MEET COOCHIEMUDLO ISLAND...

 A friend lives in Redland Bay and suggested a trip over to Coochiemudlo Island by ferry when I stayed overnight with her recently.  I'm always up for a visit to a new place (also one I don't think I'd heard of before), especially when the weather is perfect, so off we went, catching an early morning ferry over at the grand price of $5.00 return each (pensioner discount applied).  

Above, it's low tide as we walked towards the ferry with Coochiemudlo bathed in sunlight.

The channel markers are popular perches for the many and varied water birds in the Bay. On this one, pied cormorants...

We turned right off the ferry, deciding to walk at least part of the Coochie Track, before breakfast at the local café. It is an easily negotiable track but after a while we went onto the beach. We could see some mud flats at the end of the island with a flock of black cormorants and some pelicans flying around. 

There were lots of birds in the bush as well but very hard to get clear shots of them. This is one of the many noisy friar birds we saw.

 "Coochie" itself was a first for me and so was this sweet little bird, a striated (or maybe a spotted) pardalote, apparently intent on making its nest in a dead tree on the beach. 

It wasn't too worried about us.

Not many people around at that time of day, approx. 8.30am, and we found a seat on the northern end to watch the world, and the birds, go by.  

 Another 'first' was this bush stone-curlew which was foraging for crabs along the shore where we were sitting. There was another nearby but it was too shy to come out from under a tree.

 Such a funny bird, pulling funny faces as it strutted along...

Plovers (or masked lapwings) were everywhere as well.

 I hadn't noticed the fish breakfast before putting the photo of this magnificent bird up on the computer. Brahminy kites have featured here before of course as they are one of my favourites birds of prey.

This was a second kite which eventually landed in an adjacent tree. We left before seeing what, if anything, would happen. 

On our way back to the café for breakfast we saw a few more birds including this little white breasted wood swallow, also building a nest somewhere...

 Very noisy sulphur crested cockatoo followed us back... "Hey you, I want a cracker!"

Someone with a sense of humour started a thong tree apparently.

Waiting on our breakkie spotted a blue-faced honeyeater in a nearby tree.

Reasonably priced, delicious breakfast, with a view of the Bay, at the Curlew Café.

Waiting on the ferry home I finally managed a shot of a butterfly [meadow argus]. We'd seen a few on the walk but couldn't manage a photo. 

Main Beach, if we'd turned left off the ferry.

I'd love to go back and do the rest of the walk we didn't do and if you ever get the chance, take a ferry to Coochie.  Highly recommended and if you want a quiet holiday spot there are places to rent.

ROAD TRIP ROMANCE... (Part 2)

Nelsons Bay/Port Stephens area. Still not sure what it's called... This spot is Shoal Bay 

Panoramic shot from further around. It had rained all the way from Valla Beach but arrived here to brilliant sunshine.  I'll be back next year for a WRANS Reunion.

I 'camped' in the campervan at the Shoal Bay Holiday Park which was ideally situated for me but I won't be 'camping' again.  Not cut out for it any more. When I was a teenager I camped in a tent a few times down the Track in NT with friends. Ah those were the days.  Before I left, managed this shot of the sunrise.  More clouds but it didn't get any more colourful than this.

Next stop Gundegai and here you see the proof. I stopped at a 711 servo along the way to use the facilities and did some celebrity spotting. Keith Urban pulled up with his 2 children! Highlight of the day up until then. 

The plan was to stay overnight but as it was only 3pm I decided I'd push on to Albury. After all, what does an OAP do in a strange town on her own? Then when I checked times and mileage, discovered it would only be another 4 hours to my friend's house north of Melbourne.

This is where my training as a graduate of my ex-husband's School of Holiday Driving kicked in...  "Why stop when you can keep driving?"  Hit the road, Jack... 

Along the way I did manage to notice the scenery.  I actually stopped to snap this tree because I thought it was very handsome.

And these boulders near Tooborac were stunning, helped by the impending sunset; I came to a screeching halt. They are granite and litter the countryside like giant marbles in the Mitchell Shire, Victoria.

 Didn't notice the horse grazing until I zoomed in...

This was the sunset, which, annoyingly, got even better once I was on the road again with nowhere to pull over or when I was able to, no view.  

