Wow, what a cold and windy night to start the first day of winter. I was glad when the light filtered through the window a little after 7:15am. No mucking around this morning and as a result I had abandoned the camp prior to 9:00am. My plan is to drive slowly and enjoy the scenery between here and Anglesea. As the road is wet and slippery I am being quite careful with the driving. After Appolo Bay the road basically follows a magnificent coastline that begs you to stop and enjoy the views and suck in some of that cold salty that is blowing in off the Bass Strait. There are lots of hairpin turns which reduced my average speed to about 45 kmph. It took about 2.5 hours to travel about 120km but it was definitely worth it. I picked up some speed once I hit the M1 and by 1:00pm I had arrived at the Big4 caravan park in Coburg, Melbourne.
After setting up the van I thought I would have a cup of coffee. Bugger, the cylinder was out of gas and I had not refilled the other empty one. I trundled over to the office and placed an order for 2 refills of gas. They asked me to bring over the other bottle so back to the van I went. After packing the bed away so I could access the gas bottle I discovered that I had inadvertently forgotten to turn the gas on. Shamefaced, I returned to the office to adjust my order. The staff just laughed and gave me a refund.
I have a bottle of wine cooling down in the refrigerator as a welcome back Alice present. At around 5:00pm I will brave the Melbourne peak hour traffic and head out to the airport at Tullamarie. Alice’s flight is due in from Hobart at 5:45pm and I can’t wait to see her. The traffic was light so I arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare. Unfortunately, Alice’s Jetstar flight was slightly delayed and as a result she did not stride through gate 30 until 6:20pm. A few hugs later and we were on our way out of the concrete jungle, less $24 for under 2hours of parking. Owning an airport is definitely a license to print money.
Day 46, 2nd June – The DFO (10324km – 10342km)
Another day and guess what it is cold and it is raining. Our plans for today are quite flexible and in the end we decided to pay a visit to the DFO at Essendon. After a quick walk around we found a Coffee Club franchise and thanks to Lilian returning my wallet I was able to purchase a two for one coffee. Alice spent a few hours checking out the various outlets while I found a chair and read my Kindle. She did manage to source a few items and also purchase me a pair of track pants. Just because the elastic had gone from the old pair didn’t mean they wouldn’t last for a bit longer.
Day 47, 3rd June – Melbourne to Lakes Entrance (10342km – 10684km)
There is nothing to keep us here in Melbourne so we were able to get on the way just before 9:00am. The first part of the journey is quite horrendous as you have to negotiate your way through the last of the peak hour traffic, numerous traffic signals and a great big ring road. After about 35 minutes we hit the eastern ring road and our travel became less onerous. I nearly had a fit when the M1 was called the Monash Freeway and not Princes highway. Going with the M1 was the correct door and within an hour we were out into the country. This part of the drive was far more relaxing as we traveled through some beautiful countryside. There were a number of road side stalls that called us to pullover but we thought we had enough spuds to last us a while yet. The small towns along our route had familiar names that I recalled from my primary school days. English and Scottish sounding towns such as Moe, Morwell, Traralgon, Rosedale, Sale, Stratford which was of course on the Avon River and Bairnsdale rolled by before we eventually reached Lakes Entrance at 2:30pm.
The caravan park here has exceptional amenities especially if you do not have any equipment. The camp kitchen has everything you need to cook up a feast as well as a refrigerator to keep your beer cool. The shower block is small but again someone was thinking when they designed the shower space. Again this is a place where we wish there was more time for us to get to know the lay of the land.
Day 48, 4th June – Lakes Entrance to Eden (10684km – 10931km)
This morning we departed at a reasonable time and headed north up the Princes Highway. There were plenty of locations along the way which if you had time would be worth the effort of further investigation. The scenery on this section of the highway was exceptional and there were a number of areas where you could pull over for a free camp. At lunch we stopped at a free camp site just north of the small town of Genoa. We were having a relaxing time and next second we were invaded by another ten caravans. It was a club who had decided to set up camp here for tonight which proves it must be a good stopover. Twenty minutes after lunch we powered into NSW which meant that on this trip Alice has visited every state except Western Australia and if you are picky the ACT.
