As we gaze at the elegant Opera House in the dimming evening light, we catch sight of one, two then dozens of the giant flying fox fruit bats floating across the city skyline heading for who knows where for their supper.

We are up to sunshine and birdsong. After a quick online check to confirm that our travel plans have not changed, we have one last breakfast in our efficient little outdoor kitchen; scrambled eggs and coffee-press coffee (I am getting pretty good at this). I organize a bit to get everything into suitcases again so we can handle it all as we drop off the van and head into Sydney for a couple days.
It is quite the change from our little self-contained world we have been in the past couple weeks. We catch the commuter train into the city. I think we see maybe 12 other passengers the whole trip. We even manage a train change and find our way at Circular Quay right at the opera house and harbor bridge. We are a little early for hotel check in so we find a perfect bench with a perfect view and a delicious dip of ice cream to wait and soak it all in. We haven’t had lunch so I go wandering and find a little bakeshop with savory pies. I come out with a feta/spinach and a sausage in light flakey crusts. We watch the ferries come and go and the dots that are sailboats and private cruisers in the distance.
We have probably gotten enough sun, our tummies are full, and it is check in time so off we go. Kent did a spectacular job finding the hotel, The Rydges. It is right on George Street just one block up from the water front. The place is practically empty. It is so quiet it is spooky. At check-in the staff is great, “We have plenty of rooms. Let’s give you one with a view.” He does. It is lovely.
We drop off our plunder and relax a few in our luxurious digs then head out to explore. The narrow streets of The Rocks are lined with shops and restaurants typically mobbed by throngs of tourists but today only a few locals are moving around. The nearby international cruise terminal is shuttered and silent. It is an interesting way to experience the city. We make our way to the Opera House grounds, skirt the botanical gardens, and take in a view of the harbor bridge. The sun sets and we enjoy the city lights as we head back to our hotel.
I am pretty sure it is a first for us, we order full room service dinner, even a bottle of nice local Sauvignon Blanc which we enjoy in our private dining room with a view. Ahh, what luxury.

All the headaches of travel are taking their toll on enjoying our last few days. We do make it out to a National Park walking trek on Cape Baily. It is a pretty oceanside walk along high cliffs. Weather is about perfect making for nice long views. Wind and sea have eroded colorful sweeping patterns in the sandstone bluffs. I joyfully watch a white bellied sea eagle soar and hunt. I am a little less joyful when I enlarge the pictures Kent takes. The eagle is eating little sea turtles. Booooo. That detail aside, it is a wonderful walk. There is a lot of beautiful country here.
The sight of two cruise ships far on the horizon gives us a bit better perspective as we realize that others are having a much tougher time dealing with life-interruptus that is the Covid-19.

Australia has the same problem seen in most other countries. Wildlife fatalities on major highways. We see the more traditional over and underpasses but one now solution that seems pretty cool. They weave hemp into a giant macramé ladder and suspend it on poles across all the lanes of traffic and back into the forest canopy on both sides. Fencing limits crossing opportunities at ground level and they are planting Koala food favorites around the crossings to entice them to those areas. Of course, I had to google if they work. Mixed reports but some evidence from gene pool monitoring that indicates that at least some animals cross over to find their soul mates. Other arboreal critters use the ladders too. The koala just makes for a great lovable mascot to encourage support for the effort.

