers Point and on the way home Nick dropped Katharine and I in town so that we could check out the coun...

Happy Birthday Katharine - 11 today!! She woke up at 530am and managed to wait until 7am before jumping on us to get the day started. It was still raining outside so we opened presents around the table and then Nick made everyone lemon and sugar crepes for breakfast. Hayley (aka Lampshade) face timed Katharine and it was lovely to catch up with the Savages for half an hour (- it made her day Lampy xx). We decided to brave the rain and walk up the hill behin...

Woke up to the sound of the Lorakeets this morning and as we sat outside having our coffee they buzzed our heads looking for food! Before we knew it the kids were raiding the bread bag and were outside with about 20 birds and rabbits all around them. A seven year old boy from the caravan next door came out to watch and soon joined in the fun so the boys are happy they have a new friend (and the girls are happy that the boys leave them in peace!!). The weathe...

Everyone woke up early this morning keen to move on and move somewhere prettier and quieter. We were packed up and on the road by 9am and once we got beyond Newcastle the roads became quieter and the scenery prettier. By the time we got to Nelson Bay we were very happy - another stunning place and it would rank in our top 3 of places visited to date! We were allowed to pick our site from 3 available and set up in the sunshine all ready for lunch. Once we'd ea...