The Long Walk

On the day before the day before Christmas, I walked for what seemed like forever in Coff's Harbour, from the Hawaiian Sands Motel, where I had spent the previous night, to the Coff's Coast Markets on Harbour Drive. Yes, the Aussies add the "u" in words like Harbor and Color, just to confuse. Anyway, I had just embarked on my brief period of homelessness, staying in the motel the night before so as to have roof over my head, and to make seeing the newest Harry Potter film possible. On the morning in question, I was to walk to the Coff's Coast Market, a weekly open air market held on Harbour Drive, a busy street of shops and what not, to catch a ride back to Woolgoolga. I had my bright orange duffel bag (which I had to buy at the airport to reduce the weight of my overly heavy suitcase) and my lap top (which I didn't want to leave anywhere unattended) with me, each slung over one shoulder. My suitcases were stored at a friend's house in "Woopi" overnight. Anyway, I walked from point A to point B, thinking it would be a short easy walk. It turned out to be a long and arduous journey, due to the weight pulling on both shoulders, the rawness on my feet in my new flop flops, and the ever present rain that has so far defined my trip to Australia (Still no flooding though!). Things I discovered along the way: There is a Porpoise Petting Pool in Coff's, and I am totally going to go; The main beach in Coff's, called Park Beach, is never visible from the road called Ocean Parade (which I walked on for quite some time); I hate caravan parks (a long story); one should never buy a new pair of flip flops, and then walk a few miles in them to break them in. I am sure there were other lessons, but these are the main points. I did, however, also bring out the camera on occasion. Here is what I saw:

This cool little spot where the ocean meets the land. I like how it is protected and calm. However...

It does seem to cause this road to flood. I think it is a regular occurrence.

Here is the home of the Coff's Harbour Scouts. I thought you might like seeing this.

Notice that there is a group younger than Cub Scouts here called Joeys. So very Australian! Also, notice the five stars in the Scouts symbol, which are the same five stars on the Australian flag. They represent the Southern Cross, a constellation visible in the southern hemisphere. So that is your social studies lesson for today...  I hope you enjoyed this brief tour of Coff's Harbour, and we encourage you to join us next time, as we explore more of the Northern Beaches, and possibly the Sikh Temple in Woolgoolga.