After waiting for Sydney’s peak hour traffic to end, we gingerly departed Vineyard, heading for the M7, M2 and Pennant Hills Road so we could head north on the M1. I say gingerly because an hour earlier there was a 3 car pile up and an 18km queue well down the M7….oh just another morning in Sydney’s peak hour! Thankfully the backlog was cleared enough for us to hit Pennant Hills Road with minimal traffic, join many large trucks and get in the thick of it and head north for the M1. We decided not to stop on the Central Coast, a favourite coastal area of our days gone. The weather was due to deteriorate later in the day, and set in for the week, and we had an appointment for Thursday at Lake Macquarie, to get the annual service for The Tent, and didn’t really want to be driving there in heavy rain, with slippery wet roads and frustrated motorists. Instead we headed straight for The Lake, and hunkered down at the southern end, where we have a lovely spot on The Lake’s edge, with many pelicans and ducks swimming by our back window.

Looking out the bedroom window onto the Lake – taken in a rare moment of sunshine

Here we’ve been for the week, as we decided to get the ‘house’ checked as well – that means the slide outs, house batteries etc – and we couldn’t get this service done until Monday. Thank goodness we are in a pleasant spot, because it really has rained all week, other than reprieves two afternoons.

The engine service was accomplished with flying colours, so that’s something. It took a whole day – its always fun, we drive in convoy, then Steve joins me in the Suzuki and we then have to amuse ourselves with sightseeing for the day, before we go back at the end of the day. Great fun when its raining. We thought about movies, but there wasn’t anything showing we wanted to see, so we went to the beach for a walk between showers, and then explored a little of the regions coast line. To those who don’t know, Lake Macquarie is Australia’s largest saltwater lake, covering an area of 110 square kilometres – twice the size of Sydney Harbour. It’s a fantastic recreational boating area, with a number of marinas and small craft can be seen scooting across the water in all directions. The Lake is in the Hunter Region, and is south of Newcastle, which is 150kms north of Sydney. There are 92 settlements in the area, and some 200,000 live here. The Hunter is well known for the major role it plays in coal mining. The land separating the Lake from the ocean is very narrow, and there are a number of very attractive coastal beaches which attract many surfers, all year round, rain or shine. We’ve enjoyed a few outings, however the weather has limited us to short walks along The Lake foreshore between rain and showers.

One delightful sunset over The Lake

So, when we reflect on the week, it has been low key, with limited activities, and….we have seen enough rain to last us for the next 6 months! Tomorrow is meant to be fine, so it’s into service first thing, then fingers crossed it’s finished in good time, so that we can be on the road and heading north toward the Queensland sunshine.