Port Macquarie (continued).

Last seen entering Bogo Maze!

We're in there somewhere!

I'd have been back on the air sooner, if we hadn't gone to the blasted Bogo Maze! It was really hard!! 

Actually it was a lot of fun. It is situated at the Bogo Winery, so once we escaped we were able to recover tasting some delightful local wines. It was a beautiful day, and the scenery around the winery was quite spectacular. For those interested, the Bogo Maze and Winery is about 15kms out of Wauchope, with the turnoff right in the middle of town at the roundabout.

Sundowner Breakwall Caravan Park.

Rainbow lorikeets feeding.

We had a great time at Port Macquarie. After all that rain, we enjoyed a lovely long spell of warm dry weather. We are finding that by staying a few weeks in a location, we get to know the town really well, and start to feel like locals. The added benefit around Port, is that we have a few friends in the area as well. Since last writing, management at the park has responded to all the complaints, and the lawn mowing brigade has been on constant duty, so the park now looks a picture. We have had some lovely neighbours come and go during our stay, especially Wendy & Barry, who stayed a couple of weeks. They come from Norahville, on the NSW Central Coast, and have been caravanning for 50 plus years. We had several happy hours talking over all our adventures. Another neighbour by the name of Jim, worked for the company that sends the tankers to pick up cousin Lindsay's milk at the farm. He was also a pretty good fisherman, and provided us with fresh bream for dinner one night!

Along the beautiful Coastal walk.

We caught up with Julie & Ron Daniel, the friends we met on the road in our first year, and who have settled in well at nearby North Haven. They drove up from North Haven, to join us for dinner and drinks one evening. We chose a lovely little Italian restaurant in town, called Cafe 66. It was doing a roaring trade on a Tuesday evening, due to its two for one pasta night. Washed down with a couple of bottles of nice red wine, It was all very tasty. Julie & Ron have really settled in well to the mid north coast lifestyle, both looking fit and well.

Rivermark Cafe.

Of course we sussed out the best coffee in town. We especially liked a little place called The Milk Bar, up on the hill under one of the new resort blocks. We would do our walk along the main beach and up to Flagstaff Hill, and then be really in need of coffee on the way back. It was always very busy, and sitting down looking out over Town Beach was pretty nice. The other one we liked, was Rivermark Cafe, where we went with Robyn & Margaret. This time we each had our own muffin, which was really exciting! It is a lovely spot beside the river, and those home made muffins are really good. 

Carolyn & Marg on
 the Lighthouse walk

Carolyn after the Lighthouse walk.

We spent a lot of time with friends Charlie and Marg, which was fantastic. It is such a nice benefit of a longer stay. For those of you who don't know, we purchased our business, Gaymoir Products from Charlie and Marg, and they moved to Port Macquarie, not long after that. They each 

have a brother who lives in the area, and have settled in fantastically. Marg is a ball of energy, and is into heaps of different activities, like long walks, badminton, table tennis, dancing and others, and she took Carolyn in tow. Morning walks that started at 6.00am, before the sun had risen, with Marg, her brother Arthur, and Carolyn off for two hours three days a week, and culminating in a huge walk undertaken by Marg and Carolyn, all the way to the Lighthouse and back, a total distance of 15kms. They literally packed a cut lunch. It is a serious walk with lots of steps, and they returned pretty exhausted.

John & Charlie off to golf.

Charlie and I chose less strenuous pursuits, namely Golf. We had 18 holes at Charlie's home course, Wauchope Country Club, and 9 holes with a bunch of guys, who play a fun 9 hole comp at Port Macquarie Golf Club, on a Monday afternoon. Both courses are in great condition at the moment, and very challenging. I won a ball in the 9 hole event for nearest the pin, so was happy enough with the way I hit the ball.

We had dinner at Charlie and Marg's, we had dinner at the caravan, and we had dinner out, giving Charlie and Marg their first taste of Mexican food. It was a great night and I think they'll go back in the future. All in all, we had a wonderful catch up with Charlie & Marg.

We also had Lindsay and Myrelle give us a call, to let us know they were coming over to Laurieton for a fast trip, to mow the lawn and tidy the garden at their holiday house. So we headed down to Laurieton for the day to give a hand with the gardening and then take in lunch at the club. Lindsay also took time to visit his local professional fisherman, to stock up his freezer with fresh fish, at unbelievable prices. He has got some contacts that boy!!

Artwork along the breakwall.

When we weren't out with friends, we just settled back and took in the sights and sounds of the caravan park. Each afternoon, the Rainbow lorikeets would come flashing through the caravan park in their hundreds, flying like kamikazes, chirping like mad, and settling into the trees to feed on the fruits in the palm trees. The breakwall walk is always full of walkers, joggers and people just taking a stroll, and the evenings are always full of happy sounds.

Along the way we did manage to find a market or two. The Fresh Food Market at Wauchope was pretty good. They even had a Gospel Choir singing up a storm, and the adjoining Trash 'n Treasure Market must have sold out of Treasures before we got there! There was another Saturday market along the walkway behind the Westport Bowling Club, that had some interesting stalls. It also had some home made jams and sauces at outrageous prices! Small jars for $13.50. The guy looked horrified when I asked if they'd put the wrong price stickers on! Lucky we weren't charged a dollar a taste!

Doing it tough in Port Macquarie.

We celebrated a little anniversary on March 21st, 32 years since we went on our first date. So we took ourselves off to Port Macquarie's celebrated eatery, "The Stunned Mullet". It sure lived up to all the hype, and we had an absolutely magnificent dinner, showcasing the wonderful fresh seafood of the region. A glass of champagne, a view out over Town Beach, and 32 years of wonderful memories, with many more to be made. Our life is good!

We had a fantastic stay in Port Macquarie, and we did have time to get back to Miss Nellie's Cafe in Kendall, for one more of those delicious Finger Lime Cheescakes!

Now it is off to the farm for the Easter break.