Love, honest work and practical Christianity

50 kms north of Coffs Harbour at the foot of a magnificent sandstone cliff I visited some converted railway wagons where I found an atmosphere of love, honest work and practical Christianity. The place – Sherwood Cliffs. Here apart from the daily cooking, cleaning, washing and other domestic activities, there is always the sound of saws buzzing, hammers banging and tractors running. A thriving garden produces a lovely supply of fresh vegetables and the dairy cows produce milk and meat. The orchard increases every year as trees are added. Hidden, but not hiding, in this tranquil environment people have an opportunity of finding real answers for their needs. It provides a family orientated programme for drug rehabilitation where staff and clients live, share and work together. There is also a school for children of both clients and staff. John-Pierre and his wife Honi with God's guidance founded the place 31 years ago. John-Pierre is pictured with sulphur crested cockatoo on his shoulder and Honi feeding the baby kangaroos. The last picture is the new area for women. Staff do not receive a salary but rely on God to supply their every day needs. An amazing place.

Coffs Coast

I have enjoyed my stay with Emily, Joan and their mother 'Oma'. Mother and I went for days out, to the hairdresser, looking for shoes etc. Now Emily has a week off after a busy 2 weeks full time in Vocational Care - a holiday programme for 5-12 yr old children. Joan has a 800cc Kawasaki motor bike and she gave me a ride on it one day. The picture on the right shows Emily at Nambucca Heads where people are allowed to portray their artistic skills on the rocks along this coastal stretch.

Coffs Coast – situated half way between Sydney and Brisbane, there are a choice of over 40 beaches all in their sandy splendour, stretching 90 kms of picture perfect coastline. The beaches offer many different surfing, swimming and beach experiences. Some offer privacy away from the crowds, while others safe surf conditions and are regularly patrolled by Coffs

lifeguards. At Coffs Harbour boats bob about in the marina against an ocean backdrop sparkling in the sunlight as seagulls search greedily for the leftover fish and chips from lunching holiday makers. The harbour is still very much a working port and an important commercial fishing community. The Coffs Coast is also notable for its banana and avocado plantations. It has a sub-tropical climate that averages 26 degrees Centigrade and a minimum of 12 - sounds like an ideal climate to me.Muttonbird Island is just beyond the marina and is home to thousands of migrating wedge-tailed shearwaters (or muttonbirds) that bread on the island each year. Named for their ability to 'shear' the water with their wings. They were called muttonbirds by the early settlers who killed them for their fatty mutton like flesh. At the Eastern end of the island, perched above the surf crashing over the rock platforms and pools below I had an excellent vantage point to watch 5-6 visiting humpback whales on their annual migration. These gentle giants are a spectacle to behold.

Gold Coast

During my stay in Brisbane Tom and Carina took me for a day out to Montville a small village, where there was an interesting clock shop with numerous cuckoo clocks, then a short visit to the Sunshine Coast but alas it rained. After leaving Brisbane I visited the Gold Coast which has 72 kilometres of legendary beaches including Surfers Paradise. The beaches of the Australian coastline are indeed spectacular and rival those found anywhere in the world.

I had an interesting stay at the YHA (Youth Hostel Association) at Coolangata. The accommodation is graded by stars according to a quality standard. 5 star being a very high standard, but this hostel had no 'stars', so I wondered what I was letting myself into. The hostel was quite run down and I was sharing a dormitory room with 7 other people, fortunately all female. However I met some lovely people. I met a Christian couple over a meal, and on return to my dormitory my room mates invited me to share their potato chips and a drink. As we sat on our bunks we shared stories of our travels. The next day I moved onto Kingscliff, a small coastal village further south, where I stayed with another SERVAS host Don and Yvonne who lived in an over 50's village. Yvonne taught the men's tap dancing session.

Monday I traveled by bus and train to Sawtell to stay with my friends Emily and Joan who live with their mother Oma. Sawtell is just a short distance from Coffs harbour where you can see a rolling ocean, winding rivers and sparkling creeks. As my job at Stanthorpe had fallen through they suggested that I come and be a companion for their mother and take her for days out while Emily and Joan are at work. So this is my 'job', similar to HelpX by working to pay for my board and lodging. I plan to be here for approx 2 weeks.

I have the use of a car and today we went to Bellingen and Dorrigo. This cultural-rich community is a magnet for artists, musicians, writers, actors and crafts people. The term 'cottage industry' is taken literally here. It seems every second home boasts an artists studio and the results are on exhibit in a huge array of galleries. Locally made jewellery, ceramic and textile works arejust some of the pleasures available to peruse or purchase.

Cairns to Kuranda to Brisbane

After 2 days in Cairns I visited Kuranda dubbed the 'village in the rainforest', nestled in the mountains behind Cairns on the edge of the World Heritage listed Wet Tropics of Queensland, Australia. Market day is every day in Kuranda. It was here that I stayed with a SERVAS host. SERVAS is an organisation where hosts open their homes to travelers usually for a couple of nights and who enjoy the cross-cultural exchange. I stayed with a lovely couple, Graham and Terrie, for 3 nights and enjoyed some great home comforts that I missed while on the sailing expedition - a room to myself, comfy spacious bed, hot water and a shower etc, etc, etc. It is only when you don't have them that you appreciate the basic things in life. I was shown around the village, saw some koalas and taken up to Port Douglas.

Now I am in Brisbane staying with some friends, Tom and Carina, who I met at the last 20 day school of healing and discipleship that I attended last year, not far from Sydney. Brisbane's city heartland is a unique district with the river as it's central focus reflecting the city's reputation for a relaxed subtropical lifestyle. Grand colonial architecture stands side by side with modern office towers and hotels. Here in Brisbane it was not long before I was once again on the water!! I took a trip on the City Cat - a catamaran which caters for the travel needs of recreational passengers and commuters. With the river being the heart of Brisbane it is a great way to travel around the city. Temperatures have dropped from 30 degrees centigrade and humid in Cairns to 16 degrees here in Brisbane.

My work assignment in Stanthorpe fell through as the HelpX workers who were already there decided they wanted to stay on so they did not need me. That was a bit of a disappointment as I was really looking forward to working in an attractive highland town most famous for being cold. It sits at an altitude of 915m and is one of the few places in the state that gets cold. It was minus 1 degree centigrade this morning.
With a change of plans I am now heading off from Brisbane on Thursday 9th July to a small village called Coolangata for a night at the YHA and then on to Kingscliff to stay 2-3 nights with a SERVAS host, on the coast further south.