Nelson Bay. Day 3

26
Jan 2015

A thunderstorm rolled in about 9pm last night. It brought with it some rain, which we’re so lucky we are very experienced with that.

Theres no actual bureau warnings, so we’re hoping it will just quickly move across, help to fill up the bay a little, wash the car and van, and move right along …. leaving a nice clean car and van for tomorrow.

Barb went to bed and Ross tried to watch the Murray v Dimitrov match at the Australian Open …. but gave up at midnight. Ross was willing on Dimitrov because Murray is such a lifeless, boring whinging pain in the arse … but it wasnt to be. Sorry Dimitrov …. Ross will hate Murray more next time.

Ross and Barb were both woken at 3.30am by a massive clap of thunder. The heavens had opened up and there was torrential rain bucketing down, and then the rain was joined by large hail stones.

Ross was onto the bureau website because they cancelled the Severe Thunderstorm Warning before Ross went bed …… but Ross found this

Thanks ….. you stupid dickheads. “Top priority for immediate broadcast” …. issued at 2.45am ….. really??? A couple of hours after you cancelled the last “Severe Thunderstorm Warning”. Does pasting a page on a website count as a “broadcast” …. and who the hell do these monkeys think are going to get it … at 2.45am; especially after they cancelled the warning 2 hours before.

We could just picture the night shift bureau nerds all sitting around together, thinking this is a great joke (night shift always attracts the really stupid ones)

Lucky for us, we had the benefit of experience at getting smashed by horrendous storms in QLD, and aside from the added destructive element of the wind we were reasonably comfortable. Behind behind the headland, the wind wouldnt be an issue for us …….. but just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water …… the gods throw in a new twist ….. hail !!!!

HAIL ????? … shit!!!!! ….. we have 4 plastic moon roof vents; thanks for that. It started like twigs or sticks coming off nearby trees, but then they got louder and heavier, which is about the point Ross remembered there were no trees around us.

It was a tense 30min or so until the hail fizzzzed out. Ross and Barb were both dodging the moon roof hatches …. just in case a large chunk of ice came smashing through and killed them.

When the hail fizzed out we could relax with just roar if the torrential downpour ….. phew !!!

The drizzle continued this morning but was very light despite the ever present black clouds. Enough rain fell last night to collapse the massive shade awning over the communal caravan park BBQ

We ventured to the Marina for a coffee before we tempted the Australia Day activities in the park. There was live music at the Marina …. and the dude was pretty bloody good

Lucky we tripped over the fishing restriction sign posted at the Marina … Little Beach boat ramp right outside the caravan park is right on the eastern edge if the fishing protection exclusion zone. Paddling right is all good, but paddling to the left would have incurred a substantial fine. Whoops.

The rain mostly held off for the Australia Day festivities at Fly Point, a park just on the outskirts of Nelson Bay.

We’ve been to the Nelson Bay Australia Day festival. Its a good day out with live music, a market, parade and plenty of food tents

The Chinese made Australiana was thick on the ground. And you hadnt managed to get to supermarket to buy yours …. gotcha covered with a stall onsite

This dude, we think maybe he wearing a costume …. but we couldnt be 100% sure. There was something about him that suggested he may just have taken the opportunity to hideout in public.

But unfortunately with all the rain last night not everything came out of it unscathed …. the soaking seems to have shrunken all the horses

A petty zoo included this dangerous, hideous, leashed wild creature

The medical and/or religious staff of the Gozleme tent preparing the offerings (we cant work out which), as Barb stands in line to order a generous serving of whatever the hell it is theyre making …. because we have no clue what Gozleme is. Is that sad …. thats its food, we dont care what food it is, we just want it.