Well we are very lucky at the moment to be travelling through and staying in some really nice spots as we are going down the NSW coast.  The drive from Byron Bay to Kangaroo Valley is so green at the moment and even on Highway 1 some of the views are pretty good.  From Byron Bay we drove to Coffs Harbour for a three night stay at a place called the Clog Barn.  This was developed by some Dutch hence the name.  Not a bad little spot though we did miss the turn as it was hard to see so a little reversing against the traffic was not a popular move.  Coffs Harbour was nice to see but as with most coastal areas over here it was very busy and city like.  Though no visit to Coffs isn’t complete without going to “The Big Banana”.

Coffs Harbour

 

Coffs Harbour – The Big Banana

 

Crystal Falls – Dorrigo NP

 

Crystal Falls – Dorrigo NP looking from behind the waterfall

 

Skywalk – Dorrigo NP in amongst the clouds

 

Walking in the clouds – Dorrigo NP

 

Dangar Falls

 

Some of the sights we did at Coffs Harbour was around the harbour and a drive up to Dorrigo National Park.  The drive and walk around Dorrigo was probably our worse day yet for weather but still was nice to see the views and greenery.  Quite a bit of the walk was in the clouds and some rain.  Much to our disgust though was the leeches that seem to jump on you from everywhere.  All part of the fun I guess.  On the drive back to Coffs Harbour we stopped off at a lookout to see Dangar Falls and they were really spectacular. The sign into them was not really well advertised and for a sight like this right next the side of the road really blew us away.

The next stop after Coffs Harbour was a small town called Croki.  This was on the riverside and there were only about ten houses in the town.  What surprised us was that the caravan park was nearly booked out.  It wasn’t very big but it was the first time when we thought we wouldn’t get in for the night.  We haven’t been pre booking anywhere up to now as most of the places we are staying in are only around 50% full.  Anyhow after a bit of a walk around we were literally squeezed into a corner on the caravan park which was fine as it was for only one night.

From Croki it was next onto Swansea and we stayed at Blacksmiths Beach which was a good choice as it was away from the hustle and bustle but still close enough to be able to drive and see a few places.  Swansea is not far from part of the Hunter Valley so this was a day trip we had to have.  The wineries that we looked at were hosting Sculpture In The Vineyards promotion which added to the attraction.  I am not sure what some of these artist/sculptors are on when they create their “works of art” but some of the descriptions were pretty much out there.

Sculptor In The Vineyards – this represents poppies and sacrifices made

 

Sculptor In The Vineyards – this represents think of the world you carry with you

 

Sculptor In The Vineyards – this is self explanatory

 

Sculptor In The Vineyards – this represents the widening gulf between the haves and have nots

 

After wining in Swansea it was then off to Kangaroo Valley for four nights.  This drive into Kangaroo Valley was up the steepest hills so far, so it was interesting coming down the other side with 3 tonnes of caravan pushing down behind you as well.  That coupled with having to stop for road closures etc made it a trip down to remember. Kangaroo Valley reminded me of one of those little country towns you see on a feel good show on television, all nice and green with a few cute shops and everyone knows each other.  It was nice though and you can see why people over this side maybe do like to have a “tree change” way of life.  Very easy pace and nothing seems to happen in a real hurry.  Some of the drives around here were really stunning with views all over the place as you drive around.  Just up the road from Kangaroo Valley were the Fitzroy Falls and the Tallowa Dam that fed the Shoalhaven River.  These were really worth a look at.  It was good to see what a dam full looks like as there was water coming over the dam wall which we don’t see in WA.   Kangaroo Valley also boasts to have the “best pies in the world” so it was mandatory to give them a try.  They weren’t bad though we both thought the Mataranka pies were better.

Kangaroo Valley main street shopping

 

Fitzroy Falls Valley

 

Fitzroy Falls

 

Fitzroy Falls

 

Fitzroy Falls

 

Kangaroo Valley – Hampden Bridge

 

Kangaroo Valley – Hampden Bridge

 

Kangaroo Valley – Hampden Bridge

 

Kangaroo Valley Pioneer Museum

 

Kangaroo Valley Pioneer Museum

 

Kangaroo Valley – best pies in the world??

