At around 4.30am this morning I thought the loud whirring noise was the ocean - we stayed the night in a suite right on the edge of the bay (hence the name of the resort!), and before nodding off I could hear the waves gently lapping the shoreline however, the loud whirring sound that woke me was not a tsunami(!) but the air con kicking in!! Once awake I noticed that it was just starting to get light outside (it’s lighter earlier in the morning and later in the evenings here compared with the mainland), so I took a peek and could see that the sun was just starting to rise - I got dressed and headed out camera in hand - there had been a heavy dew and the air was full of eucalypt and pine fragrance - I was delighted to discover a lovely little cove just a few steps from our accommodation and it was here that I was overwhelmed with the natural beauty of this magical place.
The sun rose slowly turning the early morning sky from a deep red, to pale pink and then the sky was a clear blue with the full sun making its appearance at the dawning of yet another new day. I was reminded of Della’s favourite hymn “Morning has broken”.
The 3 peaks of the mountains known as the Hazards provided a spectacular backdrop for the rising sun and the heat from the early morning sunshine in the sheltered cove provided not only a physical warmth but warmed my soul - it was a truly spiritual moment for me.
Della and I have been incredibly lucky to experience a number of awesome sights since our arrival here in Australia, all of them very special in their own unique way - it is difficult to find the words to describe not only what we are seeing and doing but the impact each experience is having on us as human beings. Our travels have taken on a whole new dimension influenced by the people we are meeting, the natural beauty of the places we are visiting and everything we are learning during our trip, not only about the new cities and cultures but also about ourselves. Our horizons are truly being broadened!!
If that wasn’t enough joy for one morning (and it wasn’t even 9am yet!) when we were having breakfast we were joined by several Bennett’s wallabies, a female with a joey and a couple of smaller lads, all of them very interested in our raisin toast!!!!
After brekkie we had a very pleasant stroll along the foreshore passing yet more pale granite boulders daubed with orange lichen and wandering along sand unmarked by footprints, marvelling at the coloured pebbles and iridescent mareener shells that Aboriginal women still string into necklaces.
We (reluctantly!) left the beautiful Freycinet Peninsula behind to make our way further north as the last night of our week off from house and pet sitting was to be spent at Binalong Bay. The journey was pleasant and easy, we saw lots of black swans en route and arrived in St Helens (the largest town on the east coast), around lunchtime. We had a wander and popped in to the local Visitors Information Centre (as has become our habit!) and having armed ourselves with a myriad of leaflets and info regarding the local area made our way to our digs for the night - (http://www.bedinthetreetops.com.au/), a fabulous log cabin, one of only two, set high in the hills overlooking Moulting Bay, an upmarket B & B with every comfort we could imagine and apero and nibbles included!! We are living the high life, figuratively and literally!!
Unfortunately, the weather changed for the worst and winds and rain descended on Binalong Bay making any decent photos impossible still, a lovely hot coffee and some very friendly staff at the local restaurant/cafe (http://www.angasi.com.au/) proved to be just what we needed. After making a reservation for our evening meal we went back to our accommodation to freshen up and enjoy those pre-dinner snacks!
Despite the foul weather nothing could spoil our enjoyment our evening at Angasi was splendid and we enjoyed one of the best vegetarian meals yet!
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