Day 49, 5th June – Eden to Shoalhaven Heads (10931km – 11301km)
Today we have a longer drive but we also want to take a scenic route along the Sapphire Coast. After leaving Eden we turned off the highway at Pambula and were soon at Merimbula. This looks like a southern version of Hervey Bay with great waterways and lots of seafood. If I could have found somewhere to park I would have brought some of the many oysters that were being offered for sale. As you travel north from here there are numerous surfing beaches and lakes for swimming and fishing. Bermagui was a bit of a disappointment as we could not get a decent coffee.
Back on the Princes Highway we passed Potato Point before stopping at Batemans Bay for supplies. You know a town is big when it not only has a Coles and Woolworths but an Aldi and a Bunnings as well. There is still another 130km to travel so after a coffee and cake we were back on the road. There are quite a few small towns that the highway does not bypass so you get to see quite a few historic buildings as you drive through at a sedate 50kmph. If time would have permitted we would have stopped for a browse through Milton. Approaching Nowra the rain started to fall which with the huge increase in traffic made towing the van a nightmare. The traffic queues were over a kilometer long which meant constant stopping and starting. Eventually we turned onto Bolong Road which meant it was only 15km to our destination. We put our faith in the Nav Bi.. and once again she led us astray. She completely missed the caravan park but with some luck we found our way to the park.
Day 50, 6th June – Winter Wine Festival (11301km – 11349km)
After last night’s rain the weather today has turned out brilliant. Just up the road from the caravan park is the historic Coolangatta estate which was built by convicts in 1822. The estate has accommodation but we are here to sample some of the nine varieties that are grown here. They are one of about twelve participating wineries in the Shoalhaven Coast winter wine festival. After purchasing a festival glass for $10 we were able to enjoy some fine wine and cheese. They also operate Bigfoot Adventure Tours which is an exhilarating ride in an open air 4x4 truck to the summit of Mt Coolangatta. The view of Seven Mile Beach and the Shoalhaven River was magnificent.
Our next stop was the Two Figs winery. The word must have been out as there were over 100 cars in the carpark with more flowing in. The winery is built on a hill overlooking the river and the surrounding grassy lawn is an ideal place for a picnic. We managed to squeeze our way into the tasting room and try most of the wine that was available for sampling. Overall the quality of the wine was quite good.
Our path back to Shoalhaven took us through Berry. We had a walk around the shops which were being well patronized. The town had a real Montville feel about it. Our last stop on what has been a very full day was Mountain Ridge Wines. Like all the other wineries this one was perched high on a hill with great views. We tried a few of the wines and cheese and then found a spare couple of chairs to listen to the band that was pumping out some good blues music. I even managed time to sample one of their craft beers called Bolong Black. With the sun going down it was back to the van for a relaxing dinner.
Day 51, 7th June – Shoalhaven Heads to Newcastle (11349km – 11649km)
Well I’m glad today is Sunday as we are heading north up Highway 1 through Sydney to Newcastle. There is plenty of traffic on the roads but at this time of day the majority of it I heading south. There was a driver reviver just south of Woolongong so we pulled over for a complimentary coffee which always comes with a couple of Arnotts biscuits. The Nav Lady wanted us to turn off highway 1 but given her past record I ignored her. This turned out to be a huge error as the highway turned into a two lane nightmare through the Sutherland Shire. Lots of traffic signals and a 70kmph speed limit really put the brakes on our travel speed. Eventually we found our way onto the Eastern Distributor and dived under the airport and Sydney Harbour. Our joy was short lived because as soon as we hit the northern suburbs it was a stop start journey for about 15km through the burbs. Once we hit the Newcastle Expressway it was all systems go as we sped north to our rendezvous with Brian, Kerith and their beautiful girls.
