December 30: Mmmm…That’s Some Tasty Kangaroo…or is it Crocodile?!

We started our day much the same as the day before with a bowl of cereal and some conversation with our hosts. We gathered up our luggage as we prepared to depart for the next leg of our journey.

Brian and Leslie hopped in their car and led us to a koala hospital so we could see it before we left. The hospital was a neat little place where injured and sick koalas could be treated, restored to good health, and then re-released into appropriate locations in the wild. It housed about 20 koalas ranging from one that was completely blind, to another that had narrowly escaped death in a brush fire. They were really cute and seeing them seemed to be a must for any visitor to Australia.

Afterward, we said our goodbyes to Brian and Leslie and then we were rambling down the road once more. Our next destination was Sawtell which bordered Coffs Harbor. But first, we would make a couple of stops along the way.

Our first stop was lunch at the famous “Fredo Pies!” It was located right along side the highway in a mostly rural area. Out front were many iconic American likenesses of Marilyn Monroe, including one of her perched high atop a pole. Australians are big on meaty pies. We’ve come to a realization, though, that most of the pies taste very similar to one another despite the different meats used. We also decided that they aren’t anything special (at least the ones we’ve tried). They are very akin to the chicken pot pies we grew up on. They are comprised mostly of a thick gravy filling which sort of dominates over the taste of the meat. We even tried a kangaroo pie and a crocodile pie…nothing to it!

Full of crocodile and kangaroo (though we couldn’t tell for sure which was which) we now pointed ourselves toward Doorigo National Park. Doorigo is a rain forest area known for its lush vegetation and abundant wildlife. The drive up through the mountainous countryside was one of the most picturesque we’ve ever seen. It was absolutely beautiful! The rolling hills of bright green grass scattered with large thriving trees were a sight to see. Much of the way a beautiful river winded alongside the road. The entire area looked like a perfect landscape for a movie set in the countryside.

Before long we arrived at Doorigo. We grabbed our trusty camera and tripod and set off to hike through the rainforest. The hike was amazing. I would have never expected such a rain forest anywhere in Australia. My mind had always conjured images of the desert outback or the emerald beaches; it never occurred to me that rain forest could be here as well. We hiked through dense vegetation and large looming trees that must have been hundreds of years old. We came across spectacular waterfalls and even a few little critters. We spotted a variety of spiders, birds, turkeys and lizards. At one point we were surprised by a little kangaroo that jumped across our path! A little later, we came across an echidna (which I ignorantly mistook for a porcupine). Apparently, as we would learn later, an echidna looks very similar to a porcupine except that it is actually a marsupial. We both took turns trying to photograph the little guy and it was fun playing the part of the wildlife photographer! The entire walk was so peaceful and yet invigorating at the same time. We wished other people could be there to experience it with us!

Once we emerged from the forest back to the information center at the starting point, we were surprised to find that we were the only ones left! When we had arrived earlier that day, the parking lot was crammed full of cars, and tourists were bustling about. It was kind of eerie because a thick fog had crept over and the deep silence only increased the feeling.

On the road yet again, we were now journeying on to Sawtell and our third and final couchsurfing hosts. Following our hosts’ directions, we exited the highway and meandered up a dirt road to the quaint farm house of Greg and Sue Elkins. We were immediately greeted with glasses of wine and a delicious dinner! Sue can really cook! She informed us that she always prepares a new dessert anytime she has guests over, and we were no exception to the rule. I don’t remember the name of the desert, but it was delectable.

We chatted for quite awhile and found that Sue and Greg were another set of very interesting and friendly couchsurfing hosts. By this point, Sarah and I were both forever convinced that couchsurfing is a wonderful thing! We just could not get over how accommodating and friendly these delightful people could be to some random strangers! I particularly enjoyed couchsurfing because of the very different types of people we met who all shared differing philosophies, careers, ages and lifestyles, but all shared the common belief in befriending others and accepting people with open arms regardless of who they might be, what they believe in, or where they come from. I just love it!

Anyway, getting back on track here…we all headed off for bed at a much earlier hour than we had become accustomed to with Brian and Leslie back in Port Mcquarie. Brian and Leslie were a couple of night owls, whereas Sue and Greg preferred to be early risers, hence early to go to bed.

