North of Sydney and not so close, 20 kilometers south of Newcastle, is Lake Macquarie - a beautiful dark blue lake surrounded by a small town with a beautiful coastline.
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| Lake Macquarie |
On Lake Macquarie, or Makvai, we rested more than once, but somehow we didn’t take a photo. Omission. So this time we decided to shoot the sunrise. The weather is changing, so it's the season of beautiful sunrises around Sydney.
Of course, since I am writing about this lake for the first time, I need to say a few words about the history. So, before the development of these places by Europeans, the lake was called Avaba (Awaba), which meant “Calm surface”, but the local population living in these parts was called Avabakal (Awabakal) - “people of calm water”. The first white settlers came to the area in 1800 and they established a strong fishing industry along the lake.
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| Lake Macquarie |
The Lake Macquarie area is notable for its numerous conservation areas. The local area is a popular holiday destination not only for local residents, but also for those who come to Australia to get acquainted with its history and natural landscapes. Sandy beaches stretch along the lake coast, where hotels and hotels of various categories are located.
If a little more about how the first Europeans ended up on the shores of this lake, then we should also mention the first European name for the lake. So in 1800, Captain William Reid was sent from Sydney to receive a cargo of coal in Newcastle harbor. The raid took a wrong turn somewhere along the road and ended up on a lake instead of a river. Therefore, the first name of the lake was - "Reid's Error", which survived until 1826, when it was renamed in honor of Governor Lachlan Macquarie (Lachlan Macquarie / Lochlan Macquarie).
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| Lake Macquarie |
Lake Macquarie is twice the size of Sydney Harbor / more correctly Port Jackson / and is the largest salt lake in the southern hemisphere. It is located 20 km south of the city of Newcastle (Newcastle), the history of which I touched a little while talking about Fort Scratchley (Fort Scratchley).
When we paid for a tent site, in addition to a map and a small guidebook, we received vouchers to the local RSL club for one free glass / cup of something of our choice and free participation in the drawing of a piece of meat. We of course visited this RSL club (275 Watkins Rd, Wangi Wangi NSW 2267) and had lunch. It's a pretty busy place on the weekends.
The RSL industry was founded in 1916 by Australian soldiers returning from Gallipoli. They wanted to preserve their fighting spirit, born in battles, and the memory of departed comrades, as well as the opportunity to help those who returned alive from the war. Then the RSL philosophy was born - the camaraderie determined the very first name of the organization in June 1916 - the Returned Sailors and Soldiers Imperial League of Australia (RSSILA). The name changed several times, although the philosophy remained the same, and in 1980 it took on its current name, the Returned & Services League of Australia Limited (RSL).
For us, ordinary citizens and permanent residents of Australia, RSL is clearly associated with a place where you can have a good time, eat, play, listen to music, take part in contests and sweepstakes, and even play sports.
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| Lake Macquarie |
RSL clubs in Australia are non-profit structures, i.e. all proceeds are returned “to the people”: to public schools and kindergartens, to hospitals and for all kinds of needs of local councils (councils) and so on. Moreover, the annual reports of each club are posted for general viewing. For example, there you can see how much a particular club has earned on poker machines (I recently flipped through such a countdown and saw a figure of more than two million only on poker machines).
Any RSL club is open to both members and guests (in this case, you fill out a log at the entrance to the club). Usually membership in RSL clubs costs from 5 dollars for the whole year. Each club has a program for a month - artists and musicians perform, shows and charity events, excursions and competitions, competitions and quizzes are held.
The lake is large and there are many beautiful and interesting places around. We decided to stop at Wangi Lakeside Caravan Park this weekend. There are beautiful views and there is a small track.
There are actually 4 routes: blue - the shortest 45 minutes; yellow - the longest at 75 minutes; red - designed for 60 minutes; green - designed for 30 minutes.
Because paths intersect, then we started on yellow, walked a little on red, and looking for a vantage point, ended on blue. Nothing special.