Rab & Lesley's Second Big Trip
Days 6 to 9 - Hunter Valley
Day 6 - Friday 7th December 2018
At The Entrance, NSW
Kirsty hired a car and drove us to Cessnock in the Hunter valley where we are staying this weekend
but we stopped for lunch at 'The Entrance' a small unimaginatively named town at the sea inlet of Tuggerah Lake
This is the actual entrance
The mudflats are a good habitat for sea birds and others. you can't miss the pelicans
but there are also heron, little egrets and Spoonbills
One 'attraction' here is the daily feeding of the pelicans who obligingly pose
Same one posing for my daughter Kirsty
The lunch club gathers
and lunch is served
Day 7 - 8th December 2018 Part I
Cessnock
Day 7 was a very early start, leaving the cottage before 4 a.m. to watch our transport get ready
Finally we were off...
and so were the other two ballons in our group
Five more balloons rose from other sites
But our group stayed close
All too soon it was time to come back to earth
And all before breakfast
Day 7 - 8th December 2018 Part II
Cessnock
After catching up on sleep and a late pub lunch we made our way up to Hunter Valley Gardens
Where there is a Christmas lights show similar to the one Kew has run for a few years
But at 30 degrees instead of 3
Well we started today with balloons...
Food stalls galore - even a pizza oven in the back of a van
Couldn't not take this one
Off to bed now - Winery tours tomorrow
Day 8 - 9th December 2018
Hunter Valley Wine Tour
Daughter Kirsty volunteered to drive us around the wineries around the Lovedale and Polkolbin area
We visited 6 or 7 as well as a cheese centre, craft market and a Dessert Cafe
Ivanhoe Wines had the best view
And had the best sculpture outside
but the very best view was however back in the cottage when we unpacked our haul
Day 9 - 10th December 2018
Newcastle NSW
Kicked off today completing the booze cruise with a visit to the Hunter Valley Distillery
Sadly they only do gin and vodka - no whisky so we moved on
This was the farm where our balloon landed yesterday
The stage was for a Shania Twain concert last night. When we drove past on the way to Hunter Valley gardens there were thousands of cars parked along the highway, some over a mile from the entrance
Moved on to Newcastle for lunch at the Customs House on the waterfront
Finally got back to Sydney to see this Sea plane turning towards Five Dock Bay
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