2 Germans, 1 Brit and 1 Wombat in a Car 3: Sydney to Newcastle and back

We left Sydney on 9th Jan and headed to Newcastle. We made a slight detour and headed to some of the many beaches North of Sydney, such as Whale Beach and Palm Beach. This was a taster for the majority of our journey north: beaches, beaches and more beaches!

We then went to the Kurungai-Chase National Park, just north of Sydney. Here the Kurungai Aborigines had left many cave paintings and engravings before being wiped out by smallpox a year or so after Europeans arrived. The park was probably the least impressive one I'd been to so far. The Red Hands Cave, where there were many hand paintings, was not as impressive as it was made out to be. Most of the hand paintings had faded, and you could only just make them out. We spent a while searching for the so called Echidna engraving site, but for one reason or another we just couldn't find it, however we did find another engraving site. Here there were several drawings cut into the rock, the most interesting one being a group of wallabees arching around two people.

Leaving the park we headed up to Newcastle and checked into the Newcastle YHA. Newcastle felt to me like a typical British seaside town, and I quite liked the relaxed atmosphere of the place. That evening we went out to a pub were there was some very good live music.

The next day we went on a tour of the Hunter Valley; one of Australia's premier wine regions. Our tour guide Graham with HADES (Hunter And District ExcursionS) took us through the valley explaining, with surprising detail, the history of the region. Our group was really small (there were only 5 of us), which meant the tour was hassle free, and we could explore the wineries at our own pace. In total we visited 5wineries, 2 cheese shops, an olive/jam/chutney place, a chocolatier and a liquor shop. In most we tried 5 or 6 wines, but in one we tried everything on their list! Luckily the tour included a massive lunch, otherwise we would've been wasted by the early afternoon. The liquor store had some unusual drinks for us to try, the best one being a chilli schnapps, which was so damn good I had to buy a bottle! It was a good day out and totally worth it.

Back in Newcastle after checking into our new hostel (we sort of forgot that we'd be spending the whole day drinking, and it wouldn't have been a good idea to drive anywhere, so we thought it would be best to stay another night, but the YHA was full), we went to the beach and went into town in the evening.

The next day we headed back to Sydney for our last night there. We made a quick trip to Bondi Beach. For all the hype of Bondi (internationally known and recognised as a great surf spot), it was a little disappointing. To me it just looked like a typical crowded beach, and there was little else to it than that.

The following day started on a sad note, as Ines was flying back to Germany. We dropped her at the airport and then Thomas and myself left Sydney and headed north on the next leg of our journey.

See my Facebook photo album which goes with this entry:

Adelaide to Cape Trib 5: Mountains, Wine, Beaches and Cities