 

Kangaroo Valley – best pies in the world – the view from the veranda

 

Tallowa Dam

 

Tallowa Dam with water flowing over the top

 

Shoalhaven River

 

Well from here in Kangaroo Valley we are off to Batemans Bay and staying at a place called South Durras.  The caravan park is  the Murramarang Beachfront Nature Reserve so hopefully it lives up to its name.  This is going to be a long stay for 10 days before driving off to Canberra were we will be staying for around 4 weeks.  It will be good to stay around and do a lot of day trips everywhere and catch up with family, friends etc over Christmas.  Until next time cheers for now……

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to another enthralling update where there are more photos than dialogue.  I am finding that the more photos I download the less I feel I have to write which is a good thing for me.  After leaving Bundaberg we travelled as far as Pomona for an overnight stay at the showgrounds.  Pomona is a nice little town just off the A1 and the showgrounds would be the greenest and grassiest ones we have stayed in yet.

Some of the lush green around Pomona

 

After Pomona we cruised into the Gold Coast for a three night stay at Nobby Beach Caravan Park.  This was a couple of streets from the beach and was a fairly tight park to get into but nice all the same.  We really only came to the Gold Coast to go to the RM Williams Outback Spectacular that Kaye was keen to go and see.  What a great show it was and well worth the money.  For just over a $100 you get a drink on arrival, a 2 hour show and a three course meal with free drinks.  Worth the effort to go to if you are ever at the Gold Coast.  The only down side was it was pouring with rain when we went to leave and as I had parked a little way from the entrance we got slightly wet going back to the car.

After the Gold Coast it was on the road again to Byron Bay.  This was a massive 90 kilometre drive for the day so we were pretty wrecked when we got here.  We are staying at Broken Head which is about a 10 minute drive from Byron and much quieter which suits us better.  It is amazing to see how green and lush it is over here.  Everywhere you drive around here the roads are covered with tress and the fields are as green as green can get.  They must have the most content cows of anywhere.  It is a stark contrast to what we drove through in parts of Queensland.  We are staying in Byron Bay for a whole week which is nice as you can relax and get into the holiday mode and we really need that.

There are a lot of nice little drives around here and some of the small villages you drive through are very rustic and quaint.  They all seem to have coffee shops etc in them which encourages tourists to stop for a while and look around.

We did a great walk in the Nightcap National Park and did the Minyon Falls walk.  This ended up being an 8.6km loop and some of the scenery and paths were excellent.   We did encounter some leeches which was the downside.  I thought I had got them all off me until I got home and took my socks off.  Amazing how much blood you can have in your socks and not realise.

Nightcap NP – top of Minyon Falls

 

Nightcap NP – part of the walk

 

Nightcap NP – part of the walk

 

Nightcap NP – part of the walk

 

Nightcap NP – part of the walk

 

Nightcap NP – part of the walk

 

Nightcap NP – base of Minyon Falls

 

Nightcap NP – base of Minyon Falls

 

Nightcap NP – picnic at the base of Minyon Falls

 

Nightcap NP – Minyon Falls

 

We did a nice little trip to Bangalow for a afternoon drive.  This was a great little town that had a main street of well preserved old buildings that were all occupied with different businesses and does that make a difference to a town.  After a walk around the town, a coffee stop and visit to the local butcher we headed back to Byron but on a different road.  With the drives being so green and nice to look at we are doing most of our drives in a loop to be able to see as much of the country as possible.

Bangalow main street

 

Bangalow buildings

 

Bangalow buildings

 

Another drive we did was to Lennox Head and Ballina.  Glad we didn’t have a swim here as the next day was when the young surfer was attacked by a shark and is now in a coma.  It has made swimming around Byron Bay a bit cautious and I don’t go out as far as anyone else.

Lennox Head coastline

 

Staying at Broken Head has been very nice and I am quite glad we are not staying in Byron itself as it is very busy and there is a lot of traffic as well.  The weather has been pretty good with not to much rain and warm enough to go for a few swims at the beach.   Nearly everyone here seems to own a surfboard and that seems to be the most popular pastime here.  I also didn’t know that the most easterly point on mainland Australia was at Byron Bay so that was interesting to find out.

At Byron Lighthouse – most easterly point on mainland Australia

 

Byron Lighthouse

 

View from Broken Head back towards Byron Bay

 

Broken Head coastline

 

Broken Head coastline

 

Broken Head coastline

 

Byron Bay coastline

 

Tomorrow we off again heading towards Coffs Harbour.  Going to stay for three or four nights then it will be off again.  While in Coffs Harbour Kaye has booked in to give blood.  I didn’t think Kaye had blood running though her veins so this will be interesting to see what comes out……….

Until next update all take care and I hope you are all getting plans in place for Christmas. We are hoping to be in Canberra for Christmas and are slowly making our way there….regards for now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well after a great two weeks in Maroochydore we finally hit the road again and headed off north wards towards Gladstone.  In keeping with our fatigue plans we managed to travel as far as Burrum Heads for a four night stay.  We were only going to stay for three nights but decided another night would be best.  Burrum Heads is a small seaside town around 30 kilometres north of Hervey Bay.  The caravan park was nice with big sites and not very crowded.  We are finding that this is a good time to be travelling as most caravaners have headed home till next year so you have no problems getting in anywhere and you an always get a good spot.  A lot of parks in the quiet times let you go in and pick your own spot which can be really good most times.

