Going for Broke

Garry and I have just finished a team-building offsite with our staff in the Hunter Valley. We decided it would be good for morale to take everyone away for the weekend. We've spent two full days reviewing Artiwood's performance during the first year of the pandemic and making plans for the year ahead.

In between all the hard work, we also took time out for a superb team-building event. Our driver, Vanessa, from Grape to Glass took us on an excellent wine tour that included a distillery visit and a micro-brewery. The distillery even gave us a private behind-the-scenes tour of their production floor.

I booked us into Bonn Abbey in Broke. It's owned by an old friend. She gave us a great rate and the homestead proved to be the perfect setting for our meetings, as well as a great place to unwind during quiet moments.

The Lucky Country

Today marks one year since Australia recorded its first COVID-19 cases. Victoria recorded its first COVID-19 case on January 25, 2020 – a man in his 50s who tested positive for the virus after arriving in Melbourne on a flight from Guangzhou in China on January 19, 2019.

By the end of that day a further three cases had been confirmed in New South Wales, after two passengers flew from the Chinese city of Wuhan and a third from Shenzhen. One year later, here in Australia (and New Zealand), our pandemic experience looks vastly different from that of most other countries. The contrast is such that many of you reading this post will find it hard to comprehend.

Perhaps the starkest difference is the simple fact that there is currently no community transmission of the virus anywhere in Australia. The same goes for New Zealand. The only new cases being reported are coming from overseas travellers in quarantine. As of today, since February 2020, Australia has reported a total of 28,761 confirmed cases and 909 deaths. Yes – you read that correctly – these are "whole of pandemic" statistics. Not daily, weekly or monthly numbers.

Currently, you need a special Government permit to enter the country (and likewise to leave our shores if you’re a citizen or permanent resident). Upon arrival, you're transferred to a specially designated hotel for 14-days of mandatory quarantine. To ensure the quarantine system isn’t overwhelmed international arrivals are limited to around 3000 people weekly.

To date, these measures have stopped the spread of COVID-19, including more infectious variants currently spreading globally. However, the system hasn't always been totally foolproof. Since June last year the states of Victoria (with its capital city of Melbourne), New South Wales (Sydney), South Australia (Adelaide) and Queensland (Brisbane) have all experienced virus outbreaks whose origins traced back to hotel quarantine workers.

All but one of these outbreaks were brought under control within weeks. The most devastating occurred in Melbourne last June. Thousands were infected and hundreds died before community transmission was finally eradicated. This result was achieved by a comprehensive lockdown lasting almost three months. At the time it was considered the most draconian undertaken anywhere in the world. The UK’s latest lockdown is now operating with a similar level of constraint.

The nation's most recent COVID-19 outbreak occurred in Brisbane. A hotel cleaner infected six people with the new UK variant before the outbreak was brought under control. Here in Sydney, we’ve successfully controlled an outbreak that began in the city’s Northern Beaches suburbs three weeks before Christmas. As of today, New South Wales has recorded eight straight days without a locally transmitted case, Queensland has reached 14 days, and Victoria has made it 19 straight days without a new case.

Australia’s remarkable results have come at a considerable short-term cost to our civil liberties and economic wellbeing. Entire industries including international student education, tourism and aviation have all been devastated. Likewise, current border restrictions have left more than 38,000 Australians stranded overseas unable to return for many months to come.

However, despite these constraints, Australia’s economy is rebounding quickly. With unprecedented economic support from the federal government, around 90 per cent of the 1.3 million Australians who lost their jobs or saw work hours reduced to zero early in the pandemic are now back at work. Last month official unemployment fell from 6.8 to 6.6 per cent. These figures are still well above pre-COVID levels but show the nation is faring better than other OECD nations.

The latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics also show GDP grew 3.3 per cent in the September quarter, but declined 3.8 per cent in the year to September 2020. However, the annual downturn is dominated by a 7 per cent economic contraction in the three months through June when the first national lockdown was in full swing. Analysts expect the December quarter just ended will continue reporting steady GDP growth and stable unemployment.

Looking ahead, the country will kick off a national vaccination program in late-February.  The population has been split into four groups. The first two consist of people at greatest risk, the latter two covers the rest of the population. Garry and I are in the third group. At our age, we're considered a little more vulnerable than the general population.

