Heading North

Our plans upon leaving Katoomba were simply to go North. Find some sun, and get back on the road. Our first day of driving brought us to a town a couple of hours north of Sydney called Newcastle, where we spent the night with Rai, a friend we met in Freo on the opposite side of the country. The next day we set off early, and on the recommendation of one of the guys living in the house we had stayed in, we went heading for the Barington Tops and a little town called Dungog.

The drive to Dungog was along small roads girded by dense woodland and meandering river tributaries, and the town itself seemed to be almost entirely situated along one very wide road with a huge pub at each end, and just beyond the town's edge lay the outlying slopes of the Barington Tops – a 25km long plateau of forest which were a pleasure to walk through.

As we were leaving the town after lunch, wondering where we would camp for the night, we saw a hitcher at the side of the road and of course picked him up. His name was Toby and he was going a few kilometers up the hill to the house he and his brother lived in, and it was really something to behold. His family were architects and builders, and this was one of their current personal projects. It was nestled into the hillside amongst a forest of native trees and shrubs. There were patios, porches, perches and decking attached to every side of the house – and from every direction the views were astounding. It was a little spot of pure tranquility.

We drank tea with Toby and walked around his amazing house. Every feature was unique and full of character, from the layout and shape of the network of rooms, to the details of carved possums running up the redwood beams in the living room and around the eves of the house. Tea turned to beer, and looking around the house became looking around the grounds. They had built a pool in a separate building a little way up the slope, and outside that had ponds and fountains, but it was to the boules sandpit that we went, to talk more and lob metal balls until our arms were tired. And as the sun went down we made plans to go to the local pub where we played pool in a huge and nearly empty back room and listened to deafening rock anthems blasted from the jukebox. Toby's brother John joined us when he finished work, and they insisted that we stayed with them for the night. Coming from such a small and remote town they were both always keen to meet new people, so we spent the evening sitting on their patio, or round the fire inside, listening to music at a volume that would have disturbed the neighbors – if there had been any – and telling each other stories about life in Australia.

We set off the next morning and talked about the beautiful people we had met, and how lucky we were to have their hospitality. And as we drove round the sweeping vistas we talked about how lucky they were to have this landscape on their doorstep. And we talked about how we would love to have stayed longer. And how kind it was of them to stay we could have stayed longer. And with those thoughts uttered, we had turned around and were heading back to the 'Hole In The Wall' – named after an Irish pub by Toby's dad, Martin.

Toby seemed glad to see us heading back up the steep driveway, so after another cup of tea we all headed back into Dungog for more beer and pool. When we got back to the house that evening we cooked for Toby and John, and their parents Martin and Heather, and sat on the patio telling more stories and drinking more wine. When their parents headed home we continued to gorge on cheeses and more drinks, and when we were able, headed outside. We went into the woods to look at the huge possums running around, and the views from one of the outer buildings John stayed in, which was like being in a tree-house. And when we could handle nothing more, we watched a classic Aussie comedy called the Castle.

The next day we really did head off. But not before walking around some of the myriad paths that extended in every direction away from the house. Several kangaroos bounded off as we approached the nests they had built for the night, all of whom had been quite happily resting just meters from the house. But if we had to be up this early in the morning, so did they. And so we headed on up the road.