Lake Macquarie

We have spent the last couple of months enjoying a life in suburbia in the City of Lake Macquarie. Located just south of Newcastle and a couple of hours north of Sydney in New South Wales. To be honest, we are very appreciative that we had access to a vehicle for this house sitting gig. The area we are in is beautiful, however it is not pedestrian friendly. With the use of our trusty Kia we were able to explore the region and find some real gems.

For me the best find during our stay here was when Karen was checking the area out online and found a link to the Newcastle Cross Country Club. This volunteer organization does a run in a different location each week for the 22 week winter running season. I was able to attend 8 of these races and it was a wonderful experience. Karen also came and volunteered at the finish line so we had an outstanding opportunity to meet some great people and be introduced to several areas of the region we otherwise would not have found.

Enjoyed weekly runs with the Newcastle Cross Country Club

We also ventured north to Newcastle a few times to explore some of what they had to offer. This is an industrial coal city that is working hard to attract tourism.

Of course with house sitting there are usually some animals to look after. What was unique about this gig was there were no cats or dogs. We had 5 fish and a variety of birds to watch over. Quite a change of pace for us, but it was good. The only frustrating part was having to wait 6 weeks before the chickens decided to start providing us with fresh eggs.

As well as the kept birds, we also had a colourful variety of wild birds that made their way through the yard.

Another area we found through the running club was Caves Beach. We made a point of revisiting this area at low tide so we could spend some time exploring the caves.

Other than having to put up with slightly chilly temperatures we have had a wonderful time here in Lake Macquarie and have enjoyed exploring the region. We even managed to check out some wineries in the Hunter region. However now we are busy packing and prepping to head back north to the Brisbane area for our last few months in Australia. Let the adventure continue.