It wasn’t the best planning to visit Wauchope on the hottest day of my trip (forecast was 35C) but thankfully it wasn’t too bad.

Of course I started my day with a beach visit and sketch!

I went back to Flynns and as there was actually a spare table sat down for breakfast and ended up having another smashed avo. Ok – I need to eat something different!

And I managed to get a bench with shade so I could do a beach sketch as well.

Here is a map showing Port Macquarie and some of the places I visited: Rawdon Island, Sancrox, Wauchope, and Beechwood.

I wanted to visit Rawdon Island, as my Dad went to school there. There were no places where I could stop my car and get out to sketch, so all I have is this quick photo from the driver’s seat as I turned around in a driveway.

I then visited the Abundance cafe and garden centre at Sancrox. I had so much fun experimenting with different things as I sketched the lily pond.

I was just starting to pack up when a water dragon ran over my feet and then tried to look innocent! I don’t mind water dragons normally, but running over my feet was a bit of a shock.

Aside: I later found out that my dad’s family had a farm at Sancrox before moving to Ennis.

Next, I drove to Ennis (on the other side of the river to Rawdon Island), where my dad grew up. There was some major road/river bank work being done so I didn’t get all the way down the road to the old farm. Once again, there was nowhere to park my car, so just a quick photo to document that I was there and to show Dad. I’ve no idea why this photo came out so hazy.

I continued driving to Beechwood – a beautiful town. Here, I could park next to the school, which had a gorgeous view on the other side of the road. It was a bit too hot to sketch in the sun, so I did a quick graphite drawing to capture the view.

I then headed into Wauchope and sketched the railway bridge across the Hastings River. I did even more experimenting and layering with this sketch, actually correcting the number of trusses on the right side of the bridge. I’m not very happy with this sketch but it was a good chance to test a few things (ie. different ways of combining Poscas and neocolors).

I had coffee with a friend at 3pm and managed to sketch “Aunty Ruby’s house” beforehand. So many memories as I did this sketch of my very special Great Aunt who I miss a lot. (She even has her own tag here on the blog.)

It was nice catching up with my friend, and I did a little reflex sketching while we were talking – adding more layers and experimenting with some new techniques later.

Back at Port Macquarie and another beach sketch! This time at Nobbys Beach.

Another great day!

I’m really enjoying looking at these sketches again from my November trip to Port Macquarie and uploading summer holiday images while I’m working. 🙂