At $75 per night this is the most expensive marina we have stayed in so far, but what luxury! The people working here are very friendly and helpful and have made us feel most welcome. Nothing is too much trouble. The first thing we did was have a shower in one of the en-suite bathrooms. Wow! I think this is probably the most luxurious bathroom I have ever had the pleasure of using. We even had Cat Stevens playing softly in the background while we had a shower. There is a lounge for marina patrons complete with TV, computer, complimentary wine and a borrow/swap library with some great books where we traded our old ones for some new titles. Along with trolleys there are courtesy bikes and a courtesy car available. We borrowed the car in the afternoon to do some serious food shopping.
It wasn't long before the wind picked up and howled in from the NW. There is a huge Weather Station screen outside the restaurant which details weather forecasts and displays current weather recordings. The strongest gust for the day was 32.2kn and the temperature 31 degrees. Boats and pontoons began to bounce about in the chop and we were glad to be on the inside of the pontoon. Peter had to adjust Rene's lines so that she did not snatch and jerk at the ropes. Walking along the pontoons was interesting as they rose up and down on the waves. During the day thick smoke blew in from hazard reduction burns that were fanned by the hot gusty winds. It made for a very colourful sunset.
On Wednesday we decided to take one of the local ferries from Nelson Bay to Tea Gardens, which is in the lower Myall River. This area is in the Myall River delta and is shallow with shoals, oyster beds and rocky outcrops up a winding channel. The ferry looked like a good idea as it would have been a bit tricky on Rene. Tea Gardens is an attractive community and we strolled up the river and through the town. At the Tourist Information Centre we collected a map and found an interesting looking walk on the other side of the river. Off we went, over the Singing Bridge and through the community of Hawks Nest, around Spiky Rush Swamp, on to Winda Woppa and finally, dear reader, to plain old Jimmy's Beach. Who thought of that name? After all the lovely romantic names of places in this area surely they could have come up with a more imaginative one for this gorgeous beach - maybe Seahorse Sands or Sandpiper Beach! (Actually Spiny Rush Swamp was one I made up, for the sake of a good story!! It did have Spiny Rushes in it.)
Beautiful BBQs at Tea Gardens
More streetscape art in Tea Gardens
Walking through Hawks Nest we could hear mournful music playing. We thought there must have been a church nearby, but no, a brass band was playing in someone's driveway. They were playing 'How Great Thou Art' and I managed to completely amaze Peter by singing along. I have not sung that hymn for nearly 50 years, since Elleker Sunday School days. I amazed myself!The ferry trip back to Nelson Bay was interesting as Peter began chatting with the ferry skipper and found that he had spent his life fishing and sailing and many years of them in this area. We now have some useful information about bays and anchorages in Port Stephens.
Someone Else
A new crew member has joined our ranks. I'm not sure if they're male or female, but Someone causes a lot of mischief on our little vessel. Peter will say, 'Someone has left the seacock on again,' or,
'Someone has flicked the nav lights on.' This in the middle of the day. Someone also hides various items of our clothing or notes down the weather forecast on my shopping list and uses up all the room and worst of all puts dirty footprints on a freshly washed deck. It's very irritating and if Someone is discovered at their little antics, they may be made to walk the plank!!!!!
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