Sunday Drive - Waterfalls, Psycho Turkeys, Quirkiness & Chocolate Cake

On Sunday morning, Hubby Jas and I decided it was a good day to jump in the car and go exploring our new surroundings. So, we buckled the kids in the back seat and off we went. With no map and no real plans on where we were headed, we decided to try and find the waterfall that we had heard about a day earlier. 

Fifty kilometres of bumpy dirt road, a Barbie DVD, a toilet stop and multiple sand-fly bites later, we were standing at the top of Ellenborough Falls. Hubby walked out onto the viewing platform for a closer look, me joining him once I had convinced myself that the platform wasn't going to break off and fall (dramatically) to the bottom (serious fear of heights) and that neither of the kids could fit through the gaps in the metal bars (okay, slightly paranoid mother around heights). 

Ellenborough Falls

Bumpy dirt road which doesn't look so bumpy, but believe me it WAS bumpy

The Falls were breathtaking and well worth the trip. There is a little kiosk at the top of the Falls, run by a lady named Kim, who makes and sells a mean home made sausage roll. Be sure to look out for the psycho Bush Turkey that chased Little Girl around the parking lot a few times, with her screaming her head off and yelling 'Daddy, Daddy, the chooks? are chasing me'. Now before you go pulling out your copy of 'What Bird is That?', These birds are not really aggressive. I think this particular one was just after the kids' sausage rolls and not actually intending to peck them to death as my daughter believed at the time.

The kids enjoying their sausage rolls in the safety of the car (Bush Turkey still lurking )

The Bush Turkey in question (just look at that murderous bird) 

After the Falls, we headed off in a different direction which took us on yet another dirt road, through a few really cute little towns. I can only assume some of these towns were inhabited by artists, hippies and creative-folk alike, with many properties fronted with quirky letterboxes and other interesting works of art (or at least I think it was art).

Quirky Letterbox

Community hall with interesting bamboo archway

Bamboo work of art or something else???

Not so quirky letterboxes, but interesting all the same

During our road trip, we saw a deer farm and lots of dairy cows. The countryside was so lush and green. We passed a property named 'Lamington Drive' and another named 'Misty Mountain'. We also crossed lots of old wooden bridges, with fresh water from the falls running underneath.

Deer Farm (not a bad photo, seeing it was taken from a moving car, with me hanging out the window like a mad woman)

Token 'cows in paddock' shot

One of the many old bridges we crossed over

Before heading home, we finished off an awesome day out, with coffee and a yummy piece of chocolate cake, shared by all of us, from a cafe in Comboyne called Mad Cow or Udder Cow or something with Cow in the title (cannot remember exactly as I was overwhelmed with all the cow paraphernalia for sale that was hanging around the place).

Mmmm!

I really enjoyed writing about our day out and decided to try and make 'Sunday Drive' a regular story to share each week. So... be sure to check back next week to hear all the adventures of our next family road trip.

An Update on Our Sea Change

It has been 2 months to the day since we left our little unit in Sydney and headed north to Port Macquarie, in search of a new start and a new place to call home. It has been 20 years since I lived under the same roof as Mum and Dad, and despite my reservations before we moved in, it has been better than expected, so far. Although I am certainly not the same girl I was at 17, causing chaos and constantly keeping my parents on their toes. If anything, it is now my kids causing the chaos (of a different kind) and they are certainly keeping Mum and Dad busy.

Hubby Jas has landed a job already, which is just awesome. We thought it was going to take many months before one of us got some work. The job is in the IT industry, which Jas came from in Sydney. He has gone from working for a company of 900 employees to a job in Port Macquarie that includes just him and the boss. Undoubtedly, he has some adjusting to do here. And, I can't believe this job appointment included a new iPhone. I am now officially the only person in the whole universe who does not have an iPhone yet!

I am attempting to enrol Little Girl in preschool for 3 days a week. She is missing the interaction with her little playmates back in Sydney and I am missing time without kids. I can happily report that Little Girl is wearing undies (or as she calls them unny-pants) every day now and goes to the toilet on her own (insert ridiculous grin of a proud mother here). Our Baby Boy is now 10 months old and crawling super fast. He has 4 teeth and can say da-da, mu-ma and ba-ba. He also waves when I say bye-bye to him - precious times.

I cannot believe that I have moved 400 odd kilometres north of Sydney only to discover that the Sydney Funnel Web Spider is very, very common here in Port Macquarie. In the 37 years I lived in Sydney, I never saw a single Funnel Web and in the 2 months here, I have already seen at least 3 of them in the garden. If you can visualise this, I just did that thing where you stand up quickly and proceed to jump around, brushing off imaginary spiders from your body whilst saying ewwwwwww.

I am missing my Sydney friends and family, dreadfully at times, so we may have to plan a trip there soon. In the meantime though I'll be concentrating on getting to know the locals in Port.

Till next time,

Jode xx

This Little Piggy Went to the Markets

Last Saturday I spent the day with the fam cruising through one of Port Macquarie’s local markets. Although the day started out with rain, by the time we started walking through the stalls, sunshine had prevailed. I was pleasantly surprised with the quality and creativity of wares on offer. I managed to splurge on a couple of things, one of which was a vintage style journal. Made using the front and back covers of a young girl’s story book, circa 1975, this journal contains both writing and sketch paper. But, the thing I really love is that the journal also contains random pages throughout, which are extracts from the original storybook and other books of a similar age.

My Funky New Journal

My second purchase was an unexpected delight; a gorgeous summer dress for Little Girl. The fabric is cotton, predominantly in white with large red Hibiscus flowers and green leaves. It will be perfect for Christmas, which we are spending in a small beach side town with family. I would love to find a little pair of tan sandals to go with the dress, but if not, a pair of thongs will surely do the job.

Little Girl Trying Out Her New Dress

Little Girl was treated by Hubby, Jas to a scoop of mango ice cream in a cone, followed by some serious pushing time on the swings. We finished off our first outing in Port Macquarie by meeting up with my Mum and Dad at a waterfront café, with Little Girl getting another go at the swings. 

What has been YOUR all time favourite purchase from the Markets and which Market was it from?

A Moving Experience

It is 9 days ago now that I said goodbye to Sydney, my home for over 30 years. I definitely thought I’d cry when we left Sydney, but I didn’t.   I think making the decision to leave in the first place was the hardest part. Once that was over, it was just a matter of organising everything.

Aside from Hubby’s efforts, my Mum, Dad and Brother, E, were a huge help in loading up the truck with our masses of boxes and furniture. Dad drove the truck up the coast for us, Mum as his navigator and companion. I followed behind in my car, with Little Girl and Baby Boy fast asleep in the back and Hubby driving along side in his car.

Our last weekend in Sydney was enjoyed with friends and family at my favourite park in Palm Beach. It was a simple affair with sausages on bread rolls, some wine, some beer, a gorgeous chocolate cake and an awesome day of Sydney’s sunshine.

For now, we have parked ourselves at my parent’s place in Port Macquarie on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales. Our temporary home, until we find one of our own. 

It's still early days really and feels kind of exciting. Can't wait to discover what will happen next...

Have you ever considered a big move? To another state maybe or even overseas?