First leg of the trip - arrived in Forster
Without a doubt - the hero of the day was @Mac. Daisy Hill to Forster - left at 7.20 and arrived at the QLD time of 2.40. Only needed one stop at Ballina for brekkie (rookie mistake - ordered McDonalds) and “comfort.” The word from the driver’s seat is that I had 5 nanna naps (I am legal now ) but was awake enough to take in the two little showers of rain and the endless green countryside that flanked the dual highway all the way. Seems a little rude that the non driving passenger gets to comment that “It was an easy drive” - but the divided highway, two lanes, no towns (except Coffs) did seem to suit be a dream run.
The only hold up was the drive from Daisy Hill to just south of Nerang. It was bumper to bumper all the way - what a nightmare daily commute for those impacted - and the traffic north was equally stacked up. No worries, I was able to introduce @Mac to his first listen of tracks 1-12, without pause or skips, of “The Life of a Showgirl.” For the other 6 hours 50 minutes of it was his eclectic playlist which, amongst its highs and lows for my ears, strongly features his favs from Led Zeppelin.
Destination today was Forster the home town of fellow travellers @Linda and @Peter. We didn’t even know this little gem existed. Left the highway to head to the coast and have to admit that the bridge, coastal sand and the squillion variations of turquoise of the lake was absolutely stunning.
We are staying in a “cabin” in the Holiday Village and it was beautifully presented - immaculately clean, spacious and comfy couches and beds. Just a short walk to the river and we took the opportunity to stretch our legs after a day in the KIA. Had a chat with a few locals - she had a crochet hook making earrings so it was the perfect point of connection - and we were able to glean some heads up on local highlights.
Not that we needed them because @Linda and @Peter had us covered. They collected us for a night out at #Club Forster. What a venue. A massive community club that wraps around the edges of a golf course - it had everything - including the biggest children’s play area I had ever seen in a licenced venue. The usual climbing frames and slides, but also crazy swings, a flying fox, mini basketball court and even a purpose built hill for the children to roll down! I know, not the reason that you seek out a club … but was so impressive. As was the entire venue - massive ceilings, glorious glass windows in some area, stone and wood panelling, spiral staircases, sports bar, pokies rooms, stunning tiles, carpet and lighting, nooks and crannies hosting lots of regulars and EVERY staff member operated with a smile and as appropriate a warm, familiar engagement with the “community members” who made up the regular clientele.
We settled into a bar area, were joined by fellow travellers from the same Japan trip @Lynne and @Steve and as a group of 6 we revisited our past trip and caught up on the latest news and planned travel options. All with background hubbub of a buzzing community centre and accompanied by a walk down memory lane of music delivered superbly by the blind pianist!
Dinner was special - @Mac’s pork knuckle fell off the bone and he was so focussed on getting every last morsel he didn’t even notice that he was surrounded by the Asian delights of chilli prawns, soft shell crab and a pad Thai. Generous servings, very reasonable prices and mouth-wateringly delicious - all whipped up and delivered with smiles and a warm inclusive sense of “welcome” by the #ClubForster team.
More drinks and conversation in another bar (resisted the pokies) and as a close to the evening we hatched plans for tomorrow. The daylight savings time snatched away an hour on the clock, but after an early on the road start this morning, we were happy to fall into the comfort of our “boutique” holiday accommodation and call it a night as the clock showed it was already tomorrow.
PS Empathy shot - how we felt at the end of the day.
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