Overnight rain came in waves, sometimes loud enough to wake me with the noise on the plastic window protector. Gusts of wind were strong enough to rock the Bushtracker. The maximum gust at Goulburn Airport was 87kph at 3.15am.
The rain had stopped by the time we were up and about. Hooking up was simple enough without the rain, and we were on the road just after 8.30am. We had planned our first stop to be the Pheasants Nest Service Centre, as this is the last place to pull over before committing to the series of motorways and tollways to get through Sydney.
We drove 150kms before reaching a roadside rest stop beside the Mooney Mooney Bridge. The only places to pull over on the motorways are for trucks or for emergency use only. The tollways cost $68, which should be enough to cover a couple of rest stops!
At the rest stop Tilly eyed off a bush turkey. She could not reach it because of her lead. The turkey demonstrated its contempt of her by scratching dirt and twigs over the silly Tilly.
The Hawksbury River was too rough for boats with white caps whipped up by the wind.
We drove for another 2 hours to reach Bulahdelah where we planned to spend the night. Our first stop was the dump site at the showgrounds. Camping there is not allowed so we tried the bowling club but it was full. We ended up at the newly constructed Big4 River Myall Holiday Resort. The caravan sites are very spacious so we reversed on and stayed hooked up. This type of caravan park has features we pay for but which we are unlikely to use – jumping pillow, water slide, camp kitchen, games room, tennis court, playground and glamping tents. The surrounds are attractive and we can see cattle grazing nearby.
A friend joined us for a cup of tea while Blue and Tilly spent time in their playpen. For dinner we walked 700m to Warung Peri for simple Indonesian food. Fortunately the rain held off until we had walked back to the Bushtracker.
Committed Travellers 