Kangaroos . . . Whales . . .

. . . all we need now is Koalas for the trifecta!

Dave here... Wednesday (7/17) we hopped aboard the resort van for a sunny afternoon look at some local scenery and views. It was a fun drive through the surrounding forests to such places as Seal Rocks, location of picturesque, working, Sugar Loaf Point Lighthouse. Check the pics for a couple of views from the lighthouse and grounds. It was a glorious day for a walk along the access road to see the broad expanse of the emerald ocean and its waves shaping a beach of the typical soft Australian sand far below. Becky and I even made the steep trek up the path to the lighthouse itself to catch an even wider view of ocean and rocky coastline.

We then motored from the coastline several kilometers (this is Australia, you know) to the west side of Wallis lake - actually an estuary - at Coomba Park, a lovely little community rather isolated in another beautiful setting. On the drive in we saw a couple mobs of kangroos in the surrounding country fields. At the lakeside park we stopped for afternoon tea and time to chat and photo the pelicans drying their wings in the sunshine and a couple of frog mouth owls snoozing in a nearby tree... weird, but their heads actually do resemble a frog's, mouth and all! On the drive out we came across a several more kangaroos munching in an empty lot in the little town. Nick stopped so we could take advantage of the photo op!

After another brief stop at a popular surfing spot, Bluey's Beach, we returned to the resort for dinner.  That was followed by joining several other neighbors in the rec room to watch the final match of the "State of Origin," a three match series of rugby between the teams from the states of New South Wales and Queensland. It's a big rivalry so there was lots of cheering, groaning, and good-natured ribbing between the folks. (This is a violent sport... imagine a bunch of burly NFL linebackers running up and down the field with no stops, wearing no pads but a mouth guard - a couple wore ear protection - repeatedly tackling head-on at full speed, all to control the ball and drive it in for a score - no forward passes, only laterals allowed.) After a hard-fought match ending in a 12-10 victory for Queensland, everyone went off to bed, or to relive the game in further conversations. Me... I went back to our unit to watch the 10pm live broadcast of the beginning of the next stage of the Tour de France.  (I caught its completion on the 7:30am recap the following morning.)

. . . Which brings us to Thursday and round 2 of whale watching. Success! The crew of the boat quickly located a couple of adult Humpback whales, along with the calf of one, making their way north. We tracked along with the three watching them surface and blow and once even circling the idling boat to check us out before proceeding on their way. It was a beautiful sunny day out on the water.

We returned to the resort to do a little washing and take a walk along the crashing surf of Elizabeth Beach a few minutes' walk away. What a fine day to end our stay at this lovely and peaceful resort in the country.

Friday would bring a few hours of bus and train travel linking us back to Hornsby where Bob picked us up for the short drive "home." I must say that the country trains here are a really nice way to travel for a very reasonable price.

Below are some pics of our adventures. 

The Sugar Loaf Point Lighthouse at Seal Rocks seen from the access road.

Becky looking out at Seal Rocks, a treacherous place for mariners, deserving of a lighthouse.

The Lighthouse beach, looking down the steep walkway up to the lighthouse.

Coomba Park, a lovely place to stop for a spot of tea!

Pelicans sunning themselves on the boat ramp and perhaps waiting for a handout.  Big 'uns!

Busted!  Mama, with joey in pouch, considers an escape route from those pesky paparazzi.

Mama whale and calf take a breath.  Because of the calf's more limited lungs this group stayed pretty near the surface.

The classic view of a sounding whale.

The two adults (one's the mom) traveling with the calf.
 

Becky checks the rules of the beach a few minutes' walk from the resort.  (I told you that name is not a typo!)

The afternoon following the successful whale watch the wind came up and the surf at Elizabeth Beach was roaring.

Lovely soft sand, crashing surf, a sunny sky, and just the two of us for a walk... perfect!