The Entrance
We opted to spend the night at The Entrance, an oddly named seaside resort tucked between the Pacific Ocean and the tranquil waters of Tuggerah Lake. The town lies a 95 minute drive north of Sydney.
Why is it called The Entrance you may very well ask? Well, the answer is that the town has two main beaches either side of the channel leading from Tuggerah Lakes to the ocean. North Entrance Beach is a long stretch of sand reaching all the way up to Magenta Beach and the northern section of Wyrrabalong National Park. Whilst south of The Entrance there are two heritage listed ocean baths at the southern end of the beach.
From the balcony of our waterfront suite at The Oaks we could look down onto the promenade with its heritage carousel as well as enjoying far reaching ocean views.
Located close to the hotel are numerous bars and restaurants and it was at one of them that we tucked into a delicious seafood platter.
After breakfast the next morning, we walked off our excess calories with a brisk stroll along the seafront through Memorial Park to a boardwalk which follows the channel between the lake and ocean. Along the way we spotted several pelicans and it was a treat to view these large birds up close and be able to fully appreciate their beauty and size.
The Entrance is home to a great many pelicans and in the lake lies Pelican Island, a breeding site for these migratory wading birds. If you happen to be in town on Saturday or Sunday afternoons then you can join the crowds for the popular pelican feeding activity on the waterfront.
Somersby Falls
A thirty minute drive south west from The Entrance led us to Somersby Falls. This three tiered waterfall is one of the most beautiful in New South Wales. After leaving the car in the pay and display car park near to the trail head, we followed the walking track (800m return) which winds its way down to the middle falls. It was quite steep but manageable with a large number of steps that were slippery in places.
The hike was worth the effort though and we were able to catch our breath at the numerous lookout points where we took in the dramatic views of the cascading waterfalls.
Spencer
Back in the car, we continued on towards Wisemans Ferry stopping briefly at the small village of Spencer with its quaint village shop and splendid views across the Hawkesbury River.
UNESCO Old Great North Road
Located just beyond Wisemans Ferry in Dharug National Park lies the historic World Heritage convict built Old Great North Road constructed over a ten year period between 1826 and 1836. Relatively untouched for over a hundred years, the Old Great North Road represents a large scale engineering feat that stands today as one of the best surviving examples of Australia’s European settlement and convict heritage.
Visitors can walk the first 1.6 km section of the old road which proved to be an extremely interesting stroll with information boards and steel art work lining the route.
Wisemans Ferry
Back in the car, we drove to Wisemans Ferry through a lengthy section of roadworks. Almost as soon as we had passed through them a warning sounded on the car’s dashboard indicating loss of tyre pressure. After getting out to investigate whilst in the ferry queue, we noticed that the front left tyre was already flat so we must have driven over a large nail.
Wisemans Ferry is the oldest ferry crossing still in operation in New South Wales and is free of charge, running backwards and forwards every few minutes. After slowly making our way off the ferry ramp, we parked on some waste ground close by.
As we were on our way to a new location the car boot was full of luggage so we had to take it all out to access the tools and spare tyre. Fortunately, several vehicles were queuing for the ferry in the opposite direction and a very kind man in a pick-up truck pulled over and assisted with the tyre change which was very helpful not to mention much speedier than us doing it by ourselves.
As with the majority of new cars, the spare tyre was only half size so we ideally needed to get the original tyre repaired that day if at all possible.
It had been our intention to stop awhile in Wisemans Ferry to explore the charming village and enjoy a bite to eat but due to our mishap we just had time for a short stroll around and to take in the beautiful riverside views.
The village boasts an attractive pub, The Wisemans Inn Hotel resplendent with its ornate cast iron railings. and a statue commemorating Solomon Wiseman (a convict, merchant and ferryman 1777-1838) after whom Wisemans Ferry is named.
Hawkins Lookout
We continued on to Hawkins Lookout where we enjoyed good views over the Hawkesbury River. and of the car ferry that we had just travelled on.
Windsor
It then took us around 45 minutes to reach Windsor which is the first sizeable town after leaving Wsemans Ferry. We followed the SatNav to a branch of Tyre Plus, arriving fifteen minutes before closing time in the hope they could repair our puncture. I feel sure that if we’d called so late in the day at home in the U.K. they wouldn’t have wanted to know but it was hat’s off to the team at Windsor who had the puncture repaired, spare tyre off and the original one re-fitted just before going home time at 5.00 p.m. Unfortunately it was then too late in the day to view the colonial architecture of the town which was settled in 1792. Windsor is the third oldest place of British settlement on the Australian mainland and it would have been our preference to explore the town centre rather than an out of town industrial estate, but never mind!
Yellomundee Regional Park
Our destination for the night was to be the Blue Mountains but before reaching there we made one final brief stop at Hawksbury Lookout in Yellomundee Regional Park, a 35 minute drive from Leura. The park is located on the eastern escarpment of the Blue Mountains offering sweeping views from the park’s lookout points.
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