The effectiveness of Australia’s national border closure has been brought into stark relief in recent weeks by the experience of arrivals for the Australia Open tennis tournament. The Victorian Government elected to proceed with the Grand Slam event despite strong reservations by health authorities and lockdown traumatised Melbournian residents.

Last week 17 charter flights arrived in Melbourne carrying hundreds of players, partners and officials. Everyone was transferred into mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine. Since then ten people have tested positive. This includes rising Spanish star Paula Badosa who is one of 72 players confined to their rooms after several passengers on their aircraft tested positive upon arrival. Badosa was a very vocal critic of Australia’s hard quarantine procedure for “close contacts” like herself. However, she tested positive seven days into quarantine and has since apologised for her stance.

Novak Djokovic, the world’s No.1 men’s player, has also been a vocal critic. Last week he issued a fanciful wish-list for the 72 players stuck in hard quarantine. His proposals were poorly received by most Australians. Even more so given his defiant stance last year when he hosted a European tournament with poor health control protocols. The tournament subsequently became a virus super-spreading event.

No doubt many of you reading this post will struggle to comprehend how different life feels in Australia. Our headlines aren’t dominated by daily death tolls, overwhelmed hospitals and personal hardship. Instead, we’re all debating the merits of Australian player Bernard Tomic’s girlfriend, Vanessa Sierra, who recently took to social media to protest her hotel quarantine conditions.

In a Twitter tirade, she bitterly complained that "This is the worst part of quarantine: I don't wash my own hair. I've never washed my own hair. It's just not something that I do. I normally have hairdressers that do it twice a week for me, so this is the situation that we're dealing with."

All we can say to Vanessa is simply this. You’re washing your own hair so that Australia can continue reporting 28,761 confirmed cases and only 909 tragic deaths since February 2020. It’s a small price to pay when saving lives.

UPDATE: 31 January

West Australia reported its first case of community transmission in almost ten months today. A security guard working in a Perth quarantine hotel has tested positive for Coronavirus. The infected man may have been symphonic since Australia Day. Furthermore, he moonlights as a share ride driver when he’s not working as a security guard. In response to this positive test, the entire Perth metropolitan area has been sent into total lockdown for the next five days.

UPDATE: 3 February

West Australia has confirmed that the infected security guard is carrying the more virulent UK strain. This strain first appeared three months ago and is rapidly spreading globally. As of yesterday, West Australia had recorded no additional local cases. It looks increasingly likely the state may have dodged a bullet with this latest quarantine outbreak.

Homeward Bound

The final two stops on our journey home from Ballina proved to be a hit and a miss.  Our first stop was the Harrington River Lodge overlooking the expansive Harrington River.  Garry and I stopped here several years ago and were duly impressed by the burgeoning planned community taking shape along the river bank. We were curious to see if our first impressions would hold up during a second visit.

I'm delighted to say that Harrington continues to impress us.  The community continues to flourish and the facilities have been well maintained.  We spent two relaxing nights here.  The sunset on the first night was undoubtedly a real highlight of our vacation.  Once again we were entertained by dolphins frolicking in the river's tranquil waters and pelicans balancing delicately on local street lamps.

However, the surprise highlight on our journey south was Nambucca Heads.  On a whim, we decided to take a brief detour and visit this seaside town.  The vista that greeted us as we pulled into a lookout on the headlands simply took our breath away. The town sits on the mouth of a picturesque river, punctuated by sweeping white sand bars. The headlands also include a small, sheltered lake nestled behind a coastal breakwater.  All in all, it was an impressive location.  We've decided we'll sneak back here soon for a long weekend.

Our final stop on our way to Sydney was Bannisters in Port Stephens.  Rick Steins has a popular seafood restaurant here and the hotel's review are punctuated by images of sublime coastal views.  However, our stay at this pricey upmarket motel-style resort proved disappointing. It was our most expensive accommodation yet delivered the least impressive experience. I honestly felt royally ripped off and was rather embarrassed I’d gifted Garry the cost of our stay for Christmas.

First, our ocean view room wasn't located on the building’s ocean-facing facade. Instead, we found ourselves sharing a barren marble clad balcony with three other rooms.  This meant the room offered limited privacy and our view of the neighbouring park’s trees wasn't worth the premium price we paid.  

