With Jim at Forster

22/01/2113
  More roadworks as we move south but at least we keep moving. As we drive we are bypassing lots of beautiful places just a few K’s to our left, on the coast. We see the signposts for these resorts and although we have visited some of them there are many we haven’t been to, and unfortunately, now , we are not likely to. We are now well and truly into New South Wales at Jims’ house in Forster and this will be as far south as we get in this state. After here we will be making our way west
 It’s really good to meet up with Jim again and have been made welcome by him. We have had a splendid dinner, plenty of grog and dismantled Newbold and it’s residents. ( In a nice way of course) We sat on his deck where you could hear the surf and feel the wonderful sea breeze, such a change to the stifling heat we have been having recently.

 23/01/2013
 When we visited Jim back in August he took us to the local beauty spot on the coast, a lighthouse at Sugar Point, overlooking Seal Rocks. We didn’t get out of the car! It was so wet and cold and miserable then, today we had another go. The forecast was for 80% chance of rain but thankfully they got it wrong and we actually climbed up the very steep hill to the lighthouse with fantastic views our to sea and along Seal Rocks Beach. It was overcast and windy but we got some good photos. We had a picnic lunch later by the side of Smiths lake, another lovely spot and still it didn’t rain. Back at Jim’s we had a leisurely afternoon on the deck with a couple of stubbies then walked down to the golf club for a superb crab, garlic and chilli dinner. Must get the recipe!
 Earlier in the day we had switched on the shiny thing for the first time in a couple of days, as we have had no connection. How odd is it that after being away from home for 20 months, suddenly, now we are on our way home, like London Buses we have emails coming one after another. Where the bloody hell have you been?!!

 24/01/2013
 It was good to meet up with Jim again, we have had a really nice couple of days with him but today we have had to move on. We hope we can get together at some future date. After a week and a half of moving south we have finally turned right and are moving due west. We got within 100K’s of Sydney when we turned and have travelled as far as the small town of Dunedoo, one hour short of Dubbo, making good headway. When we turned off the Pacific Highway we were on the outskirts of Newcastle and saw some enormous collieries. They have been mining coal here for years and it doesn’t show any sign of slowing up. Further on we skirted the Hunter Valley ( with many famous wineries) then drove into the Upper Hunter where there are more vineyards but also famous thoroughbred racing studs and stables. Everywhere you look there are lush green fields full of super looking horses, obviously a very wealthy part of N S W.
 From what we can gather from the news on the radio we have got away from Queensland just in time. It seems the Bruce highway is closed in three places by floods. The town of Tully is cut off having had 300mm of rain in 24 hours. The wet has finally arrived.  We, driving west through N S W are expecting temperatures to start soaring again and with it the threat of bushfires. We have already seen the evidence of previous fires as we have been driving. Just hope we don’t get tangled up with any of them.