While in Burrum Heads we got the bikes down again and did quite a few rides around the town which keeps Kaye off my back and on a bike.  While we were in Maroochydore we bought a better bike rack that does make it easier to cart the bikes around and not damage them as they were starting to get a few marks on them and that wasn’t from being over used.  Burrum Heads is a nice little sleepy town that was an ideal place to base for a few days and travel around the Hervey Bay area.

There a some nice little housing areas between Burrum Heads and Hervey Bay and these were nice to travel around to look at and also to swim at some of the nice beaches and also take in some extended lunches by the sea.

Toogoom – walking off lunch

 

As with all good things they must end and we packed up after chilling out at Burrum Heads and headed off towards 1770/Agnes Waters.  1770 was where Captain Cook stepped ashore to survey the land and look for fresh water with Joseph Banks, there are no surprise to guess what year this was in, the name says the answer.  We stayed in a caravan park about halfway between 1770 and Agnes Waters.  One thing you do notice over here is that there is a lot of development in all the coastal towns in Queensland and also just how much greener it is over here near the coast.  They do have it very lucky over here.  While here we did a few walks and took in the local markets and surprise surprise we relaxed.  The Paperbark Forest walk we did was an excellent little walk and though very short the feel and atmosphere of the place was really different.

1770 Joseph Banks Conservation Park

 

Agnes Waters/1770 Markets

 

Agnes Waters – Paperbark Forest walk

 

Agnes Waters – Paperbark Forest walk

 

Agnes Waters – Rocky Point Beach

 

After three days of non stop adventure at 1770 and Agnes Waters we headed a bit further up the coast towards Gladstone.  Not wanting to stay in Gladstone we stayed at the Tannum Beach Caravan Park.  This is around 25 kilometres from Gladstone and was well worth stopping at.  Nice large park and not very many staying there.  We got the bikes out again and it was like the “Tour de Tannum” as we cycled everywhere.  One great thing about this little town was the amount of cycle paths there were, really made it easy to get around.  Tannum Sands also adjoins Boyne Island and you can easily ride between the two of them.  On a day trip to Gladstone we did the Coffee Cruise around the harbour.  For $24 you get a two hour cruise of the port and loading wharfs plus some dodgy coffee and cakes.  It was a great little cruise and well worth the price.  The boat you go on is also not your usual cruise boat which also adds to the trip.  Well worth it if your are ever in Gladstone.

Gladstone Port

 

Gladstone Port

 

Gladstone – the “Coffee Cruise” boat

 

Gladstone – the “Coffee Cruise” boat

 

Gladstone Port – gas loading arms

 

Gladstone Port – Rio Tinto unloading raw Bauxite

 

Gladstone Port – coal stockpiles

 

Gladstone

 

From a very nice stay at Tannum Beach we hit the road again for Bundaberg.  With the weather warming up a bit we have decided to start heading south a bit and make our way slowly towards to southern states, mind you it wont be a rushed trip though as we still have to keep ourselves in the holiday groove.  We are staying in a small park on the banks of the river in Bundaberg that overlooks the main part of town.  The nights a very nice with the lights reflecting on the river and with a wine in hand the sundowners are very pleasant.  Have done the obligatory Bundaberg Distillery tour which was very good and I would recommend it on your itinerary.  We were both surprised how big Bundaberg was.  It seems to be that a lot of the regional centres over this side are very big compared to WA and the amount of industry in the areas is very pleasing to see.  Not sure if they are doing any good though but there is a lot of it around.

Bundaberg Distillery – Bundy Bear

 

Bundaberg Distillery – at the bar, best part of the tour

 

Bundaberg – harvesting cane

 

Bundaberg – loading cane onto the train

 

Bundaberg – loaded train with cane

 

Bundaberg – cane fields

 

Bundaberg – cane fields

 

Bundaberg Rail Museum

 

Bundaberg/Burnett Heads Lighthouse Festival

 

Bundaberg/Burnett Heads Lighthouse Festival

 

Tomorrow we are back on the road again and making our way towards the Gold Coast where we have a couple of things planned to go to.  From Bundaberg it will be a two day trip for us.  I tried to make it three but was out voted.  Apparently Kaye is allowed to use both hands when voting and I am only allowed one.  Not sure how this came about but I was told that I agreed to it and it is not up for any further discussion, so until next time…………………………….