Nelson Bay

While laying on the beach and sunning by the pool each have their delights, we headed out early one morning to explore the nearby surroundings. The countryside is full of beef cattle, and amidst lush, rolling hills there are thick forests which are home to Koala Bears, although we have yet to spot one in the wild. However, the Kangaroos are everywhere, and come in all sizes. They are wild, but are accustomed to the cars and people, so you will find them grazing unconcerned on your lawn and gardens. Thrown into the mix is the odd Wallaby; a smaller, brown version of the Roos, which are mainly a dull gray in colour. So the Kangaroo is a national symbol that all but tourists think of as pests, much like our own Canadian Geese.

We took one of the old and dependable ferries from an aptly-named town called Tea Garden, across the bay to the resort town of Nelson Bay. The trip took one hour and allowed us to see some of the wildlife living in the area, including Bottleneck Dolphins, Pelicans, Herons, and many other types of birds. The one claim to fame for the little town is that it almost became the Capital of Australia. This was during the 1920s when the nation was looking to establish a permanent Capital in its own right, instead of using the old Colonial Offices in Sydney. In fact, it looked so good that plans were drawn up showing an Official Residence, a large central Plaza containing the Parliament Buildings, and broad, tree-lined streets radiating away from the plaza. Alas, the towns dreams of glory were shattered when the decision was made late in the game to switch the choice of Capital to Canberra, where it remains today. All of the land speculation that had skyrocketed local property values went bust, the hustlers and speculators deserted the place, and it feel back into being a sleepy little fishing village.

At the outbreak of The Pacific War in 1941, Nelson Bay got a huge shock; the Americans showed up, dredged out the harbour, and turned the entire town into a huge military bases. Just off the water they built large wooden barracks, machine shops, administration offices and warehouses. The bay was crammed with all kinds of military and commercial vessels, and the entire town was fenced off. The local residents had to sign in and sign out every time they accessed the town. But then the war ended, the base was abandoned and the town was once more just another fishing village on the east coast of Australia.

However, since the 1960s it has begun to enjoy success as a vacation spot; thanks to its proximity to Sydney and other Australian cities. With sandy beaches, warm climate, a wide but protected bay and with the deep ocean just offshore, the area sees a constant steam of fishermen, tourists and Australians spending time at the water, and has developed a harbour-front centre to house all of the accoutrement that goes along with this; dive shops, surf shops, restaurants, tacky tourist souvenir shops, and outfitters. The area is also renowned for its excellent seafood and oyster farms.

We noted that Nelson Bay, like many of the towns that we have driven through, retains an active and bustling town centre; unlike most North American towns. A key to this is the lack of the suburban mall, which sucks the life out of a town, and the absence of the Big Box blight that contributes to the demise of a city centre. Instead, the Australians have put just a single lane of traffic down many of their main streets, and used to the extra space to widen sidewalks to allow for landscaping, outdoor cafes and diagnol parking. This slows down the traffic and creates a warm and friendly place to shop, stroll and linger.

Aussie Oddities

If you are driving Beyond The Black Stump, (in the Outback) you want to be well equipped; such vehicles are mainly 4-wheel drive, have massive front bars called Bull Bars (we call them Bush Bars), are equipped with CB radios, have big Roo-Lights (we call them Fog Lights) to illuminate the trail in the dark, and even a Schnorkel, for plunging through deeper streams and rain-flooded ponds that would stall an ordinary UTE. Even if not so lavishly equipped, many sedans have the big steel bars on the front of the vehicle; they say that hitting a Roo at speed can do quite a bit of damage, (to the car, let alone to the Roo), and we believe them.


In a new country it is always an adjustment to adapt to new currency. However, we are lucky in that the Aussies use dollars and cents, and their dollar is pretty well at par with Canadian currency. We find that prices are higher here, in general. One thing that the Aussies have done that we absolutely need in Canada, is to get rid of the penny. When the $2 coin was introduced the Aussies ditched the penny and simply round off the amount to pay. Presumably, when the $5 coin comes about the nickel will disappear. This system works just fine and keeps the number of coin denominations in circulation constant.

We have solved a couple of cultural dilemmas that have troubled us since arrival.
the Aussie Milkshakes aren't, and their coffee shops have no coffee!

To explain, when visiting the Sydney zoo a few days after arriving, we ordered a milkshake, but it was little more than flavoured milk. We asked for another to be prepared, and it turned out to be so liquid that we dumped it. A second milkshake ordered 10 days later turned out to be equally thin. Inquiring, we were told that what we wanted was a 'Thick Shake', the 'Milkshake' is flavoured milk. The only exception to this is at Mickey-D's, who neatly sidestep the cultural divide by simply offering only (Thick) Shakes! So, when visiting Australia, remember that their Milkshake is not our Milkshake.

Still a nation of tea drinkers, the Aussies have embraced the coffee shop culture; outside patio, a warm drink and a chance to socialize without going to the pub. It took us several days of fumbling with counter-persons at various coffee shops to realize how to navigate the cultural differences. First off; you can ask for filtered coffee, and you will get a decent cup. But the problem is, filtered coffee is very rare; almost nobody serves it. So ordering coffee black will usually end up in a small cup of espresso being served. The key, as we found out through some trial and a lot of error, is to order a Long, Flat, coffee Black; you will get a Cappuccino, diluted with water. Ordering a Short will get an espresso, not asking for a flat results in a foamy topping, and White means with milk. What is a Short White?filtered - long black, espresso, cappuccino, flat.

- Now this is a back alley, Australian style. In Forster we have a lane dividing the buildings in a block. Not only is it paved, it has curbs and even sidewalks