In Forster, they have Ocean Baths, which is a swimming pool fed by ocean water. I loved it, because it was easy to get in and out, with a convenient ramp. As we’ve traveled further down the coast, the Pacific is getting colder.

On our drive from Forster to Gosford, we discovered what I think is the best beach yet. It’s in a settlement called Seal Rocks, where at one point there was a colony of Australian Fur Seals living on the island. The human community is well known for its peaceful resistance to attempts by developers to commercialise the small fishing village, and I hope they continue to be successful. It’s a lovely place.

One item we did forget when we left Forster was our bag of laundry. We discovered it that night and I called to see if they found it. Yes, they didn’t have a phone number for me so they couldn’t catch us before we got too far away. So today, we drove 5 hours round trip to retrieve our clothes.

We also drove through Booti Booti National Park. What we’re discovering is that some of the National Parks here don’t have a main office such as we’re used to. And it’s really easy to wind up on a very long washboard dirt road trying to figure out where you are. We were able to locate Elizabeth Beach, which was quite nice and had bathrooms!!!

Another spontaneous decision was to drive up North Brother Lookout in Dooragan National Park which had an amazing view of Forster and surrounding water and land. It’s a perfect spot for paragliding and sure enough, a student group (all men) showed up to fly off of the mountain. It was fun to watch them and I was a bit envious. It looked amazing!

Our motel for two nights in West Gosford is right next door to an R.S.L. club which supports people who have served or are serving in the Australian Defence Force. It’s kind of like our American Legion. This is a huge fancy buiding with a restaurant, bar, brewery, sports bar, outdoor patio (overlooking the highway) and a small casino. It’s very convenient and because we’re staying next door, I have a complimentary membership giving us a %15 discount on food and drink.

New driving term to guess – lay-by. And the driving – roundabout, after roundabout, after roundabout!!!

The supermarkets here are called Woolworths, which brings back memories for me. My best friend Janet and I used to walk over the Troy/Green Island Bridge to go shopping. We’d stop at Woolworth’s 5 & 10 for a hot fudge sundae. There were balloons on the wall that you could break and inside was the price of your ice cream treat – zero to 50 cents.

Tomorrow is our last Australia stop – a few days in Sydney!

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