the world is a crumb: Anna Bay (Stockton Bight) and a rainy camping week

7.11.06

Anna Bay (Stockton Bight) and a rainy camping week

[mileage: 1204km] After the Blue Mountains we went back to Sydney for a night. (for documents like TFN and bank cards etc.) After some raining days we camped between Sydney and Newcastle and decided to stay one night in hostel in Newcastle. We met a German guy from Köln who was traveling by bus. He never was on a beach in Australia before and so we decided to take him in our car on a beach even if it was raining. We got the tip that in some libraries you can use internet for free or even cheaper than in internet cafes. Around midday we drove to Nelson Bay just because it was written in the Lonely Planet. The first point of interest was the village “Anna Bay and Stockton Bight, the longest moving sand dunes in the southern hemisphere”. Well thought that sounds interesting and it was just great! We camped there for another night and drove north along the coast trough Tea Gardens, Hawks Nest and visit some incredible beaches and towns. Goal for night was Seal Rocks. We cooked some pasta in a National Park Camping area and after a spider attack we decided to go to sleep soon. The next days were a mix of rain and sun and quite cold temperatures. I was using my only jeans too often. Over the towns Forster, Tuncurry, Taree, Harrington, Crowdy Head we camped the next night near Diamond Head in the Crowdy Bay National Park, a wonderful place with a beautiful beach. Just the rain didn’t stop and so we spend the night under a barbecue roof with some wine, some kangaroos and an English backpacker couple. We had a nice conversation and the shared some experiences about Australia and gave us some helpful tips. Next day we followed the coast north and I arranged 2 hosts via hospitalityclub for the weekend in Port Macquarie and Kempsey in small library in Laurieton. After that we searched for a good place to stay for the night. Jens idea was a picnic area somewhere in the forest near a lake, only access able on a 4WD only road. My idea was a picnic area on a beach (toilets, cold shower, Barbie’s -> Barbecue) I saw from the street in the village Bonny Hills. After a longer discussion we went into the forest. 2 hours later and 10 km odyssey through mud, stones and holes with 5km/hour the fucking trip ended in front of a toppled tree and an absolutely dirty car. After that trip even Jens the “4WD tracks explorer” had enough from unsealed 4WD roads. We spend the night in the picnic area in Bonny Hills and next morning we drove to Port Macquarie.