Second, the hospitality staff’s service varied from excellent to downright mediocre. The service at breakfast both mornings was particularly woeful. We had to chase down the staff to get a coffee and cutlery. Identical meals arrived with missing accoutrements. The toast we ordered never arrived. In all honesty the breakfast we enjoyed in the mountains at Dorrigo was street ahead of Bannisters.

However, there were a few memorable highlights. Dinner at Rick Steins was superb, as was our lunch at the Point Restaurant in nearby Solider's Point. However, these culinary treats won’t tempt us back to Bannisters any time soon.

Dorrigo National Park

Garry and I have spent the first week of the new year making our way home after a much-needed Summer vacation in Ballina.  Our return journey has been broken into three separate scenic stops.  Our first stop takes us inland to Dorrigo National Park. This tranquil location sits on the popular Waterfall Way, a scenic highway that winds its way over the Great Dividing Range between Coffs Harbour and Armidale.

We based ourselves for two nights at the Lost Mountain Resort a few kilometres east of Dorrigo township.  This proved to be a superb venue.  The resort's cafe served an awesome breakfast. The surrounding mountain views and local birdlife were equally sublime. However, the region is best known for its spectacular waterfalls.

During our stay, we visited the impressive Dangar Falls, walked the Wonga Track to the equally impressive Crystal Shower Falls and stopped to admire two smaller falls that cascade down the slopes and pass directly under the local highway. 

The Wonga Walk proved to be a real highlight.  We saw plenty of birdlife along the way including a male Bush Turkey building an enormous nesting mount, King Parrots and some adorable finches.  The Crystal Shower Falls were well worth the 3km round trip hike. 

The approach to the falls is marked by a suspension bridge that carries walkers across the valley in front of the falls.  From here a short side track takes you behind the falls where you can look through the cascading veil of water.

The National Park's Rainforest Centre also featured an impressive Skywalk. This cantilevered gangway stretches out over the canopy rewarding visitors with an uninterrupted view across the National Park's scenic valleys.

Ballina Bliss

2020 has been one heck of a rollercoaster ride for everyone. The COVID-19 pandemic has seen our lives turned upside down in more ways than one.  Garry and I have fared better than most.  Our business ultimately boomed during the year. Sales grew an extraordinary 74% as house-bound parents strived to keep their children entertained and bring a little joy in the midst of chaos.

However, the growth took its toll. We found ourselves working long hours, weekends and public holidays in an effort to keep on top of day-to-day tasks. We also took advance of the unique economic conditions to hire new staff and relocate the business into some superb new premises. These strategic investments all took their own toll on our sanity.

As Christmas approached, we were both in desperate need of a real down-time vacation. As a result, decided to book a two-week Summer break on the New South Wales north coast. In the COVID era, domestic travel is fraught with its own risks and challenges. As intermittent virus outbreaks continue, State Governments are opening and shutting their borders with little warning. This invariably complicates the planning of any vacation.

Garry and I decided to limit ourselves to travelling within the state to keep things stress-free. We ultimately booked seven nights at the Ramada Resort in Ballina after a coveted roof-top corner suite suddenly became available. We've stayed at the Ramada twice before (but never in the corner suite) and have always said we'd return. Then, to complete the return home, we'll work our way back down the coast, breaking the journey with three scenic stops overnight.

We started our road trip early on Boxing Day. A 7am departure saw us miss the worst of Sydney’s holiday traffic. We then broke up the drive to Ballina with an overnight stop in Port Macquarie.  This small regional city proved to be an unexpected highlight with its stunning harbour and coastal scenery, retail and dining options. The town is also famous for its Koala Hospital where injured animals are nursed back to health.

Further north, our journey was made easier thanks to the recent opening of a final section of “missing” dual carriageway on the Pacific Highway. You can now travel between Sydney and Brisbane without the notorious traffic bottlenecks and accident zones the highway has long been known for.  There are now just two remaining sections where traffic doesn't flow uninterrupted; Hexham/Raymond Terrace near Newcastle and Coffs Harbour.  However, construction is about to start on a by-pass around Coffs Harbour and funding has been approved for the missing Hexham link.

Garry and I spent seven glorious days in Ballina enjoying the uninterrupted river and coastal views from our penthouse suite. During our stay, we were entertained by soaring pelicans, dolphins plying the river, a green sea turtle and dive-bombing gulls. We did absolutely nothing and yet the days seemed to fly by.

