Camping on the Central Coast
Clive and I have just about returned from a camping trip which we finally got to do over the weekend. The weather on Saturday was lovely, so as I was working in the morning, we loaded up the car after lunch with tent, sleeping bags, Esky etc and headed north out of Sydney.
We’d decided to visit The Entrance, a small town on the Central Coast at the entrance (surprisingly!) of a large salt water lake. Clive had found a small campsite on the web that he thought would suit us, and we were keen to test the self-inflating mattresses, having found the hard ground impossible to sleep on when we camped in the Hunter Valley a year ago (yes, we’re really, really keen campers!).
The Entrance was buzzing when we got there at about 3pm. Unbeknownst to us, it was the weekend of the annual country music festival, and cowboy hats were everywhere! The crowds were mainly over a certain age though, so we didn’t feel threatened, and milled about enjoying the music with all the other tourists.
At 3.30 we watched the daily free show where pelicans are fed. This goes back years – a fishmonger began throwing left-overs to the local pelicans and they’ve been demanding fish at the same time every day since. Very politely though, not like greedy seagulls – they all gather behind the feeding ladies with their bills in the air and only get excited when fish guts come their way. Then it’s every pelican for himself!
At 5pm we decided to head for the campsite and get the chore of erecting the tent over and done with, so the important business of the day (eating, drinking, relaxing) could begin in earnest. First impressions were good – the site was small, across the road from a lake, and we had a choice of pitches. We opted for one opposite a young Asian couple who looked like they may have been students up from Sydney. At least, they drank beer like they were students!
We got the equipment out of the car, and then the rain started - so it all went back in and we joined it. Luckily, the rain didn't last for long and so the second attempt was more successful and we soon had a cosy-looking shelter ready, with mats inflated and ready to go! Time for food!
Sadly, the local pub had a private function going on, and as we’d had a couple of glasses of wine by this time, our only option for food was to walk to the local pizza place, or starve. The pizza tasted very good, eaten in the dark by the light of the shower block and with the last of the wine. We know how to enjoy ourselves!
The evening passed and it was time for bed. Excitedly, we crawled into the tent (you have to do that with a 2-man one!) and tried to sleep. And tried, and tried! Only then did we realise that the roads (there were 2 nearby) were very popular up until at least 2am, and we should have also noticed the bright campsite light when we were choosing our pitch. Consequently, no sleep was had that night. The mattresses were a great success though, and I really didn’t want to get off mine in the morning!
We spent the Sunday morning having a lovely 2 hour coastal walk, despite our lack of fitness at the moment. This was followed by fish & chips for lunch in Terrigal and then a quick visit to Avoca Beach further down the coast, where Clive had a quick dip in the sea where he quickly got flattened by the big waves. Then we headed home, dreaming of the great nights’ sleep we were going to have! What a lovely mini-holiday!
We’d decided to visit The Entrance, a small town on the Central Coast at the entrance (surprisingly!) of a large salt water lake. Clive had found a small campsite on the web that he thought would suit us, and we were keen to test the self-inflating mattresses, having found the hard ground impossible to sleep on when we camped in the Hunter Valley a year ago (yes, we’re really, really keen campers!).
The Entrance was buzzing when we got there at about 3pm. Unbeknownst to us, it was the weekend of the annual country music festival, and cowboy hats were everywhere! The crowds were mainly over a certain age though, so we didn’t feel threatened, and milled about enjoying the music with all the other tourists.
At 3.30 we watched the daily free show where pelicans are fed. This goes back years – a fishmonger began throwing left-overs to the local pelicans and they’ve been demanding fish at the same time every day since. Very politely though, not like greedy seagulls – they all gather behind the feeding ladies with their bills in the air and only get excited when fish guts come their way. Then it’s every pelican for himself!
At 5pm we decided to head for the campsite and get the chore of erecting the tent over and done with, so the important business of the day (eating, drinking, relaxing) could begin in earnest. First impressions were good – the site was small, across the road from a lake, and we had a choice of pitches. We opted for one opposite a young Asian couple who looked like they may have been students up from Sydney. At least, they drank beer like they were students!
We got the equipment out of the car, and then the rain started - so it all went back in and we joined it. Luckily, the rain didn't last for long and so the second attempt was more successful and we soon had a cosy-looking shelter ready, with mats inflated and ready to go! Time for food!
Sadly, the local pub had a private function going on, and as we’d had a couple of glasses of wine by this time, our only option for food was to walk to the local pizza place, or starve. The pizza tasted very good, eaten in the dark by the light of the shower block and with the last of the wine. We know how to enjoy ourselves!
The evening passed and it was time for bed. Excitedly, we crawled into the tent (you have to do that with a 2-man one!) and tried to sleep. And tried, and tried! Only then did we realise that the roads (there were 2 nearby) were very popular up until at least 2am, and we should have also noticed the bright campsite light when we were choosing our pitch. Consequently, no sleep was had that night. The mattresses were a great success though, and I really didn’t want to get off mine in the morning!
We spent the Sunday morning having a lovely 2 hour coastal walk, despite our lack of fitness at the moment. This was followed by fish & chips for lunch in Terrigal and then a quick visit to Avoca Beach further down the coast, where Clive had a quick dip in the sea where he quickly got flattened by the big waves. Then we headed home, dreaming of the great nights’ sleep we were going to have! What a lovely mini-holiday!
posted by Hawkins Family @ 8:24 AM
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