April 19th - Day 21
Sawtell and Coffs Harbour
I hate Google Maps.
Breakfast in Sawtell, then a walk on the beach. It took me a while to realise what was missing. The beach at Sawtell is backed by trees. Even from the viewpoint at one end, you can only just see the tops of buildings. There are no high-rise blocks, unlike the Gold and Sunshine Coasts.
The surf was higher at Sawtell, yet the beach was largely deserted. It was lovely to walk on the sand, with the waves for company. Lots of photos as you would expect. And I discovered that linen trousers dry quickly.
Then they took me to Coffs Harbour so that I could visit the museum. It was a small local museum, but I had one of the stewards taking me round, explaining the significance of the various exhibits. The most moving room was the World War One room. In it were some of the boards of remembrance from the area. One thing that was different is that everyone who volunteered was listed, not just those who died. The deaths were marked. What was really interesting was that they had tracked down details if the servicemen (and women - a lady nurse was listed) so that they became real people with life stories. The most moving part was a copy of a mother's letter to the Red Cross asking for details of her son's death. Her pain came through the words, and almost had me in tears.
Anyway, now to why I hate Google Maps. I had agreed to get a bus back to Sawtell, and had the bus map. It said that the buses ran via the High Street, so I asked Google Maps where it was. I went the way that felt right, but Maps told me to go the other way. After walking for 20 minutes, it left me at a roadside nowhere near where I wanted to be. A very nice local helped me, telling me where the closest bus-stop was - back the way I had come! This was about 2pm, so by the time I reached the bus-stop I was very hot and rather fed up. But the bus came and I got back, having a lemonade to cool down with.
Lane and David went to the cinema again, while I stayed at the unit to recover. We had a very disappointing dinner, then an early night.