We arrived at 2:00pm and Brian who is resting up after a recent hernia operation was there to meet us. This is free camping at its best as we parked the van half on the footpath and quickly set up for the night. The girls came home soon after and we spent the afternoon catching up. It is a full house as Keith’s niece Tahnee and her husband Reece are also visiting. Kerith cooked up a delicious meal which went well with some organic pale ale from the Red Oaks brewery.After watching the long movie Inter Stellar we headed out to the footpath and another night in the van. There was a good chill in the air so Alice turned on the cooktop burners to add some warmth while she readied herself for bed. With double layers of everything she nearly looks like the Michelin Man. With the rattling sound of a coal freight train in the distance we drifted off to sleep.
Day 52, 8th June – The Newcastle Song (11649km)
It was definitely a cold night as I awoke to the sound of water dripping onto the roof above our expanda bed. The rising sun started to warm the dew on the roof of the van which sent it cascading in little rivulets along the perimeter of the roof. We had a morning coffee before entering the sanctuary of the Weld household. Some quick ablutions and we were ready to face the day but not before devouring some delicious pancakes whipped up by Jessica and Brian.
Kerith guided us to a free parking spot on the fringe of the CBD. As we strolled down a very steep hill and past many empty car spaces to Hunter Street. I remembered this street from an old tune from 1974 named “The Newcastle Song” which was sung by Bob Hudson. It ranks up there with the Slim Newton classic “Redback on the Toilet Seat”. After grabbing a quick coffee we headed up the street to Scratchley Fort where they are letting off the cannons as a salute for the Queens Birthday. On arrival at the fort we were greeted by the haunting sounds of Scottish bagpipes. Nothing like hearing Mull of Kintyre on bagpipes. It was a special day for the volunteers as they get to play with the guns. You can see by the expression on their faces that they can’t wait for 1:00pm to roll around so that they can let loose with the ammunition. The fort is on one of Newcastle’s prime real estate positions with commanding views of the river, surf beaches and the pelicans. At the appointed hour Dad’s Army let loose with the cannon and the boom would have been heard for miles. It certainly startled the resident seagull population and the hardy surfers that were riding what was a pretty good break. We wandered down the hill straight past the sausage sizzle and headed over to Scotties Fish ‘n’ Chips shop. We found an outside table and ordered up the standard fare. We did add one unusual ingredient and that was a beetroot scallop which was surprisingly tasty. Brian went one better and had the fish burrito.
With the meal over I accompanied the girls whilst Brian and Reece went back for the cars. Kerith’s parking folly came back to haunt the boys as they nearly expired when they had to walk back up that very steep hill. The foreshore walk is great as you get amazing views of the water and rugged coastline and at the end there is a great lookout. Back in Thornton Tahnee has whipped up some apricot chicken for dinner and Alice prepared some salted caramel tarts. Later in the evening the girls including Reece donned their cosi’s and jumped into the Weld hot tub. They were glowing when they jumped out as well as being totally relaxed and ready for bed.
Day 53, 9th June – Newcastle to South West Rocks (11649km – 11995km)
Another cold night but at least we did not have to get up at 4:00am to travel to the airport like Tahnee and Reece. We did hear them go but drifted off back to sleep and awake at a more sane hour. After a quick coffee we joined the Weld family as they readied themselves for school and work. We had a great time with Kerith and Brian who soldiered on despite his recent operation.
