AUSTRALIA 2011: Exploring Port Stephens

AUSTRALIA 2011: Exploring Port Stephens (May 8-9, 2011)

There’s a lot to explore in Port Stephens, and the sand dunes just formed the tip of the iceberg. Port Stephens is a coastal region divided into several towns and seaside villages. All of them share the Pacific Ocean coast, but each village has its own beach or bay. We accessed the Stockton Beach sand dunes through Anna Bay, and we went on to discover some of its neighbors.

Shoal Bay and Tomaree Head

S H O A L  B A Y

After resting from our sandboarding adventure, we drove to Shoal Bay, one of Port Stephens’ many beaches. To our left we could see a silhouette of the jetty against the sun that’s just about to set, and to our right was Tomaree Head.

We enjoyed this gift of nature while watching the occasional group of birds scurry along the shoreline, and the sight was picturesque indeed.

The sun about to set, as viewed from Shoal Bay

N E L S O N  B A Y  M A R I N A

Yachts at Nelson Bay Marina

From Shoal Bay we headed to Nelson Bay, where we stopped for a while so the kids can use the playground to their heart’s desire. As the sun was setting on the horizon, we walked along the marina with the shops to our left and the yachts to our right. So many yachts and boats were “parked” on the marina, and they made such a pleasant picture against the setting sun.

Most of the shops were already closed (I still can’t get over the fact that they close at 5PM), but we managed to find one that was open and eat some gelato. Gelato in the freezing cold weather? Why not?

N E L S O N  H E A D  L I G H T H O U S E

The following day, we visited the Nelson Head Heritage Lighthouse and Reserve, which had a beautiful panoramic view of the area. From up there we could clearly see Shoal Bay, which is where we were the day before.

View of Shoal Bay from the lighthouse

Some artifacts in the museum

Aside from the beautiful view, we also got to learn a bit about history. The first light was installed at around 1872, and this is why they had a wealth of artifacts to show. All of these were displayed in their mini museum, which is what made the visit quite educational and interesting.

Lighthouse in action

The most interesting feature of the Nelson Head Lighthouse though is that it's an actual, functioning lighthouse. This isn't just a museum with artifacts, but it's something that actually still does what it's supposed to do. I've never been to a functioning lighthouse before, so it was a very enriching experience.

We had to climb up the lighthouse to see it in action, and this is where we talked to some coast guards. We found out that the Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol has been appointed trustee since 1990, and it was really fun seeing them in action.

L I T T L E  B E A C H  M A R I N A

Little Beach Marina

Watching pelicans at Little Beach

We proceeded to Little Beach Marina soon after, which is still part of Nelson Bay. Here we spent most of the time looking at seashells, watching pelicans, and just basically enjoying a view of the sunshine and the clear turquoise waters. The beach was deserted and picture-perfect, so we just took in all the sights with pleasure.

G A N G A N  H I L L

After all our beach explorations we went up to Gan Gan Hill, which is 160 metres above sea level. They have a lookout which offers a 360 view of Port Stephens and surrounding areas, and the view was just breathtaking.

Port Stephens as seen from the Gan Gan Hill Lookout

We even saw the massive sand dunes from afar, as well as the beaches we visited earlier in the trip. We still went go-karting after this, which was a whole lot of fun, but the Gan Gan Hill Lookout, to me, was the perfect way to say goodbye to Port Stephens.

P.S. I love you!

AUSTRALIA 2011: Sandboarding Adventure

AUSTRALIA 2011: Sandboarding Adventure (May 8, 2011)

Port Stephens is just about an hour away from Hunter Valley, so we were able to check-in at Horizons Golf Resort after our day of wine-tasting. We rented a two-bedroom house for two nights, because we needed all the rest we could get to energize us for the adventure that lay ahead.

