Forster via Black Head Beach
23 February 2020 / John Hansen
Black Head Beach Picnic and Forster Run
Tuesday 11 February 2020
Tuesday 11 February was a fine summer day for our midweek run to Black Head Beach for a morning tea picnic and then down to Forster for lunch. Our group met up at ‘Olivers’ at the Port Macquarie Service Centre a.k.a the ‘donut’. Eager for the off were members, Peter in a Heritage Burgundy NB, Cathy and Wayne in their Burgundy NB, Peter in his black NB, Karla and Michael in their blue NB, Judith and John galaxy grey NC and Allen in his eye dazzling red ND.
Roof tops were lowered and Peter lead us down the Pacific Highway to the turn off to Forster where we would meet up with our run leaders Susan and John in their green NB. For some of us this was the first time that we had ventured south since the bushfires earlier in the year. It was interesting to see shoots of green emerging from the blackened tree trunks. It was ironic to see fields that had been a sea of burnt brown were now under water due to the recent torrential rains and the cattle in them looking most bemused at the water covering the ground. Soon we were at the Rainbow Flat turn off onto the Lakes Way road and then to the turn off to Blackhead Road where Susan and John were waiting for us.
The drive was interesting as most of us had not driven along it before and the amount of new development was a bit of an-eye opener. The name Hallidays Point was familiar as it had been mentioned many times in bushfire reports and we could see how close the fires had come to the houses along the way. Soon we were at Black Heads Beach reserve which had a well appointed amenities block and sheltered picnic tables for morning tea. Our club does many things well and picnic meals is one of them. Soon the tables were covered with delectable foodstuffs which were devoured as Susan and John gave us a potted history of the area as follows:
“Here we sit on the famous Blackhead Beach known for lovely clear water and great local shops. The headland is thought to hold treasure that the famous pirate Black Beard hid when he visited the area, but that is another story however we should keep a sharp lookout me hearties for treasure” (from Susan and John’s written notes).
The word ‘treasure’ really picks up the interest and soon Susan and John had us acting like fellow pirates and scouring the area for treasure trove; after some fruitless searching it was pointed out that often real treasure is found right under one’s nose! Indeed this proved to be the case and a treasure box was found on a table, prised open and the treasure greedily shared. The contents of which will remain secret to avoid the risk of an ambush from rival car clubs!
Our pirate run leaders then took us up to the headland park where a magnificent view could be had of the beaches to the north and it was easy to imagine a pirate ship sailing along. Susan and John were now in full tour guide mode and we followed them back along the road into Forster to have a look first at the historic waterfront and ended up at the John Wright Park, where we could see the whole of the Forster Tuncurry Bridge which our guides noted was “ one of the longest one span bridges in the Southern Hemisphere. It was opened on the 18 of July 1959 ending 69 years of ferry service across the bay”.
We crossed the bridge connecting the twin towns and turned left passing the main beach, the Bullring outdoor ocean pool and eventually along the Head Road to the Bonnet Head lookout. This lookout provides stunning views of the coastline and for those who were willing to “walk the plank” to the end of lookout for dizzying views to a dolphin nursery. Our intrepid photographers Wayne and Peter nonchalantly holding their cameras over the drop to take photographs whilst other firmly held onto the handrails. Our pirate captains insisted that we walked a short way along a walking track before proceeding to the Bowling Club for a most satisfactory lunch.
The day had become extremely hot and we found that it was very relaxing to eat in air conditioned comfort from a huge variety of different foods. Good food and conversation, the hallmark of our club topped off a very enjoyable day.
Thanks go to our coordinators Allan and Peter for organising the run, Peter for being the first run leader and Susan and John for providing us with a very interesting run, treasure hunt, potted local history and site seeing guide tours of their local area.
Once again our club members were able to enjoy not only our cars but had the opportunity to see new places and explore the scenic local area. Thanks also to Wayne for photographing the antics of the intrepid pirates and putting them up on the MX-5 Mid North Coast’s Facebook page.
Your scribe John Hansen
