ALL IS MISTY CALM

Last week the seas were benign in Providence Bay at Bennetts Beach and the town of Hawks Nest to our north. Here's an island strangly shaped like Ularu. The rare and endangered seabird, Gould's Petrel, comes ashore to breed and does so only on Cabbage Tree Island. Several isles make up a group in a protected nature reserves set in a marine reserve.
Broughton Island has a very tiny fishing village and several years ago, my relatives and others, went there over the waves for a quiet memorial and wake for our relative, who had been a very keen fisherman, but, sadly, died of cancer and was farewelled in that special setting.

The islands are a short distance north of Yaccaba Headland photographed from inside the entrance to Port Stephens, a large harbour given over to small towns, holidays, boating, whale and dolphin watching.