0105 Around Port Macquarie

ON SATURDAY, we were really tired. We just wanted to sleep all day. But we had to do some shopping. After all, like most people, we are rather fond of the odd bit of food and drink.

Another thing we wanted to do was just look out at the beach, because it is just over the road from where we are staying, in the Sandcastle Apartments. You can look them up on the Internet if you like. Although these apartments are almost at the end of the town, they are opposite Port Macquarie's Town Beach.

You can see our view in the photograph above.

In the afternoon, we drove southwards through places like Flynn's Beach, Lighthouse Beach (and the old lighthouse), Lake Cathie, and, eventually, Laurieton.

The next photo shows Flynn's Beach.

Next, we see a shot of Lighthouse Beach, and one of the lighthouse itself.

After Lighthouse Beach, we moved on to Lake Cathie, where we could see fish jumping in the water. Of course, they can never be prevailed upon to jump on command, so neither Chris nor I could get a a shot of one in the act.

However, the lake is pretty enough as it is: it doesn't need jumping fish to add to its attractiveness in any way.

Lake Cathie's name is pronounced 'cat-eye', and it has an interesting history.

There are several places with the same name around NSW, for example Cattai near Windsor. To avoid confusion, the spelling of the name, but not the pronunciation, was changed in the 1930s.

Former broadcaster, Clive Robertson, often joked that all Aboriginal names mean something like "Place of running water". In the case of Cattai/Cathie, apparently there is some truth in the rumour.

At Laurieton we found a really pleasant Thai restaurant. An older couple sat at the table next to us and we got chatting. Chris and I had last been in Laurieton around 30 years previously, and they said that was around when they had arrived in the district.

I said we may meet there in another 30 years. The chap laughed somewhat humourlessly at the idea, but I said I would hold him to it if he held me to it. We parted with a genuine laugh.

The drive home was along some pretty dark roads, and, unfortunately, there was too much south-bound traffic for me to use high beam very much. The road twists and turns just a little too often for that to be entirely comfortable.