T H E  D U N E S

Catching a ride to the dunes

Port Stephens is a large coastal area with beautiful white-sand beaches, sheltered bays, abundant marine life, and gorgeous parks. It is also home to massive sand dunes, covering an area of around 4,200 hectares. The first time I’ve been to sand dunes was when I went to Mui Ne in Vietnam. While I already found those dunes amazing, they were tiny compared to the sand dunes in Port Stephens. It’s just sand as far as the eyes can see, and we didn’t even get to see the whole expanse of it.

To go to the sand dunes we had to drive to Anna Bay, which also gave us a view of Stockton Beach. From here, there were several 4WD tour providers. After some negotiation, we boarded one 4WD tour bus, which took us to a 5-minute ride up and down the most beautiful dunes I’ve seen. The ride itself was fun and adrenaline-pumping. It made us understand why only licensed 4-wheel-drive vehicles can maneuver through the sand dunes and make it out alive.

Is that where we're going?

S A N D B O A R D I N G

The long way to the top

When we reached our destination, our guide gave us a quick lesson on how to go through sandboarding properly and more importantly, safely. The climb up was a little tiring, and it gets even more tiring the more times you do it, but the view up there was completely worth it.

We could see the vast sea, as well as some pocket forests and of course, more sand. From up there, it also becomes very clear how tiny the people where we came from are, so sliding down the massive dunes suddenly becomes daunting.

Down we go

The first slide is a bit scary, but the adrenaline rush it brings is amazing. There’s a proper way to do it, and I had to try it out a couple more times before I got it right and finally went all the way down. It was all good fun though, and the beautiful sunny weather made the day perfect.

C A M E L S

After a few hours of sandboarding, it was time to go back to Anna Bay. When we arrived we saw some tourists who were riding on camels. I've never seen a camel up close before, and to see camels in an actual desert was just so surreal. It looked like a scene straight out of a movie. I really must list down camel riding as one of the items in my bucket list.

It looked like a scene straight out of a movie

After watching and taking pictures with the camels, we drove around Anna Bay a bit as a preview of the wonderful Port Stephens scenery that we will be looking at tomorrow.

Anna Bay

H E A T E D  P O O L

Pool in front of our cottage

When we arrived at the resort, Tita Carmen still had to prepare lunch, so in the mean time we all took a dip in the pool. After all, we were pretty tired from sandboarding. However, while it was very sunny, it was also very cold, so it was a good thing the pool was heated. After some laps, we shivered our way back to the cottage for some lunch.

Sandboarding in Port Stephens, check!

AUSTRALIA 2011: A Hunter Valley Welcome

AUSTRALIA 2011: A Hunter Valley Welcome (May 7, 2011)

Like most of my dream destinations, I’ve placed Australia somewhere at the back of my head, for future use when both my time and my income will permit it. Not a lot is known about it as a country/continent/island, at least not as much as we know about, say, the United States. Aside from kangaroos and koalas, arid deserts and beautiful beaches, I never really associated Australia with anything else. But it is this mystery surrounding that land down under that has always intrigued me. Of course it helps that two of my mom’s sisters are already Australian citizens, which means I have more than enough aunts, uncles, and cousins to welcome me with open arms and tour me around if ever I do come over.

I already know that God is a God of perfect timings, and that He is a God who makes no mistakes. More than that, He is a God who makes dreams come true. So however this “Gia-visiting-Australia” plan was conceived and implemented (it happened, seamlessly, in a span of a few months), however He touched the hearts of the generous people who made this trip possible, and whatever comes out of the three months that I will be here, I don’t really know. The new adventures that await me and the paths I have yet to take are all hazy right now. But when we come to crossroads in our lives, all we can do is have faith in His plans for us. I may not be completely certain about the future, but I can definitely be certain about WHO's in control. And looking at how things are going, I can't wait!

H O N G  K O N G  S T O P O V E R

I left Manila on May 6 at around noon and arrived in Hong Kong by 2:40PM. This was the first time I flew to Hong Kong during the day (all my previous trips were at midnight), so seeing the Hong Kong skyline from the plane was a pleasant experience. This was also the first time I was actually alone and nobody was there to meet me at the airport, so the adventure was a welcome experience. Immigration was a breeze, and since my luggage was already tagged all the way to Sydney I just went straight to the currency exchange and ticket booth. Boarding the Airport Express, I got off at Kowloon station where Tita Dig-Dig met me.