Here are more boulders taken elsewhere the next morning. Not as pretty without the sunset but impressive, nevertheless.

From there it was a short drive to my friends' house where I could continue my romance with this handsome hunk... And discontinue my 'camping' to sleep in a real bed.

ROAD TRIP ROMANCE... (Part 1)

Prior to retiring earlier this year, I had no idea what I wanted to do with the rest of my life really when I became an Old Age Pensioner (OAP). Then one day as I headed to Brisbane for visit family, I passed a small motor-home which gave me the romantic notion that I could travel like that, cat in tow.  My wise daughter suggested I hire something similar before committing hard earned savings to my (possibly hair brained) idea. Surely a camper van would be not much different to a motor home I thought? How wrong I was...

Things I discovered on the journey:

1. Camper vans are for young agile backpackers with strong bladders, not aging romantics who need to visit the loo a couple of times during the night.

2. I apparently had never forgotten my training as a graduate of my ex-husband's School of Holiday Driving; his motto was "Why stop when you can keep driving?" and was a strong believer in "time stopped was time wasted."

3. I really need to prepare and plan before I make important life choices.  Duh...

4. I don't enjoy my own company for long stretches.    

5. If I think there's a chance I may have strayed onto a toll road I should pay up front just in case, after all, OAP's can't afford unpaid toll fines...  Idiot!

You can read the full story of my recent trip to Melbourne here.  Posts on this blog are more a fuller photographic journey of that trip.

First stop Chinderah for fish and chip lunch. The many seagulls spoilt it a bit by crowding me and screaming for a chip.  I soon set off for Ballina where I didn't even get my camera out because of the rain and the fact they hadn't heard of ensuite sites! I ended up in Valla Beach where I stayed with a friend for 3 nights. Not in the camper van... phew!  

Valla Beach is a beautiful spot and I enjoy my visits there. This is Deep Creek near my friend's house. Fish and rays lurk beneath the surface but I couldn't get any shots of them jumping out of the water. 

A selection of the many birds around the Valla Beach area. 

Looking from the seaward side of the bridge over the creek, to the right is a bird sanctuary.

View of Sawtell Beach. 

Panoramic shot of the beach at Urunga. 

A rainy day visit to the Coffs Harbour lookout was a little disappointing, would be fabulous on a clear day.

Muttonbird Island adjacent to Coffs Harbour.

Gratuitous (and timely) shot of the Easter Bunny to brighten up an otherwise dull photographic collection thanks to the weather.

Last time I saw paddle boarders at Valla Beach, this time just the gulls...

The clouds were never far away that week and this sunrise on my last morning at Valla Beach was dulled by their cover although if you squint you can just see the moon...

I found myself thinking of opal for some reason. Better was to come the further south I went.

Part 2 to follow...

SUNDAY BEACH & BUSH WALK...

It's a rainy day today and as it was Sunday which is my usual day to take a walk, I was reminded of this fabulous day a few weeks ago when my daughter and I headed out for some exercise. This shot is taken from the start of the the bush track from Sunshine Beach heading north to Alexandria Bay. The blues of the sky and the sea are glorious aren't they?

As we slogged along the coastal track, we stopped for a breather and were rewarded with the sight of some marine cuties.  I took about a hundred shots and have to confess that only about 10 showed the dolphins above the waterline. Nevertheless, I was thrilled with this one which was the best of them.

Once we reached A Bay, we took another breather.  I later heard it is a nude beach and I've since gone through all my photos and there might be one shot of a guy walking along the beach who could have been sans swimmers; but then, he could have been wearing beige shorts! But who cares about that when you can photograph a magnificent osprey??

 Along the way there was lots to focus on (besides my wobbly legs and laboured breathing).

 On our way back to Sunshine Beach, we could hear eagle calls above and I nearly fell over scrabbling for a break in the tree canopy to shoot it.  I believe it's a white bellied sea eagle (aptly named).  The next day we heard that a guy had to be rescued because he fell off the cliff at Sunshine Beach; perhaps he was trying to photograph the same birds...

As well as the white bellied sea eagle, gorgeous Mr Osprey was there... 

  ...and although they didn't exactly fight, I believe harsh words were exchanged as they played chicken before flying off!