With stops in Wolgoolga and Spot X
August 14, 2019
After an early morning breakfast and departure from Twistop Retreat in Barrington National Park, the Stray crew made its way to the coast. The scenery of the Australian countryside was beautiful along the drive and it was nice to return to civilization beside the coast.
Port Macquarie Koala Hospital
Our first stop of the day was the Koala Hospital in Port Macquarie. The hospital is renowned for its care of injured and sick koalas in the area. As explained by our tour guide, Port Macquarie is an ideal location for this hospital because this area has a high concentration of gum trees (eucalyptus trees) that koalas live in and eat from. This area also has a high potential for bushfires, which is one of the main causes of koala injury or death.
In addition to bushfire dangers to koalas, did you know that dog attacks, cars, and residential development are high threats to their population?
Koalas do not always live up in the trees, and sometimes come down to the ground for a water source. Dogs are very territorial and oftentimes will attack the koalas when they enter the yard. When relocating to another territory, sometimes koalas have to cross busy roads, and unfortunately are hit and killed by cars. And finally, with the expansion of residential neighborhoods, acres upon acres of gum trees are being cleared to make way for new housing. The destruction of their habitat leaves the koalas that survive with nowhere to go, causing them to wander into dog-guarded yards, and across busy roads.
Luckily, this area has a koala hospital where injured koalas can be brought to receive care. The hospital is free to visit, although donations are suggested, and see all the koalas under their care. The hospital’s main goal is to return the koalas to their original habitat, however, there are some resident koalas who are unable to return to the wild due to their injuries.
Wolgoolga “Woolie”
We made a quick pit stop in Wolgoolga to stretch our legs on the Solitary Islands Coastal Walk. It was a short walk along the headland where we watched surfers catching some waves and enjoyed the view of the beautiful bay.
Spot X
Our final destination for the day was Spot X, aka Arrawarra Beach. Here, we checked into the Mojosurf Spot X Surf Camp. When originally booking my east coast adventures, I was supposed to stay here 4 days for a surf camp, but then the timing did not work with my itinerary, so instead, I will be doing the surf camp at Mojosurf Byron Bay.
Arrawarra Beach is referred to as Spot X because it is supposed to be a ‘secret’ place for good surfing. The waves at Spot X are great for beginners to learn on. Even though I wasn’t supposed to have a lesson here, I decided to pay for the one day lesson everyone else on the tour was participating in the next day.
The one thing I liked about this surf camp was its accommodation. There were teepees as well as shipping container rooms! Our group was placed in 4 shipping container rooms. Each had 2 bunk beds and a bathroom. The bathroom was teeny tiny, so many used the shower block located on the other side of the camp.
After a dinner of hamburgers and chips (aka french fries) the stray crew gathered around the campfire and played a bunch of games and listened to music! It was such a fun night and another great icebreaker to get to know everyone better.
