Well, I am a bit behind on this blog because we have been so busy and done SO much so this is a mega edition, sorry! Time for writing has been at a minimum, partly because we are now in Sydney, near a trainline, and so can stay out in the evenings, whohoo!! I must admit that we have extended our stay here as the campsite is in a National Park, so beautiful and peaceful apart from the odd aeroplane overhead, but is only 2 minutes from the motorway (useful when we arrived but haven't been near it since!) and a 5 min bike ride to the train station right into the city centre. So Winnie is parked up and we just use our bikes and the trains.

We loved Sydney the first time we came 7 years ago and we still love it. It has a certain charm, although I have to stay we struggled with the traffic and people when we first arrived. We have been so used to being in quiet, off the road, places. Here, it is busy but we escape back to the peace and quiet of the site - so hard to believe it is in the centre of North Sydney! We have managed to catch up with friends and I must say I have loved the few odd meals out we have had - amazing Thai food, at Bondi with Livvie, and in town with Mike and his family. It was great to see familiar faces, have a laugh, chat and drink and be able to get 'home' easily without having to worry about the last train! It also made a change from a steak on the barbie! We have been able to attend a couple of footie games in the evenings as the transport is so good - the Socceroos v Honduras in the World Cup qualifier and last night we saw Sydney FC beat Newcastle in a top of the table clash. It was especially good as we got there early and the women's team were playing Melbourne City. Great to see the men shouting and supporting the girls! For these events the cost of transport is included in your ticket and they lay on extra buses and trains. We have had one mishap, when we missed our stop going home (easy to do when you're not familiar with the roads!) and ended up in the next suburb. Luckily we managed to find a bus back at midnight and all was ok!!

But, what of life before Sydney? Well, we were blown away by the Port Stephens region. We started off at Tea Gardens where we stayed overnight in a club carpark - not as bad as it sounds, and for $5.50, with power, a real bargain. We had picked out our next site but, when visiting the Tourist Information Centre, we were advised to go elsewhere and we were glad we did as we could use our bikes to get around. Winnie is great but she can't get down some of the tracks and dirt roads so we do miss out on some of the beautiful scenery. However, we have found that doing a 4WD tour in these places is well worth it. We set off from Anna Bay, again the only two on the tour. Bruce, our guide, started off with a warning about 'snacks' (a new name for snakes that originated in Vietnam, to those of you new to the blog!) - well, that was a worry to start with and I was apprehensive about the tour anyway. We saw beautiful beaches only accessible by 4WD and then went to the Stockton Dunes. This is protected and certain areas are only open to tours. Bruce had already let the tyres down and we were off, driving at, what I thought, was quite a speed across these magnificent dunes that stretched as far as the eye could see. I was getting a bit disorientated as he twisted and turned, and I was wondering how he knew where he was?! And then he stopped. I was in the back and hadn't actually appreciated where we had stopped until he asked if we thought it safe to drive down. Well, my heart was thumping - we on the top of a huge dune, on the edge, looking down at an almost sheer drop of 15-20 metres, and then he just drove off the edge! In his defence, he knew exactly what he was doing, and braked halfway down. The jeep just stopped, hanging on the side of the dune at an obscene angle, before he carried on down. That car could do anything, it was amazing. We did go over one particularly high drop where I believe I said "Oh, sugar" or something similar! He knew the dunes so well, he showed us that he had to be in the right place at the top, another few metres one way and the car would have tipped over. He dropped Bob off at one point and left him to take pics and videos while he and I did a couple more drops, and I actually held the wheel for one of them. An awesome experience!

While at the dunes we saw sand-boarding advertised. Well, it had to be done and the best value tour we've done! $10 bought us a drive over the dunes in a 4WD bus this time. We were dropped off, given a board and basic instruction - put your feet here, keep your hands out behind you, grab the sand to brake!! You had to climb up the dune at the side of the area, which was the hardest bit, walk along the top, pick your spot, sit on the board and shuffle your way forward till you tipped over the edge. It was scary the first time, you flew down the dune, and my brakes were out, lol, but, after several goes, I was handless and brakeless! You could stay as long as you want, do as many rides as you wanted (water was supplied and a shade to sit under) so we did quite a few runs. The tiring bit was the climb back up the dune each time. We were actually quite pleased with our level of fitness as we outlasted, and did more runs, then many of the younger people!

