It started with waking up early morning, getting ready and heading off. The drive up north was uneventful, though it was interesting, and at least pleasant enough. Left whilst still dark, arrived at the destination in the afternoon. Normally it doesn’t take as long as it took for us to get there, but we took our time. We stopped off at a few places. Managed to avoid holiday traffic, too.

We drove for ten minutes from home, got petrol, then continued on. The songs on the playlist were timed well, and overall it was an easy drive. Low traffic which was great as it meant we weren’t getting stuck in holiday traffic.

We stopped at Ampol Foodary in Wyong, along the M1. It’s a large area with a few places to eat, and I’ve spent a good bit of time there over the years, mainly due to field trips to Smiths Lake. It’s an interesting space and it’s a convenient space, but there’s something about it that doesn’t feel as welcoming as perhaps it should. It’s a place to stop and rest and recover, and refill a vehicle if need be, so you don’t want to be spending a whole day there (unless you do want to), but there’s something about a smaller place that you can stop off and unwind at that feels warmer and more pleasant that sometimes you desire. But during the stop off, we weren’t thinking about that, or at least I wasn’t. I can’t comment on what the person I’m seeing was thinking.

This stop off was to give ourselves a brief break before heading into Newcastle, and it paid off. Got coffee and it wasn’t bad, which was disappointing. It felt like coffee that was consistent, but it was machine coffee. That’s not bad, but it lacked the excitement of consistent coffee from a barista. It had this sort of bland, agreeable taste and consistency which really doesn’t leave much to complain about and it was being what it needed to be, which was bland and agreeable. It lacked the qualities of a good coffee, or a bad roadside coffee that warrants more than a neutral, flat reaction.

We took some photos then drove off to Newcastle. I figured we’d get stuck in holiday traffic at this point as there were far more cars around leaving than there were entering the foodary, but we didn’t have to deal with much and so we had a pretty easy drive.

Newcastle was as it has always been; a place I’m told is improving and getting livelier, and a place that remains, seemingly, in a perpetual state of dying. I can’t deny that my view is probably heavily skewed. You do get quiet areas in Sydney, but it is much busier than Newcastle. I can’t deny that it’s likely that the times I’ve been to Newcastle, it hasn’t been at the right time. I also can’t deny that Newcastle never seems to be developing the liveliness I’ve been advised it is developing. It still is, at the least, a pleasant place to go through sometimes.

We stopped for breakfast near the beach and it was good food. Went off to check a breakwater after, but the sky was too open and it was too hot, so we used the bathrooms and then headed back to the highway. More traffic leaving Newcastle, but nothing bad, and soon we were heading north once more, and the traffic eased up, too.

We first drove to Seal Rocks, a small village. The drive along that bit of highway up to where Seal Rocks is is a stretch I find boring. Not all road needs to be interesting, but I do find that particular stretch particularly un, which doesn’t help make the drive any easier. I’m glad I was doing this drive with the person I’m seeing as we were talking for it. We  were conversing and listening to music, and it took away from the tedium of that stretch.

We took our exit and stopped off at Smiths Lake first. I wanted to show where I’d gone for field trips, but there were people there and they seemed weary, so we left quickly and continued on. Seal Rocks was not far, thankfully, and so we got there soon after. The plan was to go to the lighthouse there, then go for a swim. On one side of the beach it looked like the water wasn’t the best, and as we drove past, we could see everyone being on the other side. That was fine; we’d just go for a swim where everyone else was.

We parked and I remember the person I’m seeing feeling a bit out of it. Decided we’d take the walk to the lighthouse casually and, if they felt it was too much, we’d stop and go back to the car. We made it to the lighthouse without issue beyond feeling a bit puffed from the steep ascent. Appreciated the wide, open view, enclosed by the vegetation and the sky. You know, a certain beauty that is not sublime, but is getting there.

And down we went, and back to the car, and we decided not to swim in part due to the time and in part not wanting to run the risk with the water. So we left Seal Rocks and went to Hawks Nest.

On the drive out we saw a bird on the road and I couldn’t move out of the way for it due to oncoming traffic. Went right over it, it didn’t hit the car, but saw it down in the rear view mirror. I felt pretty bad about it, buy I could only hope that wind caused it to fall over. It wasn’t a great thing to see. Neither was the smoke plume when we were back on the highway. Thankfully not something to worry too much about.

We reached where we were staying, set our stuff down, went out to eat, ate, then drove off to a spot to catch the sunset. We parked, got our gear ready and then charged up a sand dune. As we did, some kids asked if we cared if they were blowing stuff up. I said that so long as they were careful, I didn’t. I’d rather they be safe about it if they’re going to do it, because who knows how much fun they can have where they are.

I got ahead of the person I’m seeing and moved as quickly as I could up the dune, as I could see the strong colour in the sky and I made sure to get a few photos, and it was glorious. Strong red, as though a final push; a final display to show that there was still something left before fading away. The bit of ocean that was visible appeared purple, and the dunes themselves seemed smooth and silky. It was wonderful to behold.

