Tuesday morning Lou, Christine and I bade Alex and Gloria goodbye. We will see them again on our return next weekend, but I know Christine was especially sad to be leaving. However, visiting Tony and Liz is something we are eager to do.
Leaving Bensville, we visited Palmdale, the cemetery where Lou’s parents and sister are buried. It’s a very beautiful place with rose gardens and other plantings, a waterfall, and tall trees. I like visiting there. In just a few days, it will be the 11th anniversary of Lou’s mother’s death. Before moving to Rylstone, Lou was a regular visitor to Palmdale so visiting today was very important.
The drive to Nana Glen takes about 6 hours, so it was a long haul for driver Lou. I didn’t mind the drive because I can take in all the wonderful scenery.
North of Sydney to Newcastle is referred to as the Central Coast. The Central Coast area is a holiday destination and has loads of beaches and bays. A little farther north you get to the Mid North Coast, and also a section of the Northern Rivers district. It has, as you might expect, loads of rivers coming down from the Great Dividing Range into the sea. It’s a picturesque area between mountains and sea.
We stopped for a late lunch in Port MacQuarie. The name MacQuarie is after Lachlan MacQuarie, who was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Scotland. Macquarie served as the fifth Governor of New South Wales from 1810 to 1821, and had a leading role in the social, economic, and architectural development of the colony. He is considered by historians to have had a crucial influence on the transition of New South Wales from a penal colony to a free settlement and therefore to have played a major role in the shaping of Australian society in the early nineteenth century. One sees the name MacQuarie everywhere throughout the state. Port MacQuarie is a coastal town on the Tasman Sea and at the mouth of the Hastings River. We found a lovely restaurant on the riverfront and enjoyed a great meal. Two days after we visited Port MacQuarie it was hit by a cyclone and the wind and rain did significant damage there.
Then on we went to Nana Glen, which is a tiny little rural town inland about 20 minutes from Coffs Harbor. Coffs Harbor looks like any other beach town with lots of new buildings and shopping centers going up everywhere. The area is one of the largest urban areas on the North Coast and attracts lots of tourists and holiday goers. The area was once referred to as the Bananacoast and there are still several very large banana plantations. One can hardly believe how the plantation trees grow very close together right up the mountains. None of us would have wanted to be a harvester of the bananas It is so steep!
Soon we were turning into the drive of Krishanda Park, Liz and Tony’s wonderful 100 acre property. Krishanda is a combination of letters from the names of their 3 kids, Kristen, Shane and Linda. We had a wonderful welcome including by Jack, a wallaby, who has been raised by Tony and Liz and their daughter Kristen since he was abandoned by his mother at a very, very young age. One of the reasons we didn’t bring Lou’s dog Banjo was the fear that he would startle Jack away. Within a few minutes, Christine was brave enough to feed Jack a carrot.
Tony and Liz built their house and have grown all the palm trees from seed. They’ve worked very hard over the years to create what Christine and I think of as a resort, an oasis. It’s really beautiful.
Kristen, with 3 or her 4 dogs, came to have dinner with us. The 3 dogs are Pomeranians. Tony and Liz also have a Pomeranian named Charlie. She’s really cute and not the type of dog I would have imagined Tony would have. The last time we were here he had a Rottweiler and they’ve typically had large dogs. A sign at the entrance to their property indicates that guard dogs are on patrol and I laughed thinking of Charlie as a guard dog. Tony and Charlie have a special relationship. She’s never far from him and Tony often holds her in his arms much of the time. When we were starting a walk to the end of the driveway, Charlie raced out and barked at two cows as if she was going to herd them. It was hilarious.
We had a lovely evening with Tony, Liz and Kristen. Nearly all meals are had in the gazebo that sits atop a very large water tank. There’s a huge octagonal table with a lazy susan in the the middle. In the gazebo is a full kitchen with large barbecue and even a dishwasher. It is surrounded by palm trees and hanging baskets and looks out over the pool. It’s a great spot.
Wednesday we stayed at the house. Tony took Christine and me for a ride on his LandBoss ATV through the property. The last time we were here was just after the horrible bushfires that occurred in November 2019. At that time, the property was barren and the ground was charcoal and ash. Tony had cried during our buggy ride at that time saying how he couldn’t believe how many trees he lost. The fire got very, very close to the house, but they were able to keep the house protected.This ride was a happier occasion and Tony was smiling and saying he never thought he would see the greenery and growth again. Mother Nature is quite amazing. I’ll do another post about that later in the week.
We swam in the pool and relaxed for much of the afternoon. It is such a pleasant environment.
It’s nice to be here with Tony and Liz. They are really wonderful people and so welcoming. Tomorrow, we’ll be doing some touring, so stay tuned.
It does look like a resort. Freezing rain here