Hi Casey,
Stanley here. I’m sorry it has taken a few days to contact you but I have been busy settling in and soaking up the Aussie sunshine since arriving.
I jetted into Sydney, Australia, last week and then the mail truck took me north to Pat's house. It was a perfect Spring day and a balmy 22 degrees C when I emerged from the parcel. Here is a photo of me in front of the house, 'Serendipity', decked out in [wearing] my Aussie clothes; shorts, t-shirt and thongs.
First let me tell you what I have learnt about the area. The Central Coast is about 1 1/2 hours drive north of Sydney, spreads from the Hawkesbury River
in the south to Lake Macquarie in the north, and includes a mixture of bays, inlets, beaches, lakes and hinterland. This makes it very popular tourist spot as well as a growing retirement area. As well, many new home buyers settle here and commute to Sydney to work. The main city in the area is Gosford, situated on the Brisbane Water.
The first white people to discover the lakes was a search party looking for some shipwrecked fishermen who landed on the coast in 1796. People started to come to live and visit when the Sydney-Newcastle railway was built in the 1880s. They began to travel by boat, train and horse-drawn vehicle to enjoy the fishing, bathing and walking opportunities available in the lakes area.
The Central Coast has a connected 80 sq km lake system which includes
Tuggerah Lake, Budgewoi Lake and Lake Munmorah. The three lagoons are separated from the Pacific
Ocean by narrow sand strips [peninsulas] but share common access to the ocean at The Entrance. The water is not very deep, less than 2 metres on average, and shark-free. They are perfect for waterskiing, canoeing, sailing, rowing and sailboarding.
Tuggerah Lake is the spot for fishermen. Blackfish, whiting, mullet, snapper, bream, flounder, tailor, flathead, jewfish, tarwhine and crabs can all be caught from the shores. Prawns are usually plentiful in mid-summer and can be snared at night with a lamp and net by wading into the shallows.
Lake Budgewoi is particularly good for bream. Budgewoi, pronounced bud-gee-woy, is an Aboriginal name meaning ‘young grass’. On the sign at the town entrance it says 'Meeting of the Waters'. This is because Budgewoi has water on three sides; Lake Munmorah to the north, Budgewoi Lake to the south and the Pacific Ocean to the east. This makes the town a great spot for anyone who loves water sports.
We went out and did a spot of fishing one morning and here I am with my catch. Isn't it a beauty?
Waterskiing is popular recreation in the lakes district and I just had to have a go. Bet you never thought I could do that!
The lakes are also abundant with birdlife, including many types of ducks, black swans and magnificent pelicans.
The large lake system to the north of Lake Munmorah is Lake Macquarie. This lake is the largest coastal saltwater lake in the Southern Hemisphere, covering 109 square kilometres (four times the size of Sydney Harbour). It is 24 km long, 3.2 km across at its widest point and 9.7 metres at its deepest. Belmont is a typical town on the lake and I'm going to see what information I can find out about Belmont and let you know later.
Ourimbah at the base of the map is where Pat lived until she was 4 years old. Her parents owned a general store right on the highway. You
can see one of Pat's Scrapbook Layouts about the area at that time by moving your mouse cursor here.
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Time and Temperature Today
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That's it for now Casey.
Bye, from your mate, [means best friend in Aussie]
Stanley
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