Revisit to Coffs Harbour

Last Saturday we went back to Coffs Harbour for the Pacific Bay Resort and Coffs Harbour Rotary Beer and Wine Appreciation Tasting Event and Silent Auction (or something like that).  We followed much of the same route as we did a couple weeks ago, sans Bongil Bongil National Park.  We went to Mother's Milk (a classy bar/delicatessen-type restaurant) in Sawtell first to drop off some kegs, then went to the resort to set up a little, and then downtown Coffs Harbour for lunch.  We got sangas (sandwiches... someone please tell me how that makes sense) at Old John's, a restaurant we had considered but didn't try on our last visit.  Then back to the resort for the event.

Reid and Ben in their matching NEBCO shirts

Flying Merino tasting panel

The event was from 2:30 to 6pm; I ended up taking a walk around 4:30 because I couldn't stop nibbling on the cheese and dried fruit they had available, and there wasn't that much else for me to do besides wander and eat.  We'd walked around the resort a bit when we arrived so I knew the way to the beach, and that's where I headed.

The resort is swankier than any place I've ever been to before.  It had that definite resort-feel to it, complete with palm trees and golf course and manicured lawns and tropical gardens.  It kind of felt like going to Hawaii (not that I would know).  It was pretty quiet, though: said golf course and an outside pool area were both pretty empty.  I saw a couple having a barbeque and feeding two magpies and this brushturkey.  The brushturkey didn't like to share his crumbs and would chase the magpies away, a pretty humorous sight.

Australian brushturkey, not related to American turkeys.

The beach was pretty empty, too.  It's not a swimming beach, but there were a couple people walking and sitting around in the twilight; later some fishermen came out, too.

At the end of the evening a woman ate a hop pellet.  Reid told her not to but she did it anyway.  She said it wasn't that bad but had a strong aftertaste.  I, um, well, couldn't believe it.  The kid who picked up a hop pellet on a school tour at Grand Teton and immediately spat up probably wouldn't believe it, either.

Ben drove his Landrover so we didn't have to bounce around in the Berlingo. (Thank you~~~)  The Berlingo only seats two (people and about six to eight kegs) so if I had declined the invitation they probably would've taken little bluey.  There is something incredibly nostalgic about riding in the backseat of a car at night.  Maybe it was all the cheese (combined with getting a little carsick on the way over) and just general weariness, but I felt like I didn't remember who I was or where I was or what place or time I existed in.  Also the moon was still really full and it was beautiful; it was bimulous.

When we stopped for petrol we saw a character adjusting the produce boxes on the back of his truck, maybe filling up his flat tire (it was still pretty flat when he left, though). I think we noticed him first because he was barefoot (a lot of people are barefoot in Coffs, is what we deduced from our first visit). We would have completely forgotten about him except he was at the Armidale Farmers' Market the next morning.  We've gotten produce from him before; he always has a wide selection.  Sunday was no exception: we picked up red capsicums, passionfruit, turnip, zucchini and coriander leaves.  (They don't call it cilantro down here.)  Should've gotten bananas, but at the time it seemed like too much.. oh well.  We also bought pears, cabbage, and some interesting South American fruit called a feijoa, also known as the pineapple guava.  We'll try it tonight when Reid gets back from Melbourne.  Happy Friday!