“My father came with his father and grandfather,” she explained.

“Looking at photos from that time, it must have been a boys own adventure to get here from Newcastle.”

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With a family history in the region stretching back to the 1920s, it would be easy to assume Vicki’s love for the area stems from family tradition, but Vicki has travelled far and wide and come to the educated conclusion that this is the spot for her.

“The Great Lakes continued to be a preferred family getaway destination into the 1960s until my brothers and I moved away from home,” Vicki said.

“Mum and dad settled into their dream home at Lemon Tree Passage where dad could practically drop a fishing line out the front window!

“I moved to the USA in 1969. Heavens, what an exciting adventure international travel was in those days.

“I settled into a career, got married, moved around USA; Washington, Denver, Baltimore, Annapolis, Dallas, with a couple of extended sailing jaunts in the Bahamas and Virgin Islands, and eventually settling in Ft Lauderdale.”

Vicki didn’t wander back down under until the Christmas of 1975, when she brought husband, Roger for his first taste of Vegemite and kangaroo ride around the block.

“We tried to fit in a lot of site seeing, including a visit to Forster/Tuncurry. The weather was perfect and I think a tiny seed was planted in both our minds.”

When her father died in 1985, Vicki and Roger travelled back again to spend time with her mother and revisit some of her father’s favourite old haunts, including Forster.

“I fell in love with the area all over again,” Vicki said.

“You only have to drive across the bridge on a sunny day, lose yourself in the turquoise water of the lake, lull yourself into a meditative trance on the Bennetts Head platform, take your shoes off and walk the length of Burgess Beach, feel the spray from the waves crashing over the tanks – so many gems within such a short distance.”

With the seed well and truly sprouting, Vicki was back again the next year, when she and Roger bought a block of land at One Mile.

“Careers and adventures held our attention for the next 15 years, until, getting close to retirement age, we decided to sell the land at One Mile and use the proceeds to buy an existing house,” she said.

That was in 2004. 

Fourteen years later, Vicki is happy to proclaim she would NEVER move away, as the Great Lakes and Manning Valley have so many beautiful and interesting places for day tripping.

“Pack a picnic lunch, a thermos of tea, a couple of folding chairs, the camera, and visit the beach, the lake, a mountain top viewing platform, a lighthouse, a bird lovers wetland, a waterfall, a wildlife ark, a rainforest, and any number of other beautiful unspoiled destinations, all within an easy drive,” she explained.

“But,” she said, “the Bahamas and Virgin Islands are in the running, and British Columbia has its attractions, but we have everything we could possibly want right here in Forster/Tuncurry.

“Besides, I was a young subscriber to the adage, “wherever you go, there you are.””

And, with gardening, photography, morning walks along the waterfront, writing, and taking care of her five rescue cats to keep her busy, Vicki is certainly here, heart and soul, for good.