Saturday, April 01, 2006

Hawk's Nest and Tea Garden

Just waking up at the Tea Garden Hotel Motel (Hol-i-day Inn?) where we spent our night being serenaded by the adjacent pub's Joe Cocker tribute band. Tribute may not have been the correct word, slander should be more appropriate. The local scene at the Tea Garden Hotel Motel Pub dance floor was akin to a train wreck, you really didn't want to watch what was going on, but it was hard to look away. Oh, the horror.

We rolled into town yesterday arvo, having stopped at a delictible prawn shack (pictured) for some late lunch / early supper. We then spent a few hours walking around the twin towns of Hawks Nest and Tea Garden, both about a three hour drive from Sydney. These are towns in flux, many properties for sale, presumably from Sydney holiday home owners trying to balance a falling real estate market. There is also the current legislation that will make this area a state marine park, effectively killing all recreational and commercial fishing. As this town sits on the Myall river and we saw no fewer that a half-dozen groups casually fishing on a Friday after work, not to mention those who fish for a living, the style of life would certianly be affected.

We had great dinner last night at a river bank cafe, fresh oysters and lobster that were swimming happily in the sea that morning, unaware that the bottom of my belly would be their resting place that night.

Today we are going to check out a koala habitat, drive across a car ferry to the other end of the isthmus, circling back around the scenic route towards the Hunter Valley wine regions on the way home.

posted by ncawthon at 2:20 PM