Day - 64. Heathmont (2)

Up early and straight to the car repair shop to see what they can do to find Mr Rat.

On walking in I started by saying that "you are going to be sorry that you ever met me".  

He said, I have plenty of experience so tell me how I can help.

Upon leaving he said " You were right, I wished I had never met you"

So he took the car and said he would try to catch the rat before stripping it of all the seats and carpets.

I will be waiting for a phone call to say they have caught the vermin, hopefully.

I have re-registered that car and now off to buy the new one.

To be continued ......

Day - 63. Heathmont (1)

No luck with the traps overnight in Albury.  Maybe the animal is too large to fit through the entry into the trap!  

We travelled on the Hume Highway, arriving at Heathmont about 1.30 pm.  The last hour it rained quite heavily and the road was very wet.  Temp only 11 degrees - welcome back to Victoria!!  There was no appearance of the animal during the journey, although we know it is still aboard.  

The vehicle will need to be taken to a car repair shop, where it will be stripped completely inside until the rodent is located.  This is likely to be very expensive, although our insurance company will cover all but the $650 excess.  Brian will take the vehicle to Ringwood tomorrow morning.  Again, fingers crossed!!

Day - 62. Albury

Our hopes that the traps might work were dashed when we checked the car this morning.  Perhaps this is a particularly smart rodent!!

We then called our insurance company for assistance, and they gave us the name of a vehicle repair place which then removed the contents and the seats.  A strong blast of air was blown through the inside of the car, but no luck in locating the animal.  So we travelled to Albury with the unwelcome passenger still aboard.  The only good news about this debacle is that our insurance company will cover the cost of dismantling the interior of the car, locating the animal, repairing any damage, and putting it all back together again.

At 8.00 am we welcomed a man to successfully repair the chip in the windscreen.  One good result for the day!!

The freeways to Albury were very good and the traffic flowed well.  The scenery was particularly attractive, with rolling emerald farmland and healthy looking sheep and cattle.  

There was no contact from our "passenger" during the journey.

This is a new type of trap purchased at Bunnings this morning.  There are two of these in the car overnight baited with peanut butter.  The idea is that the vermin enter the trap to eat the bait but cannot escape.

The second trap.  Fingers crossed!!!

Day - 61. Shellharbour

All three of us left Nelson Bay early this morning - Brian, Judy, and Mr (or Mrs) mouse/rat.  Traps set overnight did not catch a rodent, even though two of them had been tripped.  

Whilst travelling on the freeway, said VERY LARGE mouse (almost certainly a rat) jumped onto Judy's right arm near her shoulder.  We were travelling on an 8 lane motorway at 110km / hour and the car drove itself as arms and legs were flailing around trying to stomp on the pest.  Judy shrieked loudly, which caused the animal to skitter down Brian's seat to the space under his legs from where it disappeared.  Perhaps the additional traps which we purchased from Bunnings this morning will help to catch the monster overnight.

As if the animal was not enough angst, also on the freeway something hit the windscreen very hard and made a medium sized chip.  We need to have this repaired as soon as possible before it "runs", in which case the windscreen would need replacing.  Will try tomorrow morning.

Today has not been a good "holiday day"!

We have 10 mouse traps set to go in the car - surely we will be successful tonight!  We would be really, really grateful if our little friend would come out from under the seat and eat some cheese.

Walked to the beach today at Shellharbour and found nothing but rocks and seagulls !!

Major sporting activities here include the demolition of as many beers as possible in the shortest amount of time.

Dozens of cafes and coffee shops in the Main Street at Shell Harbour.

Day - 60. Nelson Bay (3)

No photos today.  We have been housebound in our unit because of a damned mouse/rat.  A lady reported to reception that she had seen a large rat moving along the dashboard in our car.

So Brian went to Bunnings to purchase 6 traps - 4 x rats and 2 x mice, which have been baited with cheese and placed on the floor of the vehicle.  This evening two traps have been tripped but no catch.  This means there is a rodent in the vehicle with which we must travel tomorrow morning, unless there is a successful trap overnight.  Not a pleasant thought with three more days of travel to come!!

Brian rang Toyota to discuss the situation and received some very unpleasant news.  He was told that this was a serious problem and that a mouse could do an incredible amount of damage to wiring, upholstery, and all of the interior and dashboard.  The Toyota advice included a statement that recently an owner needed to pay about $2,000 to have all of the damage repaired!!!

Tomorrow's blog may reveal more !!!

So it looks like tomorrow we will be heading south along the highway with a rodent hitching a ride in the truck!!  Judy will tuck her tights inside her socks just in case a mouse tries to run up her leg.