Mudgee

Mudgee has got to be one of New South Wales’ best-kept secrets. This vibrant country town nestled in the foothills of the Goulburn River National Park proved to be an unexpected highlight on our recent inland road trip. Garry and I spent two nights here enjoying many of its popular attractions.

The town’s first highlight was our accommodation. We booked ourselves into a boutique B&B hotel called Hanger House. This modern building sits on the edge of the local airport’s runway. It features a dramatic curving roofline that encompasses a working aircraft hangar and five luxuriously appointed bedroom suites. It’s probably the only hotel we’ve ever stayed at where you fly in and park your plane inside the building.

We later learned from the owners that the hotel was originally built to house a flying school. However, this venture failed before it was launched. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. It was refreshing to sit on the balcony of our room, the Constellation Suite, and look out over the runway threshold and surrounding farmland.

The bulk of our stay was spent doing a private, full-day, wine tour of the Mudgee region with a small outfit called Country Escape Tours. I had no idea the area was filled with so many established wineries before planning our road trip. We sampled some impressive wines, including a sparkling wine called The Lucky Find. This unexpected find is aptly named. We felt it was equal to anything produced by a top French champagne house. 

We also dined one evening at the highly-rated Pipeclay Pumphouse. This fine dining restaurant located in the Robert Stein Vineyard & Winery served up an impressive meal. Our table looked out over a picturesque reed-fringed dam running along one side of the building. It was easily the best meal we experienced on our entire road trip.

The final night of our road trip saw us make our way over the Blue Mountains via Lake Windamere to Medlow Bath. Here we stopped overnight at the recently restored Hydro Majestic Hotel. We enjoyed a high tea in the main lounge shortly after checking in. This proved a fitting end to our inland travel adventure. I doubt we’d have planned such a thoroughly enjoyable holiday had the borders not been closed between New South Wales and neighbouring states. Perhaps the pandemic has a silver lining after all?

Western Plains Zoo

We’ve made a return visit to Dubbo’s Western Plains Zoo. Garry and I last visited in March 2005. At the time we took advantage of some cheap Qantas airfares, flew to Dubbo, and hired a car. I recall that our itinerary included a comprehensive visit to the Siding Spring Observatory near Coonabarabran. The complex was hosting an open day that gave us a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at several observatories including the massive Anglo-Australian Telescope.

This time around, our visit to Dubbo was all about the Zoo. For starters, we booked accommodation in the Zoo’s Savannah Cottages located on the edge of its African grasslands exhibit. The cottages are set on a hill outside the boundaries of the Zoo so it wasn’t quite the immersive experience we’d hoped it would be. There is a lodge within the grounds that you can stay at, but it operates more like a hotel. Garry and I wanted something a little more self-contained, so we opted for one of the free-standing apartment-style cottages.

We booked two nights in Dubbo. The first evening ended up devoted to business. We spent the afternoon interviewing for a warehouse manager role our 3PL provider wanted to fill. By the time we were done, we’d spent more than four hours hosting a video call and subsequent debrief session. The shortlisted candidate we met didn’t impress us, so we felt we’d wasted half a day of annual leave.

The following day was spent almost entirely based at the Zoo. We drove from exhibit to exhibit, taking our time to soak up the scenery, spot the animals and enjoy their antics. Highlights included watching the giraffes and rhinos feed, getting up close and personal with the meerkats, and being entertained by the hyper-active otter families.

We then spent our final morning in town revisiting a few of our favourite animal exhibits at the Zoo before making our way to Mudgee via the historic gold-mining town of Gulgong. I’d never heard of this town before researching our road trip. 

Gulgong is the childhood home of bush poet Henry Lawson. Its narrow, winding streets are lined with dozens and dozens of beautifully preserved heritage-listed buildings. We spent an hour or so wandering through this 19th Century time capsule of town. I later read that around 130 buildings in Gulgone are listed on the National Trust’s register.

Finally, a quick shout-out to the famous Nyngan helicopter.  This unique display outside the defunct railway station in the centre of town memorializes dramatic rescues conducted by the Australian Air Force during record-breaking floods in April 1990.  At the height of the floods, more than 2,500 stranded residents had to be evacuated by helicopter from the railway station, the highest and only unflooded place in town. For us, the station was a handy pitstop on the long - and unbelievably straight - road between Bourke and Dubbo.