Day 54, 10th June – Diving Fish Rock and Smoky Cape (11995km - 12032km)
The shrill call of the mobile phone alarm clock at 6:00am woke me from my slumber. A leisurely coffee and I was off to the dive shop for some underwater excitement. Alice meanwhile slept in until 8:15am, lucky bugger. Two boats are heading out today and our destination is Fish Rock. After negotiating a rather lumpy bar at the mouth of the river it was a smooth ride out to the rock which lies just off the Smoky Cape Lighthouse. Once I had geared up I must have looked like a large sea lion in my 7mm wetsuit. With a not so graceful backward roll I entered the frigid water of the Pacific Ocean. The water temperature was a toasty 20 degrees and the moment some water leaked into the wetsuit I knew I was alive. After descending the mooring line we were in a narrow gutter with a sandy bottom. Within a couple of minutes I saw the first of what was to prove many Grey Nurse Sharks. On occasions there were four sharks gliding slowly past us with some over 2.5 metres in length. There were also Wobbegong Sharks and Blue Cod in the gutter. After about 50 minutes it was time to surface and try and thaw out.
During the surface interval there were whales breaching and a couple surfaced within 20 metres of the dive boat. I managed to down a cup of soup and a few lollies which warmed me up considerably. Our next dive was a swim through Fish Rock Cave which has a maximum depth of about 25 metres. This was an amazing dive as we swam through some narrow spaces and vertical shafts. There were heaps of lobsters, cod, puffer fish, large painted crab, wobbegong sharks, and a large bull ray that just wanted to swim beneath me. In another section there were heaps of moray eels and an octopus. I had plenty of air left but after 50 minutes I needed to surface as the cold was setting into my bones. Back on the surface it took me ages to get my shivering under control. Before heading back to shore we saw some more whales which gave us a good buzz.
Day 55, 11th June – Kempsey and The Heads (12032km – 12203km)
The rain bucketed down last night and there are quite a few puddles lying around. We took a drive into Kempsey, quickly looked around and just as quickly left. The town is basically cut in half by the river with most of the shopping and older buildings on the west bank. After our tour we followed tourist route 12 which took us back towards the coast and the seaside village of Crescent Head. It is a small village with a caravan park in an ideal beachfront position. I think that you would need to book early if you wanted a site in the summer months. There is also a country club that has a small golf course right on the water. We took a drive up to the headland lookout and were greeted with a large rainbow. Unfortunately, it did not last long as the rain squalls rolled in from the south. Years ago we fed some magpies on the headland and were pleased when the resident flock once again showed up for some lamb tidbits.
Lunch was getting close so it was off to the other head, Hat Head for a nice big juicy hamburger with homemade patties and plenty of beetroot. Thank goodness there was no mayonnaise. Hat Head is much smaller than Crescent Head but it does sport a bowls club and a caravan park. It would be a great spot to stay in summer or if you love fishing. Prior to heading back we checked out the hungry Head Campground. The last 3km is all dirt road and after all the recent rain there are plenty of potholes. The drive was worth it as this national park campground is well grassed which the local kangaroos seem to appreciate and it is an easy walk to the beach. Camping fees are $5 per adult plus a $7 a day charge for the vehicle. If you are staying longer you can purchase an annual pass for $20. There is also vehicle access to the beach which runs all the way to Crescent Head.
Our last stop was the small village of Gladstone which is nestled on the bank of the Macleay River. I think they had more historic buildings here than Kempsey. It seems like the artists like this place as there were a few galleries sequestered here. We bought some expensive vegetables at the fruit and vege shop before heading back to the Rocks. We finished our day with some gentle exercise and a roast lamb dinner.
Day 56, 12th June – South West Rocks (12203km – 12228km)
After breakfast this morning and in between the rain squalls Alice and I managed a walk of a few kilometres. From the caravan park you can take a path along the old river entrance which brings you around to Horseshoe Bay. From here you can easily continue along the beach to Trial Bay Gaol but we opted for a coffee that was brewed with Toby Estate beans. There were plenty of pelicans about as well as a couple of grizzled old fishermen who were out to catch a few black bream.
After lunch I organized my dive for tomorrow and found a spot where I could connect to the internet. After logging on I was able to partially complete my dive course on Diving with Nitrox. Alice meanwhile has decided to take in a movie at the Roxy Theatre. It is a quaint older style building which is also used as an arts theatre. It warms my heart when I see a theatre manager dressed up like a maitre-d in a swish restaurant. There is nothing like a nicely pressed white shirt and black bow tie. After the movie I chauffeured the gorgeous Alice to the Country Club for a fine dinner. The only thing missing from this great evening was the glass slipper.