Day - 59. Nelson Bay (2)

Our first stop today was the Barramundi Farm which is about 15km away.  This farm produces 1,000 kilos of live and freshly chilled fish per week.  This commercial operation is extremely efficient, and supplies restaurants around Australia (plate-sized fish are put in a plastic tank full of salt water and transported to restaurants throughout NSW).   Their food pellets are imported from Chile, and the fingerlings come from South Australia at 3 for $1.00. and are transported by plane to Newcastle Airport in plastic bags inside polystyrene boxes.   Fish must be moved into salt water for flavour development before going to market.  The primary concern to protect flavour is to ensure that a fish does not become stressed.

We then drove to the world-renowned sand dunes, followed by a trip up to the Gan Gan lookout for an amazing 180 degree view for many km.

The restaurant at the Barramundi Farm.

The tanks holding barramundi in one of the production sheds.

When pellets are thrown into the water, the fish tank erupts in a frenzy.

The hydroponic vegetable garden which is watered with filtered water from the fish tanks.  Our salad at lunch was almost exclusively comprised of greens from this garden. 

This is the sandscape at Stockton Bight.  It is 32km of the longest moving sand dunes in the Southern Hemisphere. They reach heights of over 30 metres with slopes of up to 60 degrees.  One can explore the area by 4 x 4, quad bike, sand board, horse or camel.  Fishing and surfing are also popular, as are organised tours.

This view is from the Gan Gan lookout at Nelson Bay.  The point on the left is Yacaaba Headland, and on the right is Tomaree Head.  The view looks over the town and over Shoal Bay.

The attractive pool at the Landmark Resort where we are staying.  Today was a sunny 24 degrees, but a bit cool for swimming!!

Day - 58. Nelson Bay (1)

Grudgingly we left our great apartment at Port Macquarie this morning.  It is an overcast day (although still warm), which made leaving not as bad as it would have been if it was warm and sunny like yesterday.

The pleasant drive to Nelson Bay took three hours through bush land and paddocks occupied by healthy fat cows.

Nelson Bay is a protected seaside town which is located on Port Stevens.  There are several excellent beaches in the area, and many walking trails through the national park.

We drove around the town and the area to familiarise ourselves with the roads and facilities.  Our unit in  Landmark Resort has one bedroom, and basic kitchen facilities for cooking including a dishwasher.

A watchful eye looking over the boats in the Nelson Bay marina.

Police and Search and Rescue boats in the marina.

More craft in the marina.

This beautiful and very long beach is at Shoal Bay which is only 3 km from the centre of Nelson Bay township.

Seafood cafe/restaurant right on the shore.

Looking from Shoal Bay beach across to the entrance to Port Stevens.

Day - 57. Port Macquarie (8)

Sadly this is our last day in Port Macquarie.  We took a walk along the full length of Shelly Beach and back, leaving our footprints in the sand where they should stay until the tide comes in.  There were many surfers and sun bakers on the beach, so one can't help but wonder why they weren't at work.

There are six beaches very close to the town of Port Macquarie.  This is one of them but not the longest.

This is the end of Shelly Beach where we walked the full length (about 1km each way).

Day - 56. Port Macquarie (7)

We took a look at a very old local house, known as Roto House, which was like a step back in time.  It was built by John Flynn in 1891, and has 11 rooms.  It is constructed of local red mahogany, and the Flynn family lived there until 1979.  The house is decorated as it would have been a very long time ago, and included hand painted china, family photographs, and even a butter churn and a set of bellows.  The property is now maintained by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, which receives much help from enthusiastic volunteers.

Nearby is the koala hospital, which receives about 250 injured or ill koalas each year.  The small staff and volunteers are doing a fantastic job treating the animals, and running the hospital with no government finance.  Their funding comes from donations, gifts, sale of items from the small shop, and generous assistance from wealthier people who have a keen interest in the welfare of koalas.  A male koala can live for about 20 years if he has sufficient food and does not succumb to illness or predators (dogs, foxes, and dingoes).  It takes about one year for a newborn koala to grow big enough to suckle efficiently in the pouch, but cannot ride on mum's back until much older. The gestation period for a koala is 35 days and after birth the tiny new born instinctively reaches the pouch.

This hospital is a very important hub for people to call if they see a koala injured or in trouble.  It is a wonderful example of what donors and volunteers can do to assist wildlife.

Roto House, Port Macquarie.

Koala Hospital, Port Macquarie.

A volunteer feeding a blind male koala a mixture of Soy milk with an eye dropper.  He is fed this mixture twice each day.

