I headed out around 8 am and walked toward Merewether. It doesn’t feel like winter – it’s not cold at all – and shorts and a t-shirt are all I need and with the rains gone the weather today was lovely for a walk.
Dixon Park beach was very popular with surfers. I didn’t go down to the water, but I imagine it was a bit chilly. There were loads of joggers and dog walkers as well, and I felt invigorated and decided to climb the bluff toward Newcastle beach as well.
This was difficult and sweaty, and up on top the wind was bracing. Amazingly there was a tour group up on the memorial walk, and I overheard the guide talking about whale sightings. I lingered and scanned the horizon but saw nothing, so I headed onwards. I walked through King Edward Park and stopped in the public loo which was dark and wet and full of moths. I imagined evil lives there at night, and continued on my way.
Newcastle was even busier than Merewether, with lots of surfers and young mums with kids and skaters using the new skate park they’ve built on the beachfront. I almost bought a donut but remembered I had a Chomp in my backpack, which I devoured in seconds. I’d been walking maybe 2 hours, and my feet were a bit sore. I heard gulls but saw mynahs, including a trio eating a sausage in a gutter. They hopped away a bit as I approached, but returned to the meal once I had passed.
Hunter Street has gone to hell. Yes they’re building (expensive?) residential flats and yes there’s new cafes going in and even the Tower Cinema is being refurbished but compared to my memories the CBD no longer has a soul. I hope it returns, for the sake of the next generations.
A young woman stopped me and asked me something in a language I couldn’t understand. I thought it was Vietnamese and reached for my translator but she walked away before I could determine what she wanted. She didn’t seem upset at all, so I assume it was just directions. As I continued on an old man drove past on a mobility scooter with headlights so bright they were blinding. The Rock Shop was closed, so I didn’t have to waste the usual five minutes deciding not to buy an overpriced postcard.
I went to Maccas on King Street, which is the location where a man was set on fire and where the employees are now protected by glass barriers. Only the insane or the very desperate go to this Maccas, so take your pick which category I fall into. I waited twenty-two minutes for my Happy Meal, and then ate the cold fries and drunk the mostly thawed frozen coke in a silent rage, failing to ignore the ceaseless wailing of the feral children fighting over chicken tenders under a nearby table.
I fled Macca’s and headed toward Adamstown and passed a particularly large orb weaver spider sitting in its web. I had to get close to take the photo, and I’d estimate it was about 10 cm long. The web was massive – easily six feet wide – but thankfully it didn’t block the path so no-one had walked through. These spiders are harmless but their size is confronting and they’re one part of Australia I don’t miss.
I visited the game shop and the model shop and then – I’d been walking five hours now – stopped at Broadmeadow Macca’s for some energy. An apple pie and a frozen coke seemed about right, and this was the point when I decided the American frozen cokes are better than the Australian ones. Sacrilege I know, but it’s a hill I’m prepared to die on. I’ll have to check Hungry Jack’s since they were always better than Macca’s anyway.
The last stops were the various antique shops on Beaumont Street, and at one of them I purchased the above. What is it? Right now I’m not sure since I haven’t opened it, but if it’s what I think it is, you’ll see it again on the blog soon enough.
It’s a gift for Sue (her employer makes Weet-Bix) and I’ll give it to her tomorrow, since we’re heading on a long-promised road trip for a few days. It’s time to visit the mountains! Stay tuned to find out what we see…