Day 57, 13th June – Diving with Sharks Again (12228km- 12245km)
I was up reasonably early this morning as I would like to put a dent in my diving homework. After breakfast I headed up to Horseshoe Bay in search of an internet connection. Success, I was able to log onto my course and with a great view was able to successfully complete it. With this task out of the way it was back to the dive shop to get some gear together for the dive this afternoon. With my wetsuit and a vest with a hood in hand I headed back to the bay to search for Alice who had spent the morning looking around the market and the local shops. When I found her she had managed the purchase of a couple of vegetables and a kilo of honey.
After all of our exhaustions we were in need of a coffee. It was back for some more Toby Estate but I felt the need to supplement this with a $3 bacon and egg sandwich. The good wives of the South West Rock Masons were happy to take my donation. After coffee Alice went back to the Roxy for another movie or was it to see the dapper manager. Two movies in two days could be considered suspicious.
I was at the boat ramp at midday to join my fellow divers on the rough ride out to Fish Rock. There was a good swell which caused a couple of the divers to express interest in what they had for lunch. With my extra layer of warmth I felt pretty good when I hit the water. I was even happier when I saw that the visibility had improved to an impressive 25 metres. As soon as we descended the mooring line the Grey Nurse Sharks came into plain view. The whole dive was like swimming in an aquarium and with minimal surge and current the dive was exceptional. There were also plenty of fish, an inquisitive Wobbegong and the Bull Ray from the other day.
After about a 45 minute surface interval it was back in the water for a swim through Fish Rock Cave. The sandy bottom of the cave was so thick with Wobbegong Sharks that it looked like it was carpeted. One of the divers had to turn back due to a faulty computer which left me to bring up the rear. Again we saw some Moray Eels and Lion Fish but the highlight was hand feeding a Loggerhead Turtle. This guy could not get enough of the tidbit that was on offer. It was so voracious that it reminded me of the Butcher Birds that inhabit our back deck. It was another great dive with excellent visibility. I would highly recommend this dive operation for their local knowledge, attention to safety and customer service. They certainly went the extra yard with me and assisted me with small things like getting my fins on. Remember when you get to my age it can be a little difficult bending over in a cramped boat with a weight belt and tank strapped to your torso.
I ended up returning to the van at about 5:00pm. There was no sign of the theatre manager but Alice did have some cold champagne and nibblies ready for our last night at SWR.
Day 58, 14th June – South West Rocks to Broken Head (12245km – 12605km)
We hit the road just after 8:00am and were soon on the Pacific Highway heading north. It seemed ages before we hit the outskirts of Coffs Harbour but when we did our travel speed reduced appreciably. There were that many traffic lights that I thought we were arriving in Sydney. Eventually we made it through this cosmic wormhole and were once again on dual bitumen heading towards Grafton. As we were making pretty good time we decided to stop for a hamburger at New Italy. This rest stop is just south of Woodburn which is the turnoff for Evans Head which was going to be our base for the next three nights. Little Italy has a museum which tells he interesting history of the 200 plus Italians who settled here in the late 1800’s. Suffice to say that this little group is considered to be the first refugees to settle in Australia. Check it out on Wikipedia.
After setting up I managed some light exercise to work out the kinks from the day’s driving. With all the hard work over we both relaxed with a cool drink under and listened to the sounds of the surf. Ah bliss!
Day 59, 15th June – Rainforests and Byron Bay (12605km – 12650km)
We did have some heavy rain last night but this morning we have a bright blue sky. At 7:00am I could not believe the number of surfers who were getting an early morning surf. The weather is that good that I have been reduced to wearing just shorts and a t-shirt for our rainforest walk. A number of vans left this morning and as a result the park is near empty. For the moment we have an uninterrupted view of the water. I can only hope that we do not get any new neighbours this afternoon.
