A much nicer part of Australia. Coffs Harbour NSW.

Well, I got here and miraculously my wireless started working again with no changes by me, so maybe the urban theory had some basis,

I arrived in Coffs about midday on the train and immediately recognized Peter. We went off for some lunch and the opportunity to catch up.
Coffs Harbour is about halfway between Brisbane and Sydney and is a pretty good size town with lots of amenities and lots on great views, as there are hills not too far inland and the coastline varies from beach to rocky outcrops. Lots of nice houses and condos, and Peter and Denise have one that is on the top floor. They have loads of space and a great Pacific ocean view.

I knew them in Zambia when we both worked there in the mid 70s. Peter did several other overseas contracts in Liberia and Oman before returning to Australia. He works for  Bobcat distributor, and the company has about 20 full time employees and they are also Kubota and Yanmar dealers.

Denise went back to university when they came back to Australia and is a psychologist here with her own thriving practice. The kids are spread out. Alysia is currently in Guam but returning to Brisbane to complete her PhD in Marine Biology, Tim and his wife both live in the Brisbane area with their brand new son (born in mid March) and Steven lives in Sydney and is in Advertising and Promotion.

We have had a relaxed weekend and Peter is an excellent cook. We took a local drive on Saturday and ate in a small place nearby that has something of a Carrboro feeling with small restaurants and a small artsy cinema. Excellent food.

I am off for a walk on the beach as Denise is catching up on paperwork and billing, and Peter is out shopping for lunch!!
I am away on the train to Sydney in the morning. It is a long (9 hour) ride so I have awarded myself an upgrade to First Class for the ride. I have a few days booked in Sydney but nothing beyond that other than the flight home on the 7th from Melbourne. More in a couple of days I think

Back to urbanity. Brisbane

It would be rude and unfair to say that I do not like Brisbane, but the differences between South Island and here are huge, particularly after the amount of exposure to rural and unspoiled countryside that I have had over the last few weeks.

First sight of land in Australia. Ninety Mile Beach in Victoria

There are multi lane highways traffic jams, noise and general urbanity. So many coffee shops you would not believe and people rushing around in business attire looking hugely serious.

I rode on the “City Cat” which is a catamaran ferry that runs up and down the Brisbane River, along with numerous water taxis. It was a good way to see the city and cheap enough at $6. 

My wireless access is not connecting so I am building up a collection of posts in MS Word to download when I get the connection restored. Not sure what the issue is but maybe my notebook does not like the city life either! 

Passengers waiting to board the City Cat.

Check out the lady in the colorful dress. From Somalia I think or maybe Mali

Some interesting contrasts.

I am on the Cross Country train that runs between Brisbane and Sydney daily. I am on my way to Coffs Harbour, which will take about 5 ½ hours. We left at 6.30 am so an early start but another sunny day after an overnight storm..

I am going to see Peter and Denise Marshell, who I have not seen for 30 years! Somehow we have stayed in contact with occasional emails and I reconnected with them through a website for ex Zambian expats. I know they have a daughter and 2 grown boys and they have just become grandparents in the last couple of weeks and that is about all. I anticipate a fun weekend with a few beers, and some reminiscing.