As for our accommodations with Sue and Greg; they were impeccable. We would have our very own cottage-like room disconnected from the main house and out in the garden. Since it was dark and we were in the country, Greg suggested using “a torch” to find our way safely out there. Momentarily perplexed by the proposition, we soon realized that “torch” is Aussie-talk for “flashlight”.

Torch in hand, we easily found our way to our sanctuary in the garden. It was very charming and comfortable. We climbed into bed and talked about how nice everything had been, as we drifted into slumber once more.

December 29: Constructing a Perfect Day

In my half-dreaming half-waking state, I could have sworn I heard the sounds of hammering and a child talking to Sarah. Glancing over at the clock, I realized that I had slept in later than intended and Sarah wasn’t in bed. Upon hearing the thuds of hammers and a kid giving orders, I realized I hadn’t been dreaming. I peered out the window to see Sarah wearing a child’s tool belt and helmet. She and Logan were apparently doing some work on the deck. I threw on some clothes and went out to get a closer look. Sarah looked so cute out there working with Logan. I just had to take some pictures. To tell the truth, she looked really sexy in her dress along with her playful construction worker outfit. She reminded me of a model in one of those fun photo shoots where they wear a fireman’s helmet and hold an axe or something.

After breakfast, Brian and Leslie were eager to show us around town. They first took us to a bank to exchange some more currency. Then we made a short walk down to the ocean alongside downtown Port Macquarie. It was a very nice little area. Brian is the supervisor over all the city facilities in Port Macquarie, so he pointed out all of the various buildings which he helped to restore or provide upkeep to. After a little more walking and talking, we piled back into their car and drove out of town a little ways to a kind of VFW club and had lunch at the restaurant there. It was quite good and the price was great.

Bellies full, we were off to more sightseeing! We stopped at a very picturesque lighthouse where we had hoped to see dolphins swimming in the surf below. Unfortunately, no dolphins were visible this time, but we still had an amazing view of the ocean, the beach below, and the storm clouds mustering in the distance. The whole scene was terrific!

Our next stop was a small protected park area high atop a nearby peak which gave an awesome view of Port Macquarie and the entire surrounding landscape below. At this point, Logan was very attached to Sarah! He was constantly taking off her big hoop earrings and somehow putting them back on for her. Sarah seemed pretty courageous to be letting the little tyke jab those things back through her ears!

On our way back down, Brian drove us through a campground where he was certain we would get to see some kangaroos. Upon arriving, the campground was swarming…with campers. The normally deserted spot was very busy for the holiday season. As a result, there were no kangaroos to see. We were okay with that, though. We had had a wonderful day!

On our way home (I say “home” because that’s how comfortable it was for us) we stopped at a grocery store. Brian and Leslie grabbed a few items for making supper and Sarah and I took care of the ice cream for dessert. We also grabbed a couple of six-packs of different Australian beers.

As we left the store, we were delighted to see a group of kangaroos perched atop a small hill amongst some trees in the empty lot bordering the supermarket parking lot. I immediately went into photographer mode and crept up on the famed animals to snap some photos. They allowed me to get pretty close before they hopped away into the trees and out of sight. In the most unlikely of places, I saw my kangaroos after all!

Once we arrived at their house, Brian began cooking dinner as we sat and chatted with Leslie. Before long, we were eating a delicious Italian dinner and having more good times together. After dinner, we went down to the beach for a stroll just after the sun had set. We walked in the frigid water, which didn't feel all that bad since we were surrounded by the warm summer air. There was no way we were going to swim in it, though!

Returning to the house, we watched “Mama Mia” as we drank a few of our Australian brews. For some reason, Australians (and Japanese too, I might add) love this movie. It was bearable…thanks to the beer. But I am not much of a musical kind of guy. After the movie, Brian and Leslie popped in a DVD of some Scottish comedy T.V. programs. Brian and Leslie had moved from Scotland to Australia about 15 years ago. The shows were…interesting. It’s funny how low budget T.V. shows from countries other than America appear to be. That may sound like American arrogance, but it is true.

After a long and fun-filled day, we were off to bed. As usual, we were sound asleep in no time at all!