A layer of cloud shadows the morning sun as we pass Barrenjoey under an orange dawn . The sea, dark and restless, surges northward, urged on by a constant southerly breeze. Green capped sandstone cliffs of the Bouddi National Park give way to the patchwork of civilization nestled on the beaches below. A steel water tank scars a headland at Terrigal, failing miserably in its blue painted camouflage. Albatross skim the white caps looking for breakfast or whales, neither can be seen. Ahead the smokestacks of the Lake Macquarie power stations mark our way. Eight hours should see us in Port Stephens.