The Central Coast and Hunter Valley

June 4 – Central Coast

We awoke to sunny day for our exit from Sydney. Pretty typical that the weather on the weekend is the pits but Monday is gorgeous. We navigated our way out of the city without trouble and headed down the highway to the Central Coast. Our first stop was into the Kariong info center which is the gateway to the Central Coast. We stopped in the city of Gosford for some gas and groceries before continuing on the Terrigal. In Terrigal we found some waterfront bbq's and grilled up some yummy chicken wraps. We then had a walk up to the look out where in the distance you could see some whales. They were too far away for the camera to get a picture but we kept seeing bursts of spray. We had a little walk around the reserve before hopping in the van and heading up to The Entrance. We arrived in time for the daily Pelican feeding. I'm not entirely sure why they do the feeding whether it's for conservation or a tourist gimmick. It does however allow them to keep an eye out for injured Pelicans. The feeders noticed one in particular had what looked like stitches in his lower beak and it looked very inflamed. They couldn't get him in close enough to see what it was or to grab him so they could help. It quickly became apparent that it was a type of fishing hook when the poor pelican got hooked onto another one. The one pelican tried to fly away and dislodge the injured one but was unable to. Two of the women doing the feeding jumped into the frigid water to untangle the two birds. They got them untangled and the uninjured one flew off. They got a hold of the injured bird and brought him back to shore. Turns out it was a gang hook and had pierced his pouch in several places. They were going to take him to a vet to have it removed and get him some antibiotics. After all the excitement Beau and I took a walk along the waterfront and then back into to town to look for a new watch for me (mine fell off yesterday) and a bank machine. We didn't have any luck on either front so we headed to a holiday park just up the road at Canton Beach. There we made stir fry for dinner and had a cuppa of Milo.

Terrigal Beach, where we had lunch

The Lookout

Overlooking the coast to the south of Terrigal

Pelican Feeding

Poor mister pelican

Awesome Moon Rise, turns out there was a partial eclipse that night

June 5 – Hunter Valley

It was windy when we woke up but we had a little change of pace and enjoyed some crumpets for breaky. We decided to head inland to the Hunter Valley since the day was a bit gloomy and there is nothing like some wine tasting to brighten it up. We went out on a limb and stopped into one of the first wineries we saw, Ernest Hill Wines. They charged a small tasting fee but we enjoyed a chat to the owner while having a taste of their wines. She gave us some tips on other wineries to check out while we were there. Next we popped into the visitors center where we got a good map of the region and were assisted but a very unenthusiastic girl. Back in the van we made some guacamole for lunch to have with some yummy tortilla chips. Our next stop was Peterson House which was once called the Champagne House but since you aren't allowed to call sparkling wine Champagne unless its from the region in France they had to change the name. Obviously they specialized in bubbly which Beau and I haven't really drank much of before. We tried a couple of red sparkling wines and while they weren't bad it was just strange to have a chilled, bubbly red wine. Our host was actually a Canadian woman from Victoria who had also lived in K-town for about 10 years. Small world ehh. On site there was also Hunter Valley Chocolate Co. They had all sorts of delicious looking chocolates but they cost way more than I would ever spend. There were a couple of samples but they were just boring dark, white and milk chocolate. For our next stop we drove across the street to Hungerford Hill Wines. There we had a lovely tasting. Fortified wines are very popular in Australia and Beau is acquiring quite a taste for them. As birthday treat we bought a Liqueur Muscat but obviously he has to wait a couple days before he gets any. The winery had free Wifi so we had a quick check of our e-mail and while we there we also got the down low on a brewery tour. We still had an hour before the tour so we jumped up the road to Ballaboureen Wine Co. We had a nice tasting there as well. On site is also an outlet for Pukara Estate which is an Olive Oil and Vinegar company. We tasted all sorts of flavour olive oils including a yummy garlic one and hot chilli one. We passed on the vinegars though as it was getting close to beer time. We headed down to the Hunter Beer Company and got a tour of their small yet successful operation. We also got to try three different beers a kolsch, a whit and a third. I tried an India brown ale while Beau tried the Bock. They also had some interesting types like Sour Cherry and a wine beer which was almost like a fortified beer. We had been chatting with a couple of girls from Sydney through out the tour so we joined them at the bar for another beer. I tried a Ginger Beer which I really liked and Beau had the Coco Mama, it was like a stout. We talked with the girls about our travels and then we all decided we were hungry so we got some pizza. It was pouring down rain outside and then it hit me... we left the roof vent open in van...doh!! Beau ran out and closed it and had to mop up a bunch of water. Fortunately nothing was damaged just wet. We talked with the girls till about 9 and then went our separate ways. We did however get their contact info in case we come back to Sydney. We drove out to the village of Broke along a bumpy wet road to a free campsite. Luckily when we arrived the rain had stopped and the trees around sheltered us from the wind.

June 6 – Hunter Valley to Port Stephens

Last night was supposed to be an awful storm but I think we got luck and the bulk of it missed us. After some breakfast and guitar we headed over the the BlueTongue Brewery in hopes of a tour or tasting. We were disappointed on both fronts though as the beer is no longer made on site and the tasting was a little steep. We popped across the street to the Binnorie Dairy and had a little cheese tasting of some locally made cheeses. There was also Tuscany Wine Estate so we decided to check out their selection. I thought their wines were underwhelming and at first I thought it could be because I'm getting a cold but Beau had the same thought too. The lady who helped us was also not very helpful and any time I asked a question it was answered with well it depends on your taste. Our next stop was Mistletoe Winery which had been suggested to us on several occasions. They had some very nice wines including the only white fortified wine in the valley. As a part of their wine shop they had paintings and sculptures from local artists for sale on display. It is nice to see locals helping locals. We continued on the Tintilla Estate Wines and Olive Grove. We got to try some different types of olives as well as a yummy olive and wine spread. I really wanted to get a jar of the spread but at $16 a jar it was a little out of our normal grocery budget. They also had some nice wines to taste. We headed out of the Hunter Valley and into the town of Maitland. We got some gas and then made naughty chicken wraps for lunch. They were naughty because we bought McD's chicken bites and some fries and put them in wraps with tomato and avocado, the chicken not the fries. We went into the library in town for a little bit and Beau got his site updated. It had been raining on and off all day and was starting to rain more on than off. We hit the road to Port Stephens and Jimmy's Beach Caravan Park. We arrived at the park about 5:20 and the office was already closed. The guy answered the door though, gave us a bathroom key and said see me in the morning to pay. Okay, very trusting guy. It was raining quite heavily but there was a break in the rain for a little bit so we were able to heat up some canned stew in that time. It continued raining on and off all night and was quite windy.