Short Hong Kong stopover

The Ellis family recently moved to a new flat, and I got to visit them during my short stopover. The Arch is very near the Harbourside (their previous building), so it’s still accessible via the Kowloon MTR station. The views from the new building are even more spectacular than their previous one, so I was very lucky indeed. We ate early dinner at their clubhouse, and afterwards Tita Dig-Dig and Alicia accompanied me to the airport (via train and bus because we wanted to try the long way) for my 9:30PM trip to Sydney.

H E L L O  A U S T R A L I A

View from the plane

I flew Cathay Pacific (both to Hong Kong and to Sydney), so I was already able to check-in and choose my window seat beforehand. For the 9-hour trip to Sydney I didn’t have a seatmate, which was good because it meant I had even more personal space. Because I only have a very vague memory of my last long plane ride, I came armed with books and other things to busy myself with. However, I didn’t have much use for them because I ended up watching The King’s Speech (finally!) and sleeping.

When I woke up in the morning, we were already flying over Australia. My first view was of some mountains, and I could hardly contain my excitement. Soon the view changed to one of houses and roads, and so I knew we were getting close. When the plane finally landed, I had such a huge smile on my face.

That smile was still plastered on my face even when I knew I had to go through Immigration. This was a daunting prospect because the Immigration officer in Manila was so strict with me, asking so many questions and insinuating so many unwarranted (and completely untrue) things. Because of this I made sure I came prepared with every proof I had to show them, because it’s better to be safe than sorry. But Immigration was a breeze. They stamped my visa and passport without so much as a question, and even when I declared a few things the Customs officer didn’t even go through my bags. That’s what you call welcoming someone with open arms.

D R I V I N G  T O  H U N T E R  V A L L E Y

One of the old buildings in Cessnock

Tita Carmen and Tito Junjun met me at the airport, and we drove to Rooty Hill to leave my things and pick up Tita Anabelle and the kids. After a quick shower and packing my overnight bag, the gang was ready for the 2-hour roadtrip north of Sydney. We drove a very scenic route along the coast, taking the F3 (Sydney-Newcastle) freeway and going westwards as we exited and drove further to Cessnock.

A small city in Hunter Valley, its old buildings (some dating back to 1908) are very well-preserved, giving Cessnock a very quaint aura. As we drove into the Pokolbin area, which is the wine-tasting region, the scenery became every more picturesque with the beautiful vineyards and wineries. 

Hunter Valley

W I N E  C O U N T R Y

The vineyards up close

McGuigan's

Hunter Valley as a place is breathtaking. As the car lazily rolled by the almost-empty streets, I swear “The hills are alive with the sound of music” was playing in my head. The neat rows of grapevine extend as far as your eyes can see, with the Brokenback mountain range in the backdrop. 

Care for some cheese?

It was a clear sunny day as well, so the whole drive was so picturesque it almost didn’t look real. That said, the Hunter Valley is most known for one thing and one thing alone: WINE. As the “wine country” of New South Wales, it boasts of around 200 wineries.

Tamburlaine wine tasting

The first winery we visited was called McGuigan’s, where we started our wine-tasting experience. We started off by tasting the cheese, as well as other spreads that they had.

We then went on to the wine, starting with the whites and moving towards the reds. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted so much variety of wine in my life, and until this day I never realized that wine is capable of having so many different flavors – some dry, some sickeningly sweet, some crisp, and some comforting.

We also visited Tamburaline to make our wine-tasting experience even more complete.

By the end of the day we’ve each had our fair share of wine (except Tito Junjun who was driving and the kids who obviously couldn’t have any). The whole trip was the perfect “Welcome to Australia” toast, and I couldn’t really ask for more.

A walk (and a welcome) to remember