Day Four - Wednesday 10th July
Katoomba to Soldier's Point via Cessnock
The rain started last night. Always it starts when I need to dash out to brush my teeth. Luckily though, the cloud cover kept in some heat, and it only dropped to 0•, positively balmy compared to the previous night. We slept well and woke at 7.30 to situate the car and have some brekie.
We weren't the maddest people at the campsite - there was a couple sleeping in just their hatchback. They've had a few blazing rows in the kitchen over the last two days; I'm pretty sure confined quarters and lack of sleep were to blame. After some porridge, and 10 minutes of avoiding eye contact with the quarrellers, we braved the shower block one last time (I never even turned on the cold tap - scalding water was the only thing that warmed me up). We rolled up the wet tent and hit the foggy road.
The original plan was to stop for a night or two in Cessnock in the Hunter Valley, but as we started to drive into the town it appeared deserted. A quick tour of the vineyards told us all we needed to know - wrong season. The vines and tasting tables were bare. After a minor scuffle with a jack russell who slipped out of a gate and seemed intent on getting himself run over, we left wine country and headed north east for the coast.
Arriving at Port Stephens around 4pm, we located a campsite Elly had researched online in Soldier's Point. Due to the family friendly nature of the site, and school holidays being in full swing, they only had powered sites available for $50 a night. We thought that was a bit steep, and the friendly lady at reception gladly pointed out another camp site a few minutes down the road. Bingo! Unpowered sites for $30 a night - still a little pricey but the amenities are great (swimming pool, tennis court and right on the harbour). We decided to pay for two nights and maybe move to a cheaper site if we want to stay for a longer period of time. I really hate being cheap but when you're travelling, money just seems to haemorrhage out of nowhere! We set up the tent and took a stroll to the water. Elly is into fishing since acquiring some rods with the car, so maybe we'll have a go tomorrow.
A quick re-heat of last nights' curry and we're tucked up for the night. The birds are making a raucous but it's lovely to be warm again! (Lows of 6• tonight)