February 23

Nelson Bay

I breakfasted on the balcony, very posh. Outside, it was warm, without being hot, and cloudy. Ideal conditions for a walk.

	I followed the beach ...
Breakfast on the balcony	... as far as the market

At the Tourist Office, the nice lady gave me a map which covered the walk I had been told about last night, to Tomaree Mountain.

The locals watched	I transferred to the road

The start of the walk was along the footpath by the beach. This then followed the road inland, past a small market. On both sides of the road were houses and hotels. A long string of seaside developments.

At Shoal Bay, the road returned to the beach and, after four kilometres, I stopped for a coffee. It was very weak and the service wasn't the best but I had a sit down and a glass of water.

I walked past the remaining shops, hotels etc for another kilometre, then reached the path which climbed the mountain. It started on block paving  and then alternated between rough paths with stone steps and metal walkways with metal steps.

I started on a block path ...
... then on rough steps ...	... then onto metal walkways

I joined crowds of other people climbing upwards to the top of the mountain. It was only 160 metres but hard work all the same. There were occasional views of the sea through the trees until, at the summit, there were magnificent sea views in all directions.

The journey down was actually harder as I felt in constant danger of falling. One young lady told me that her 83 year old granny had just completed the walk. I was tempted to give her a good slap for that comparison.

	I reached sea level again ...
	I walked the kilometre back to the shops, tried to buy a beer at the café - no booze without food - so bought an iced tea at a convenience store. I needed it after the climb. I walked back to the outskirts of Nelson Bay, through the market once more, and then branched off towards Little Beach, another kilometre down a side road.
... and walked back to the road
Little Beach	Little Beach Boat House
Pasta and Semillon	I walked back along the road

At the bottom was the Little Beach Boat House, listed as the best restaurant in town. The views certainly were as I sat on the deck, perched over the sea, and consumed seafood pasta and a local Semillon.

The pasta came with lots of prawns, lots of Parmesan and lots of flavour. I savoured it all in a beautiful location and felt that all was well with the world. The sight of an ambulance round the back made me remember twelve months ago and that unexpected things might lie ahead.

The walk back into town was gentle enough. I called at the supermarket to buy some milk and then collapsed in my room feeling very tired.

It was nearly a couple of hours later when I felt awake enough for a shower and a change of clothes. The staff at the lunchtime restaurant, one of whom lives in Liverpool, suggested that the Bowls Club I can see from my room balcony would probably offer a good steak so I walked 50 metres downhill and booked in. My driving licence proved that I was a visitor to the area so I was given temporary membership. The staff were nice and sold me a beer and a fillet steak.

The steak was excellent, charred on the outside and almost raw in the middle. The salad  was OK although not meeting the best Australian standards. The beer was from 4Pines, where I will be lunching next Sunday. Flavoursome and very cold. I will have another!

Basic food beautifully prepared	More factory than sports facility

I returned to my room, took a photo of the Bowls Club from the rear - more factory than sports club - and performed my evening chores.