The Lawn Bowling Club

Yesterday it was time for some pool-side sun soaking, although The Canadians have to be constantly aware of the intense sun on their winter-white skin. As such, we stick out on the beach, since the Aussies are just moving into Fall and have had all summer to work on their tans. The Recipe is; bake under a warm sun, oil if desired, turn frequently, no more than 30 minutes on a side; repeat each day as required until the golden crispy finish is achieved.

Australia takes a bit of getting used to; the cars drive on the opposite side of the road; the horses in a horserace run clockwise instead of counter-clockwise, pedestrians tend to walk on the left side of the sidewalk, and the sun is to the north; not the south. The sun orientation is particularly unnerving; it causes all of your decades of in-built sense of direction to fail. Likewise, at night the constellations are unfamiliar; the old reliable Big Dipper is absent, and in its stead is the Southern Cross - a strange sight for us.

After lunch we checked out the shops on Forster's main street, and discovered a pleasant cluster of shops and stores selling life's daily needs. Afterwards we headed out to explore the region and came across an historic grass airstrip in Old Bay. This was opened in 1930 as a major stopover on the pioneering airservice operated between Sydney and Brisbane, and is still operational today.

That evening we went for dinner at a Club; a favourite eating spot down here. Bowling Clubs, We had been informed that Golf Clubs and Surf Clubs often have large dining rooms attached and are noted for their good food at reasonable prices. So during the day we stopped in at the Tuncurry Lawn Bowling Club and checked out their menu; which looked very promising. Dinner service starts at 5:30 pm and continues until 8:30. We had been advised that a party of 39 had reserved for supper, and, given that this was a Saturday night in the middle of a holiday weekend, that we should go early, so we did. Promptly at 5:30 pm we signed in and walked into a very large dining room. We selected a table (#7), at the extreme edge of the dining room; overlooking the now-vacant lawn-bowling greens. At the far side of the room was the big, open kitchen; flanked on either side by a cafe counters. At one you order breakfast / lunch / coffees & deserts; and on the other counter you order the supper. Big chalkboards list the daily specials.



At the other side our table overlooked a sunken Cafe at the side, and a large bar ran the opposite side of the large room. Drinks were cheap; we obtained a full bottle of very good Chardonney wine for just $10, and a wide variety of draught beer was just $3.50 a pint.



To order you simply go to the dining-room counter and place your order, giving your table number, which will be . The restaurant specializes in fresh, local seafood, and to help you with your selection, it lays out fresh fillets, lobsters, whole fish, scallops, prawns, etc. on ice just behind the till. Prices start with a roast dinner at $9.50 and go up to T-Bone steaks or lobster at about $23. You get your choice of vegetables or salad, and potatoes or chips. I ordered the King Fish Steak, (equivalent to Halibut), and Jean had the Chilli Basil Prawns; both came fresh and well-cooked, with generous portions. Others at our table had Chicken Schnitzel, Chicken Kiev, and fresh oysters. All were pronounced excellent; Jay rated Australian oysters as tastier than their Canadian cousins, although not quite as good in texture, and not quite as large.



Following this excellent main we had to sample the local cheesecake, sticky pudding and expresso coffee. All were great value, and very fresh. The tab for two excellent fresh seafood meals, a bottle of wine, desert and two expresso's came to $57 - including all tips (there are none) and taxes - a bargoon!



The real eye-opener, however, was the size of the operation; within 30 minutes of our arrival there had to more than 300 people dining. How the staff managed to take the orders, cook and serve the excellent meals, bus the tables and keep everything running smoothly was truly a feat in logistics, the like of which I have never seen before. The closest I have witnessed are the 'eating machines' on the Clearwater / St. Petersburg strip in Flordia, but I would say that the Club outdid even these impressive operations. Young families, older seniors, and people of all ages descended on the dining room to feast, enjoy a drink, and watch some rugby on tv.



A brief; post-dinner tour of the facilities offered even more surprizes; in addition to the cavernous dining room and adjacent cafe, there was a very large and busy lounge in front. Adjoining this was a large VLT gaming room, and just to its side was an off-track betting facility with more lounging chairs, a full bar, and rows of TVs. In all, I would say that there had to be close to 450 people in the facility, enjoying at least part of its offerings. And this is in a community of just 18,000 people. As such, this Club was really more of the area social centre for all ages, and a bargain to boot! Obviously, there had to be many of the local visitors and residents in attendance on this Saturday night, but none more so that the person that was being paged when we were leaving; Mr. Stephen Harper! We never did stick around to meet the gentleman, but we left secure in the knowledge that he, too, knows as good deal when he sees one!


Still On the TTD [Things To Do] List for this Trip;

• Sample the Aussie Floater (see previous posting on this issue);
  
• Try out the Roo-Burger / Steak;
  
• Find out how to successfully treat venomous snake bites;
  
• Voyage beyond The Black Stump (i.e. - into the Outback - not the restaurant);
  
• Assess the collateral damage from a collision with a Roo in a vehicle not equipped with a Bull Bar;
  
• Find the missing member of our Party;
  
  
• Try out the infamous Tin-Tam Bomb, and once released from medical care, report back on its after-effects (more on this later);
  
• Investigate the indigenous Aussie Gyro-Copter.

So, as you can clearly see, there is still a World of Hurt out there, and we are determined to seek it out!

Aussie Oddities

• A well-equipped Aussie runabout; this baby sports two big Roo-Lites (fog lights); a large Bull Bar (bush bar), and a CB radio antenna.




• Always mindful of respecting local rules, we read this on a beach sign giving Do's and Don'ts. Even though it is obviously the No #1 permissible thing on this beach, we have absolutely no idea what Slip, Slop and Slap could possibly be!








• Kangaroos (Roos) are a national symbol of Australia; this is the rarely-spotted, here-to-fore unknown, indigenous Aussie Moo-Roo in its native setting! (you might need to double-click the image)
  
  
  
  
  
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[Below] Attention all Drivers: there is definately something on the road just ahead!