The rainforest walk is only about 2km return and takes you out to the headland. Along the route you are rewarded with great views of the water and the hardy surfers braving the cold waters. The predominant plants are Cottonwood Hibiscus, Pandanus Palms and Honey Banksia. The headland has a grassy knoll with a lookout towards a rock formation known as the Three Sisters. There are also a couple of tracks down to the beach which the surfers like as they can get right out to the point with minimal paddling. The local fishermen also enjoy fishing off the rocks here.
After the walk we jumped into the car and headed into Byron for a glimpse of how some of the well heeled live. As we drove down the main street I was amazed by the number of backpackers and ageing hippies that I saw. We drove down to Palm valley beach where I used to launch our caper cat for some catamaran surfing. The good old days are long gone as I could not see a boat ramp and you needed to pay for parking as the beach is located within a national park. Too much for me so it was off to Wategos Beach where property is definitely in excess of a million dollars. The beach here is excellent and judging by the number of surfers and the unavailability of car spaces it is the place to be. Next stop was a drive up to the lighthouse but at $7 for a parking spot I quickly moved on. We found a free two hour parking space downtown which gave us some time to stroll around the shops. As we were walking we could detect a lot of international dialects which proves that Byron Bay is on the list of destinations to see in Australia. Eventually we had a light lunch and a beer at one of the hotels before heading back to the camp.
There is still nobody camping next to us and I was able to enjoy my afternoon repast with the added bonus of the view. Alice whipped up some great potato and tuna patties which we enjoyed with some Spanish Cava.
Day 60, 16th June – Who’ll Stop The Rain (12650km – 12665km)
With the coming of the dawn, the rain also cometh. At first it was just a sprinkle but as the morning progressed so did the intensity. Our plan of a long walk was put on hold and then cancelled. In the end we had a relaxing day which we spent reading and just doing nothing at all. As evening fell the rain got even heavier which in turn flooded our little area under the annex. Tomorrow will be a big pain as it would appear that we will have to pack up in the rain. Oh what a day!!
Day 61, 17th June – Broken Head to Banora Point (12665km – 12755km)
Well it is State of Origin day and we are off to Banora point to spend an evening with our good friends Jane and Tony Guarino. The weather is quite bleak but the rain held off just long enough for us to pack up everything in a reasonably dry state. We took the scenic route over the hills via Bangalow before hitting the M1 for a speedy trip to Banora Point.
Tony and Jane are marvelous hosts and really made us feel at home. I suspect that Tony suffers from a little OCD as everything has a place and kept in immaculate condition. The lawn was so well kept that we could have eaten dinner off it. The only let down for the evening was the Maroons failure to wrap up the series.
Day 62, 18th June – Banora Point to Brisbane (12755km – 12905km)
When we awoke Jane and Tony had already left for work. True to form they had set up a nice little breakfast for us so that we could just relax and take off when we were ready. Our trip home was indirect as we wanted to travel via Canungra. We opted for exit 73 via South Nerang which eventually hooks up with the Nerang-Beaudesert Road. A sausage roll and a coffee was calling us so we had to stop at the Canungra bakery to answer the call. Absolutely delicious!
The aim of travelling this direction was so we could stop at Ceadervale to visit Alice’s mum and sister. We had a great afternoon but reluctantly it was time to leave for the final leg of our journey. It was around 3:30pm and just under 13,000km when we pulled into Lucy Street. This was nearly the most difficult part of the journey as all the mothers were trying to park out the street so they could visit the park. I managed to stop two of them from taking up the space for the caravan. After a little reversing magic our journey through the eastern part of Australia had come to an end.
There were many beautiful places that we did not have time to visit or enough time to fully appreciate them. It looks like we will have to save them for another adventure in economy. Until then the old adage remains true, “There is no place like home”.