The Hunter Valley then beckoned, I wonder why?! Hmmm, another wine tasting tour?! Another delightful day spent visiting 5 cellar doors in the Lower Hunter Valley, spoilt only by our two fellow tour participants. The German couple set the tone when they were greeted by Julie, our lovely tour guide, "You are 12 (not a few, but 12 precisely!) minutes late!" How she kept a straight face I don't know as she could see Bob and I were in hysterics. She apologised profusely, explained that we had been ready and so she stopped to pick us up first! The Germans did ask her to take a photo of them at one point and, as she passed by, she said quietly that she hoped she could get this right at least! To be fair, after the second winery the Germans relaxed and were almost sociable by the end of the day! The greatest surprise to us has been the standard of the Chardonnays. They are so different to those at home and I am loving them. They are lightly oaked with a lovely vanillary/buttery taste. Sav Blanc is so old hat now, and we very rarely see a Pinot Grigio, or Pinot Gris as they call it here (they are never given at tastings). They also offer a lot of dry Reislings which are also very palatable, and the sweet dessert wines are to die for. We did buy a divine bottle for Xmas, just hoping it will make it (to Xmas that is!).

Bathurst was another highlight. We hadn't even thought about going there, indeed we hadn't even heard of it, until we saw the Bathurst 1000 endurance motor race on tv. Then I saw a photo, on a Facebook group that I follow, of a motorhome on the starting grid, and the gentlemen explaining that it had been his life's dream to drive the circuit. After some research it appeared that the circuit is on public roads and anyone can drive around the track, so off we set on an inland detour to Bathurst. Bathurst itself was a surprise, the first town established after the successful European crossing of the Great Dividing Range, and the oldest inland settlement, with some formidable Georgian and Victorian buildings. That is very historic by Australian standards! The contrast with the modern history of the racing circuit was striking. What a drive up Mount Panorama and what a circuit to drive, albeit at the speed limit of 60km/hr and on the left side of the road, so following the racing line was out! It is so steep going up, with magnificent views over the town, and then going down through the aptly named Esses. We had to take care, even at 60km/hr, because of the cambers. How they race at speed through there defeats me but Winnie loved the course so much we did it 5 times!

In getting to Bathurst we travelled through the Blue Mountains on the little used B road, stopping at the Botanical Gardens for a coffee. Well, we fell on our feet there. Unbeknown to us it was the 30th Anniversary Event so, because Winnie is so big, we were escorted by golf cart to the composting area to park, and asked to be no longer than 1 hour as they had other guests arriving and the space was needed! Good to our word, we had a coffee, wandered through the rhododendron garden, looked at the views and made our way back to Winnie. Here we were met by an official looking man asking if this was our van? We checked our watches - had we been longer than an hour? To our surprise we were then presented with a hardback book as a memento of the day! Oh, and the parking was free!

Returning from Bathurst we took the main tourist road through to Sydney. First stop was Evans Lookout, where the Blue Mountains really did look blue. Apparently this is because the trees are mainly eucalyptus, which give off an oil into the atmosphere. What a view - we were on the top of a sheer cliff face, looking out over the valley. We just sat there for ages taking it all in. A few walkers passed us by but it was so quiet and peaceful. Next up was the Echo Point lookout, and the view to the Three Sisters, which is what the Blue Mountains are famous for. OMG, coachloads of Japanese tourists were suddenly everywhere, we had to pay to park, and we were being jostled out of the way in the quest for the best view. Even more annoying was the fact that most of the Japanese were oblivious to the view and just wanted to take the 'perfect' selfie! We just looked at each other in amazement - from being so quiet to so unbelievably busy in a few km! We took the obligatory pictures then left. We also passed on Scenic World, the steep railway and cable car station. We just couldn't face the crowds. We stopped at a few more places and the scenery was absolutely stunning. We wished we had more time to be able to do some of the many bush walks to the canyon bottom, but most needed a few hours if not a full day!

And so we approached Sydney. The roads got busier and wider and we ended up on the M2, a 6-lane busy road into central Sydney. When we reached our turn-off and the Sat Nav said 2 minutes to our destination I actually apologised to Bob, saying I must have put the wrong destination in, as the National Park site couldn't possibly be this close to the motorway. Wrong, it is but you would never know. You can't hear the traffic at all and we are surrounded by woodland, brush turkeys, sulphur-crested cockatoos and the most wonderful laughing kookaburras that come and pose for Bob to take photos. We have a few days left and plan to do lots more whilst in Sydney.

There have been a few hiccups as usual - Winnie has developed an occasional stutter so has had to visit a garage yet again. Poor Winnie, she hadn't been used very much for a year or so before we got her. I think she's feeling the pace now, lol! I strained my back playing tennis but that's ok now. However, I have hurt my hip, which is a real pain - in more ways than one! I was running to escape the rain one day (yes, it rains quite often here!) and jarred it. Since then the pain, which is only when I put weight on it, has got worse instead of better so I fear a trip to the drs is on the cards soon. Apart from that, we are both fine and enjoying our little 'holiday' from a holiday in Sydney!

And finally, a big thank you all for your 'likes' and comments on the blog. I don't always reply to them all but we do read them and have a little chuckle at some of them, so please keep them coming as it makes us feel closer to you all!