Forster calls us back

Since the last post from Port Macquarie, we have backtracked again. Now back in Forster, having stayed 2 nights in Harrington en route. Why are we back here?  We are getting serious about this area. We want to explore land options here, more thoroughly.

But first let us look at where we've been in the last couple of days. We needed some wine glasses, so...

Cassegrain Winery, off the Oxley Highway, near Port Macquarie.  Also bought a feisty little durif, a Stone Circle champagne and some chambourcin jam. You walk through this aromatic cellar to reach the tasting area, it's rather nice.

Then we did a side trip to Cowarra Dam, on the Hastings river, about 5km from Wauchope. No idea why we went there, but it's a lovely little spot, beautifully developed with lots of indigenous artworks by the Birpai nation.

Further south to Harrington, a little beach town on the Manning river.

Tuesday was a vicious day, sheets of rain and a stroppy wind. We arrived in the middle of the afternoon and struggled to get set up. Harrrington is famous for its very long breakwall and you can see the ocean all whipped up and wild on the seaward side.

 It cleared a bit and we went to Crowdy Head where there is a very historic lighthouse, plus some amazing houses looking over stunning views.

Woke to blue sky on Wednesday and went exploring on our bikes. 

The breakwall at Harrington is an amazing piece of engineering, all the more so because it was constructed around the turn  of the last century, using steam engines to pull huge blocks quarried from nearby Crowdy Head. The sandbar entry was treacherous and changeable and more than 50 boats were wrecked in the area. It was sobering to imagine traversing that stretch of water. Pilots were needed to bring them in. This was in the days before huge diesel trucks and freeways, when the sea was the easiest transport corridor. It was also in the days when the banks of the Manning were covered with huge stands of cedar, sadly no more. We wondered how beautiful it must have been before "civilization" arrived. 

Civilization in the form of Kylie's Munchies where we had a huge and pretty good lunch for under $20

and the Harrington Hotel where the oysters and jewfish were just the best thing.

We also visited Harrington Waters, a new housing development nearby. Strange little place, featuring European landscaping, hedgerows and topiary, with a Village Square and even some terrace housing. I called it Little Britain and David called it Midsomer. Don't think we'll be buying into it, but we did visit some display houses, which was very informative.

Finally, a sunset shot (of course).  This was from Crowdy Head.