It is beautiful this morning. The sky is clear and the brilliant sun is rapidly burning off the morning haze. We take a stroll on the beach and soak in some sun. The ocean view of fantastic.
We did get a bit of bad news overnight. Kent checked flight status and found that Air NZ stopped all flights to the US through New Zealand (that means us) as of the 26th. I call to find out what is next and the guy I talk to is oblivious to the suspension. He checks with his supervisor and sure enough, our flight is cancelled and there will be no more AirNZ flights to the states until June. Sorry, no I can not rebook you. He did say that United and Virgin air direct flights are my best bet and wished me luck. Kent jumps into action and within just a few we are rebooked but on the 31st rather than the 29th. No problem, we will just keep the campervan and stay a couple more days. Yes, problem. Turns out the campground we are staying at has instituted a corporately managed very tight restriction on who they allow to stay. The short story, we don’t meet their criteria and we are sent on our way. Rats, it is a lovely place and we wonder how hard it will be to find alternative campgrounds.
We pick up a few groceries to cover the extra two days and head for Sydney. Turns out not every park is so very picky and we settle in at The Sydney Tourist Park. It is really a residence park with some overnight sites and not the greatest views but is seems pretty quiet and safe so it will do. We will do a little sight-seeing as we fill the time until our flight.
Dinner is simple, spaghetti. We crack open a very nice bottle of Australian Shiraz. The evening just got a little bit better.

It rains pretty hard during the night and into the morning but we stay snug and warm in our van-top penthouse. It has worked out very well in this warmer environment of Australia. Winds pick up late morning and that’s a bit disconcerting up here but it is about time to get up any way. Kent turns the van nose into the wind and I am able to fix a pot of coffee and some pretty good tasting pancakes for a quiet breakfast with a wonderful view. Rain comes and goes but we fit in a walk on the long crescent shaped, cliff lined beach. There are a couple more walks around here but they will have to wait for now. It is pouring again!

We take a few minutes this morning to climb the bluff above Coffs Harbor and take in the seaside view. We attempted to do this yesterday but our Australian GPS, Lillypenny (Lilly for short), sent us to a dead end. We do a little research and have better luck today. We take in the view plus a story along the trail of the creation story as told by one of the aboriginal tribes. It is a lovely walk, view, and it is always interesting to hear the cultural stories.
On we go. The route is pretty much M1/A1 to Sydney. We take a short detour to check out Nambucca Head, a shoreline vacation destination with beautiful rugged shoreline. We lounge at the overlook enjoying delicious sweet treats from the local bakery – passionfruit/coconut bar, a blueberry croissant, and pecan pie. View and baked goods are both fantastic.
We are approached by a local, to only with 1.5 meters of course. He is quite animated about the plight of Australia with the coronavirus and is a stanch supporter of NY Governor Cuomo with the self-isolation policies. In a nutshell he says, “Australia’s government is missing the mark and the military needs to move in to manage the situation. Citizens just don’t follow the social distancing rules and the virus is being carried across the country by the hordes of backpackers that are trapesing north for the winter.” Wow. We wish him well and continue on our way.
We settle in at Seal Rocks for our last two nights in the campervan. It is a remote campground with lots of beach and rocky shore views. It is beautiful AND it is easy to practice social distancing in this sort of place. Folks in larger towns are noticeably more nervous about close encounters and new rules are coming out every day limiting people’s activities. Looks like we will still get a couple days to wander the streets in Sydney to sightsee then it is probably good we are heading home. We are thankful to be healthy and actually enjoy the National Park trails and beach scene anyway. Perhaps we are natural social distancers?

The primary attraction at Coffs Harbor is a pelagic seabird rookery. Thousands of wedgetail shearwaters dig shallow borrows in the banks of Muttonbird island. They leave the young during the day as they feed at sea and return in mass in the evenings to feed the little ones with a great flurry of activity and lots of noise. We must be a bit late in the season and most of the young have already fledged. All we see is one little fellow hunkering in his nest watching for mom or dad to show up with supper. Still, it is worth the walk for the view of the shoreline from the island.
We try fish and chips from The Fisherman’s Coop. It is the place “they” say has the best on the coast. Not sure if it’s the best but it is delicious, Spanish mackerel and whiting. Restaurants are all take away only now but that is ok. It makes lunch even better as we perch on boulders of the breakwater and watch the waves crash in.
Camp is filled with birdsong as we settle in for the night and we wake to the now anticipated raucous call of the laughing kookaburra.