I started getting gut pain and it was growing bad. The person I’m seeing asked if I was okay and I told them what was happening. I said we should stay until they got the photos they wanted. At one point I let off a horrendous-smelling fart and I felt much better after that, but we didn’t stay for much longer as we missed a good bit of the sunset, and also just in case my gut started getting bad again.

We got back to the car, and it wasn’t long before I started feeling my gut turning to pain again. We drove back at the limit, but I wanted very much to speed. Still, thanks to my gut we got to see hundreds of bats flying above us, crossing over the road, and it was an amazing sight. All these wings and bodies moving to wherever was net for them, filling the sky… just great stuff.

We got back to where we were staying, I managed to park the car well without thinking much about my parking; I needed to use the toilet. And so we got to our room and I took to the toilet. Whilst at the Ampol, I bought some sugar free snacks. I realised on the following day that that’s what caused my need to use the toilet. Ate too many. It was deeply unpleasant.

Anyway, the following day we went to the beach nearby, floated around a bit, then headed back to where we were staying. The plan was to head out to the dunes again, which we did do. It was a hot day, and the sun was out in a mostly clear sky. Going up was not a fun experience due to how much heat the sand had absorbed, but when we were back on top and walking around, the sand was much more bearable. The sun wasn’t quite, however.

So we walked around a bit and it almost felt like we were walking forever. Of course we weren’t, and we could see easily where we had been, but the space was so still and calm that it almost felt that way. Still, calm and open, and rolling hills of sand, silky, smooth, vague and specific all at once.

We came across a bit of vegetation that looked like an island among the sand, and it offered some reprieve, but we didn’t hang around for much longer. Too much sun in an open space, and we had sunscreen but it was still unpleasant. Still, it was worthwhile. We saw some currawongs land on the dunes and do their brief wander; we watched the shadows of clouds pass over and rapidly change the feel of the area, only for the area to snap back soon after.

Back home and back out for dinner again before back to the Dunes for the sunset once more, and there wasn’t much of one, but it was much cooler and much easier to walk around, and plenty of photos were taken. We headed back to our room to sleep.

The following day we bought breakfast before heading back down the road we drove to get to the dunes. This is a bit of road I’d been down plenty of times, but I’d never gone the whole way. It was always to go to the Dunes. This day was the first time I’d go further along the road.

We drove the whole length and passed through bushier areas that felt like forest, with trees hanging over the road, creating shadowed patterns over where their branches grew. We drove through space where the road was not enclosed from above, and we kept on driving until we reached the end, where a vehicle ferry was. Or rather, where a vehicle ferry would stop to take on vehicles as it was on the other side of the river. So we parked and we ate, and we took in the view. It was warm and cool, and refreshing in a way. And the food was good, too, and it was just nice. There was the sound of human activity, of course, but everything felt quiet, and I felt myself relax more than I had during the previous days and all of 2025 up until that point.

And we walked around this pleasant space and took photos and looked at a few things, and we talked. We talked about what we were seeing and experiencing, and our plans for the rest of the day, and eventually we drove back, with a few stops to see what was around. We came across a beach and decided we’d swim there, and also in the lake on the other side of the road, and we drove back to where we were staying to rest before heading back out again.

We returned to the beach and we had it and the ocean to ourselves. The waves cycled between gentle and strong, and they followed and crashed against the form of the beach, which almost seemed to be repeating lazy crescents. There were some birds around at a distance, though they’d occasionally fly over the water, and the breeze was gentle. It was an overcast day, but at this point the weather was still pleasant enough, and everything really felt like ours to experience and no-one else’s.

We spent a bit of time in the water, until at one point I saw some of the birds flying around a specific area, about fifty, one hundred metres out from where we were. I don’t know the behaviour of seabirds well enough, but to me that was not a good sign, so we got out of the water soon after, walked back to the car, then headed to where we saw a good spot to go into the lake. We got there quickly enough, looked at the water, saw a foam that didn’t exactly look the cleanest, then headed back to the beach to take photos.

Eventually we headed on back to where we were staying and rested some more, before heading out to our last dinner for the trip. When I went with my ex, our last dinner was going to be at a golf club. I am not a fan of golf, but it seemed a good place to eat. We were unable to due to how busy it was, but thankfully when I went with the person I’m seeing, it was much quieter, and so we had no issue, and the food was good enough. It was satisfying.

There were plenty of other things we wanted to do but we didn’t have the time, and we didn’t get enough sleep to go see the sunrise before heading home. Still, we had enough time to get food, and the drive back was pretty smooth, even when we started dealing with traffic. We stopped at the Ampol Foodary on the way back, stretched our legs, and continued on. We talked about music and life, and the time we spent, and started thinking about the possibility of returning some time. It was a break we needed, and my talking about it in a matter-of-fact manner didn’t do it justice.

Hawks Nest is a small area, and it thankfully isn’t besieged by people all the time. Whilst there are attitudes there one wants to avoid, it’s a nice pocket of space and there are plenty of friendly people there, too. That you can get quiet time there easily enough is wonderful.

I dropped the person I’m seeing off at their place before heading home. It was a hot day and by the time I got back, I wanted to rest but there was not much rest to be had. I had to get my washing done so I’d have enough clothes for the following day, when I’d wake up early and drive to Bathurst.