Travel Tips

See Daddy's head in the background from where I started Alexandra (Bessie) off before the wave had broken. Here I am heart in mouth thinking, "if she falls off I've got to get to her quck smart!" because she can't swim properly yet. She be doing proper freestyle by next Summer with continued lessons for her & Keely thoughout the year.

Keely isn't as confident as Bess is in the surf, but here at Pilot Beach where it's only a tiny wave & much closer to the shore she feels much happier & has a great time on her bodyboard.
Twin sister Bessie (Alexandra) sits "out the back:" waiting for the "right" or "big" one!

These people were set up opposite us. Check out the armchairs they bought out with them! Most importantly though this shows the need to zip up tents & keep all food secure as the kangaroos aren't shy about coming into your tents & vans to forage for food.

Just as sunset was nearing its finsih I took this photo down on the beach at Diamond Head looking across to the south-eastern aspect of North Brother Mountain. Enlarge this picture to get a better look at the subtle almost evening colours of sans, sky & water.

My girls call this "The Lost Kingdom of Atlantis". It's a rockpool that's only accessible on the low tide. Here they are with their 3 male cousins who were also staying out with us.

One afternoon we spotted a yacht coming around Diamond Head from the south. Then another, and another, and another, and so on. We figured out pretty quickly that they weren;t locals taking their yachts out for a Sunday drive, but the annual Sydney to Coffs Harbour Yact Race (see my VT friend unravaleau - Carole, from Coffs for more infor re this).
You'dd have to enlarge to get a clearer view. Also check Pt Perpendicular & Camden Head in the background. This was 8x zoom on my Nikon coolpix 5700. Brilliant camera!

So I'm not completely fixated with North Brother Mountain after all. Well, not quite anyway!
This is Middle Brother Mountain looking back across Daimond Head beach from near the headland.
The "Bird Tree" New South Wales' tallest "Blackbutt" tree (Eucalyptus Pilaris) can be found here so I should add it as an off the beaten path tip. Mind you I'd best go visit it first!

This photo doesn't do the view justice. It's a beautiful panorama, but I took this on a hazy afternoon before heading down to the Knee of Sid (=Sydney) for my Intensive French classes.
Just below here is the Pilot Station, a mysterious little cottage where one of the previous pilots apparently committed suicide. Nowadays it can be rented out & is also used for Writers & Artists in Residence sessions. Very interesting on many levels.