We went out at sunset to the site of the flying fox roost

to watch them waking and flying off on their nightly foraging

for fruit and flower nectar. We stayed after dark on the moonlit

night to see the last few bats flying off!

We arrived to Port Macquarie yesterday from Sydney after a 6 hour train ride to Wauchope (inexplicably pronounced War-hope)

and a half hour bus trip to the vacation destination/retirement community.

Today we set out to explore some sights.

Near our B&B is the Kooloonbung Creek Nature Reserve, a tranquil oasis in the middle of town with boardwalks and gravel trails along a creek and through the wetlands around it.

Some open areas appear as grassy prairies, but you don’t want to step off the boardwalk into the wet marsh!

From the north end of the Reserve you can walk through the CBD to the Waterfront Esplanade lined with brightly painted rocks and onto the town beach.

On our return trip we walked through the Reserve and found the huge colony of flying foxes, hanging right over our heads!!

The reason we came to Lithgow is to ride the Zig Zag Railway steam powered train! We had to take the more modern electric train the 3 miles from Lithgow to the Zig Zag station at Bottom Points to catch the steam train that then took us up to Top Points.

While we waited for the steam train we enjoyed the little model railroad they have in the station!

The train arrived and we waited while it took on water for the climb to Top Points.

We had views looking back as we descended to Bottom Points of the stone trestles we had just crossed.

A great ending to a wonderful day on the rails! What a difference from the winter weather of yesterday!

We traveled from Sydney into the Blue Mountains, past the area we visited in May of 2024, to the town of Lithgow. We encountered true WINTER here! No snow on the ground, but freezing temperatures and cold, wet winds!

The train ride from sea level Sydney to 3,120 foot Lithgow took 3 hours through countryside into the Blue Mountains, similar to the Appalachian Range, not too high and no jagged peaks!

Lithgow’s heyday was the late 1800’s to WW2. An industrial town with factories powered by the coal mining in the area, the economy shrank after the war. Currently it is reinventing itself as an artistic tourist destination.

.The main street is long and reminiscent of a bygone era.

Alleyways along the street are decorated with artworks like these colorful tiles.

We ended our second night at The Blue Fox, a restaurant a 15 minute walk from our apartment. We settled at a table next to the warm woodstove to take the winter chill off. The waiter shared photos he had of the snow flurries late last night that we missed!

We had an 11 hour train ride from Melbourne to Sydney yesterday and a two night layover in Sydney to recover! One full day of sightseeing in Sydney on a beautiful sunny day! We took the bus to the Botanic Garden. We love walking through any garden and the Sydney Royal Botanic Garden is fantastic!

The huge fig tree, the banana plant, the bird’s nest fern backlit by the sun, and the giant tropical plant leaves that make Robert look miniature! And Central Oregon is referenced as home to the largest living organism on Earth!

From the Botanic Garden it’s a quick walk to the iconic Sydney Opera House which we walked around to get views from every angle.

From one spot the soaring roofs look like conquistador helmets, another angle looks like the open mouth of a humpback whale!

From the Opera house we walked around Sydney Cove, the ferry terminal area, to ‘The Rocks’, a gentrified tourist boutique shopping district. Historically a ‘slum’ working class neighborhood near the industrial docks and warehouses notorious in the 1800’s for the narrow alleyways frequented by gangs, prostitutes and drunken sailors!

Many of the stone buildings were slated for demolition, but saved by neighborhood efforts and renovated.