Day Six: July 12th, 2013
Port Stephens Peninsula
More noisy birds at 5am, but we both managed to drop off again until 8.30 when we got up and prepared for the day. Unfortunately it was not the clear sunny weather we'd hoped for, and the towels we had left out overnight to dry were sopping wet thanks to the layer of cloud.
We decided to explore more of the peninsula by car and headed for the Stockton Sand Dunes and Birubi Beach at Anna Bay. It is the largest sand dune system in Australia. The beach is 32km long, and the mobile dunes can reach 40m in height. We did not expect to see a convoy of camels dozing peacefully on the sand, but alas, they could not sleep all day as before long a bus load of Japanese tourists were shipped in, and climbing on two at a time. We took this as a sign we should leave and find somewhere a little less crowded.
We drove a bit further around the bay to One Mile Beach. This is clearly a popular destination and I can imagine it is packed in the summer months. Luckily for us, it's the depths of winter (even though it doesn't seem like it) and the beach was deserted. The waves were small but Elly started contemplating getting his board out later in the day.
We made our way over to the opposite side of the peninsula to Shoal Bay, where we found some walking tracks in Tomaree National Park. Zenith Beach was deserted and we gorged ourselves on the spectacular view. The cloud was starting to roll out to sea, and covered the top of Tomaree Head which looked quite volcano like in the fog. We started the ascent to the top and Tomaree Lookout. Despite the cloud cover, the views were spectacular and we thoroughly enjoyed the walk. The headland had been used in WW2 as a defence post against possible enemy invasion to the steel works in Newcastle. It was never used, however the remains of the guns and bunkers still remain.
We returned to the car and drove a short way to Fingal Bay and had our lunch looking out at the water. I still can't get over how blue the ocean is here, it is truly beautiful. Elliot's finger is healing nicely, but he felt a knock in the wrong place could dislodge the new skin and therefore decided to forgo the surfing. We headed back to the campsite, Elliot put on his cleats and went for a cycle while I went for a run. I made it back just in time to see the sunset at the aptly named Sunset Beach, showered and got ready for dinner.
We took a few of the many books about Australia we have accumulated over the course of our trip, and started planning for tomorrow when we leave Port Stephens. As we made our fajitas (no more curry, yippee!), another couple came into the BBQ area. They were very friendly and being Aussies, gave us lots of good advice on where to avoid if we don't want to be in tourist towns up the coast. They offered us a day of fishing tomorrow, but we had to decline as we are setting off in the morning. Not sure where we'll be tomorrow night; watch this space.