This one has only three legs and one eye after being hit by a car.  She had a baby on her back, which needed to be separated to give mum a chance to have her rear leg amputated and then recover.  She will not be able to be released because of her vulnerability, but she is content in the location of the hospital.

Most of these koalas will spend the rest of their lives here as they cannot defend themselves from the predators in the wild.

The three legged one again.

Fresh eucalyptus leaves ara harvested each day and fed to the koalas.

Koalas sleep 20 hours each day and 4 hours eating.

Most have conjunctivitis and are partially blind or have chlamydia. ( A bacterial infection which is serious for the koalas)

Day - 55. Port Macquarie (6)

Ricardoes is one of our favourite places, where you can be given a bucket and scissors to harvest your own ripe, sweet strawberries.  They are grown hydroponically in very long hothouses with 10 rows in each.  There are four of these long hothouses, which are alternated by the grower for the pickers.

The same farm also produces delicious fresh tomatoes.

There is a small cafe, and a very large range of provisions made on site such as jams, chutneys, pickles, sauces, oils, honey, as well as fresh vegetables and eggs.

Ricardoes is located only about 10km out of Port Douglas.

Picking strawberries at Ricardoes.  You can see in the photograph how long the hothouse is, and also the white hydroponic pipes and clusters of strawberries.

Day - 54. Port Macquarie (5)

We took a drive to the Sea Acres Rainforest today, and walked along the elevated boardwalk through the trees and undergrowth.  Signage markers were present along the way, identifying various examples of the huge range of plants.  A recent serious storm has damaged the area and blown down a few of the extremely large trees with their attached vines.  The tree ferns (elk horns and birds' nests) were extremely high and HUGE.  Sometimes they become so heavy that they fall off the tree to the ground.

We were warned to be careful when holding the handrails, because there are numerous jumping ants which can give a very painful bite.

After the rainforest we drove to Tacking Point Lighthouse and a view of the beautiful sandy beach there.

A walk through the Sea Acres Rainforest was a pleasant experience today.

The elevated boardwalk and signage was very well done.

Even a place to take a rest under the canopy of the forest!!

The bird life in this relatively small area of native rainforest is diverse.

All within a few hundred metres of the ocean and only 10 kms from Port Macquarie.  This is Shelly Beach.

Day - 53. Port Macquarie (4)

The Uniting Church holds a market once a month, which was today.  We visited just for fun, enjoyed the church band playing, and ended up buying two (cheap) canvases to grace our walls at home.  Also a $4 maxi-skirt which may not fit.  In any case we have made donations to benefit the church.

Mid afternoon we took a walk through the caravan park and along the rock wall.  It was very windy and cool, but refreshing to be in the outdoors.

Scattered throughout the town are MANY koala statues, each about 1m tall.  All have been attractively painted and decorated, so perhaps there is some kind of competition for "best koala" in Port Macquarie.

The church band playing at the market today.

The bagpiper and the band playing a Scottish number.

One of the many decorated "koala statues".

The rooftop of our building has a hot tub, BBQ and deck furniture.

View of the caravan park looking across the breakwater to another sandy beach.

Day - 52. Port Macquarie (3)

Drove out to Timbertown near Wauchope which is about 20 km inland from Port Macquarie today.  The purpose was to visit the historic timber settlement as it was in colonial days.

Little has changed since it was a working logging town, although the buildings are now very old and tired.  It was interesting to watch a demonstration of a bullock team going through its routine of dragging logs out of the forest and pulling the timber jinker around as was done in days gone past.

A tour of the settlement included carpenters' workshops, a blacksmith's shop, fire station, living quarters, printing press, movie theatre, steam engine to haul logs, a working sawmill, hotel, school and many items of equipment from the past.

Then we went to the RSL at Wauchope for lunch.  The same people were still sitting at the poker machines, same people slouching at the bar, and a room full of women were yelling out "bingo" every so often.  Nothing much has changed since our last visit several years ago.

The sawmill settlement at Timbertown just outside Wauchope.

The bullock team getting ready for the demonstration.

The bullock train leader knew each bullock by name and they obeyed his commands extremely well.

The tiny school where 10 children could be taught at the settlement.  The hitching rail was for the kids who rode their horses to school each day.

Logs being sawn with a 3 bladed saw driven by steam.

A circular saw used to cut the timber into usable sizes for house building.

The fire station.

The blacksmith making anything including shovels, crowbars, barb wire, horse shoes or clothes lines.

The steam locomotive used to drag the logs into the sawmill.