When wanting to travel the world it doesn’t always mean you have to buy a plane ticket and jet to another country. There is usually plenty to explore in your own backyard and that’s the case for me living in the east coast of Australia! I made a promise to myself to visit a new or foreign place at least once a year and I’m having trouble keeping it under that number but I don’t view this as a bad thing! Many said that once you finish school you need to prepare yourself for the ‘real world’… Did they interpret working endless hours in an office, hardly seeing daylight the real world? Sure, I understand a lot of people love to work and I’m not one to bludge but to me the real world isn’t the above. A motto I have always lived by is ‘work to live not live to work’. When I think of getting ready for the real world I think of researching locations, packing my bags and booking a trip to explore what the real world has to offer and that’s exactly what we opted for on our weekend getaway.
Living on the Central Coast, we are pretty lucky to have so many amazing destinations at our fingertips. Wanting a relaxing weekend away from it all, I booked a room at Eaglereach Wilderness Resort located in the area of Vacy, 2 hours 45 minutes north of Sydney. Already indulged in serenity on the drive north, we passed acres of farms and small country towns as we watched a lightning storm roll in. We ascended the winding road up the mountain before slowing our speed limit to 10 k/m as families of kangaroos surrounded the path. Arriving at reception after close, we collected our arrival package from the letter box before heading to the quaint restaurant on site. Complimentary wine awaited at the table and we enjoyed a beautiful meal, looking out at the darkness beyond the windows that only lit up as the lightning struck down.
The wilderness resort was set in a surreal location in bushland where many different properties sat, wondering which one was waiting our arrival. We stayed in the Bilby lodge which turned out to be a 4 bedroom house. Waking up as the sun did, our jaws dropped to the floor as we realised the beautiful view outside our window – this is the view cameras were invented for taking and the kangaroos appeared to be enjoying it too.
Our lodge was nestled between the eucalyptus trees and had its own outdoor jacuzzi – nothing better than relaxing outside in the warmth of a spa under a tin roof that protected us from the rain. With breakfast included back at the restaurant, we enjoyed an all you can eat style meal and the amazing view after the storm had past.
Visiting reception, we collected a map and got a run down of the retreat. We grabbed keys to the kayaks, collected some fishing rods & bait and headed to the nearby fishing hole. We didn’t have any luck catching fish or yabbies & was left surprised as a turtle grabbed our bait. We tried a spot closer to reception, the brown murky colour warding us off from catching any fish but it became the yabbie jackpot!
The resort is filled with an abundance of wildlife, many friendly enough to almost introduce themselves. Sitting on the reception counter was a bag of kangaroo food which I opted to buy. It’s as almost though the kangaroos knew I purchased a bag before I even handed over my money as they surrounded the exit. Feeling ambushed, we ran through the middle of them towards the car as they inspected our hands for food, reception staff laughing at us. We fed the overly friendly kangaroos from the car, laughing in hysterics as one tried to enter through the window.
There are bush tracks to be explored, one that led us to the Mount George Lookout with sweeping views across to the Barrington tops, another region I want to explore!
It was great getting away, spending our time with nature and the feel of fresh unpolluted air. Our phones being without reception only added to our feel of freedom and being further away from what the world interprets as the ‘real world’. I wasn’t looking forward to going back to work in the busy and overpopulated city of Sydney but I needed to start saving for the next adventure!
ONLY HAPPY WHEN I TRAVEL 