Hunter Valley

     Time is flying by and we'll be back in NC in a matter of weeks.  One of us is completely thrilled about this, one of us is a bit confused and two of us are completely conflicted.  We're excited to see friends and family but not ready for the adventure to end yet.  Moving tasks are starting to accumulate but we're pressing on with the bucket list for now.

     We spent the weekend in the Hunter Valley, or The Hunter, as the Aussies say.  It's a beautiful area known for its wine production about 2 hours north of Sydney.  We kept putting this trip off, waiting for good weather, and we finally got it just right!  As much as we enjoyed eating and drinking our way through the weekend, I suspect it would be a much different experience sans kids.  Next time.  Bugger.

 This was a huge 'roo!  He was lying down and from a distance, we thought it was an alpaca at first.  Need a better photo with something to give a sense of scale.  Just look at the thickness of his tail! 

This gives a better idea of his size.

We saw loads of Galah cockatoos.  I'm guessing the red eyes indicate gender?

We kept hoping to see a wombat in the wild, but no luck.  

    We took a different route home to see a new part of the New South Wales coast.

This is a view looking south at Lion Island and Pittwater.  

Super moon, Aussie style.

      

Tobruk Sheep Station

    Last weekend we tore ourselves away from the coast for a few hours to visit a working sheep station about an hour north of Sydney.  Tobruk offers a 3-4 hour program in which you get to learn a bit about life on a sheep station, watch sheep dogs muster sheep, try shearing a sheep, throw boomerangs and crack a stockman's whip.  There was a group of Korean tourists there as well, but due to the language barrier and their brief visit, we virtually had the place to ourselves.  We were a bit skeptical on the drive up, wondering if it would be worth it, but we all thoroughly enjoyed our time there and learned a lot.

 Gorgeous property at the edge of the Blue Mountains

 Tom Turkey had a bit of an "anger management issue" and we were warned to keep our distance.

 Morning tea consisted of billy tea and damper (yeast-free bread cooked over coals).

We were all charmed by this Border Collie/Jack Russell mix.  Tilly amused us all herding chickens relentlessly. 

 We're told this dog was a domesticated dingo.  He was a very skilled herder, especially talented at rounding up the sheep.

 This dog, Yap, was also very energetic and had a special skill of her own!  Yap is very valuable because of her ability to push sheep forward, not just round them up.  

 Sam got to help separate the sheep as Yap drove them through the chute.

 Mia assists in shearing a merino sheep.  They get sheared once a year, usually before summer.

 I'm not the only one who can crack the whip!