Travelling Around Australia: May 2011

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Travelling up the East Coast

May 10^th to May 23^rd 2011

We stayed at The Entrance on the central coast of NSW, about an hour or so north of Sydney, for 3 days. The Entrance is situated on Tuggerah Lake to one side and the South Pacific Ocean on the other. It is known for its beautiful beaches as well as its large population of Pelicans. They have a pelican feeding platform known as Pelican Plaza where it’s possible to feed the pelicans whole fresh fish every day. I find it amazing to watch the pelicans, particularly in flight, their graceful glides and how they scoop fish into their pouch.

At The Entrance we were able to get the suspension airbags fitted into the cruiser by the local mechanic, so it was a worthwhile stopover in more ways than one. It was very cold while we were here, so apart from a nice, brisk walk along the Entrance Channel and the beach, we decided against any other water activities.

We found our next stop on Friday 13^th, after around 400kms of travel, near Macksville which is situated on the banks of the Nambucca River, on the Mid North Coast of NSW. Our campsite was east of the town at a place called Gumma Crossing Reserve and we were able to camp on the banks of the Warrell Creek. The creek is more like a river and was the perfect campsite. Luckily for us the weather improved significantly, and for the 5 nights we stayed here, we were lucky enough to enjoy bright sunny days with temperatures of around 22 degrees. We really relaxed at this spot and enjoyed the beauty of the creek in the boat and in the kayak. Roaring fires at night and good company added to the ambience of our stay. We met Betty and Steve from Croydon and taught them to play Kubb. The kids camped near us, Lisa, Jessica and Nick, also learned how to play Kubb and really loved it.

It is such a small world; on Sunday some new neighbours arrived and after they set up camp, they walked past us to have a look at the creek and said hello. No introductions needed as it was Rob and Cherie, whom we met when we camped at Lake Tooliorook in South West Victoria. It was great to see them again. Rob and Cherie are from Coffs Harbour, only 40 mins or so north of Macksville, and came to Gumma Reserve to camp for a few days with their brother and sister in law. Rob is a good fisherman, and as we had no luck as usual, he gave us a flathead that he had caught.

Nambucca Heads is only 11 kms up the road and a drive there was worthwhile as it is a very enchanting spot. The V-Wall breakwater at the Nambucca River entrance is a giant outdoor gallery for graffiti artists. All tourists are welcome to leave their mark, and although we didn’t, it was interesting reading some of the thoughts and viewing the talents of others. An otherwise stark rock wall has been made very interesting and colourful. Another interesting attraction at Nambucca Heads is the rainforest, which is rather uniquely situated right in the middle of the town. It is a pretty walk through the rainforest reserve and hard to believe you’re so close to town.

On Wednesday we packed up to move further up the coast. We had one or two spots picked out and eventually decided on Iluka, which is on the banks of the majestic Clarence River. Our campsite at Bimbimbi Caravan Park has a beautiful view over the river and is perfect for a spot of fishing and kayaking. We woke up each morning to the trill of Rainbow Lorikeets and to see kangaroos bounding by our tent.

Iluka is a charming coastal village, which is protected from the Pacific Ocean on one side by Bundjalung National Park and has the beautiful Clarence River on the other. It is a fisherman’s haven but as usual we have had no luck with fishing. At Shark Bay we accessed the beach to take our 4WD for an uninterrupted drive along the sand for 16 kms, edged by the National Park. We found a nice spot along the beach and had a game of Kubb in the sand, which was quite challenging. What a way to enjoy the beach and the beautiful weather.

We are heading off to the Gold Coast on Tuesday, can’t wait to catch up with family and friends there. We’ll probably do a few touristy things while there and of course go and watch the CATS play at Carrara on Saturday night. My next post will be after our week on the Gold Coast. After that we’ll be making our way slowly but surely up to Cape York. Cheers til next time.

The Entrance Channel

Pelicans at The Entrance

The Entrance

Surfing at The Entrance

Looking towards Pelican Plaza at The Entrance

Kookaburra on our aerial at Gumma Reserve

Ibis in the trees at Gumma Reserve

Our camp at Gumma Reserve

On Worrell Creek at Gumma Reserve

Greg on Worrell Creek in the boat

Me with our neighbours Jessica and Lisa

Part of the V Breakwater Wall at Nambucca

The wall again

Nambucca Heads

The Lagoon at Nambucca

The Rainforest in Nambucca Heads township

View from our campsite at Iluka

Iluka Bluff Beach

View of Iluka township from Iluka Bluff Beach

Iluka Bluff Beach

View of Iluka and Iluka Beach from Bluff lookout

Part of Iluka Marina

Driving along Shark Bay beach at Iluka

Big driftwood on Shark Bay beach

More big driftwood on Shark Bay beach

Me playing Kubb on Shark Bay beach

Greg playing Kubb on Shark Bay Beach

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Travelling up the East Coast

April 27^th April to 10^th April 2011

This is my first blog for a little while and we are now finally on the road again. We didn’t leave Geelong until 27^th April due to some work that needed doing on the Cruiser. We thought it a wise decision to get it right before we hit the road so that nothing can go wrong. Although we still need to put in the air bags, we decided to leave Geelong and get it done on the way; otherwise our trip would be delayed even further.

First stop was Stony Creek in South West Gippsland to visit with Greg’s stepdad, Ken his wife Merlei and their daughter Ashlie. We able to spend a couple of days with them before we headed off and it was a delightful stay with Ken really appreciating us taking the time to visit with him. We didn’t have any photo opportunities here, but will definitely come back and explore this beautiful part of Victoria in the future. Time restraints for a while meant we couldn’t do it this time.

We headed off on Friday on our way to Bawley Point on the South Coast of NSW to catch up with Greg’s mate Martin and his wife Michelle, whom he hadn’t seen for about 18 years. As this was a longer part of the journey, we stayed overnight at Merimbula and then arrived at Bawley Point around 1 pm on Saturday. It was an emotional reunion and a pleasure to witness. Marty and Greg had been very close mates in WA and they were extremely happy to see each other again.

Bawley Point is a very pretty seaside town, within easy reach of many beautiful beaches and lakes and the surf is fantastic. The population is around 2000, which swells to about 6000 in the summer. Every second house here is a holiday house. Marty and Michelle’s house is on 1 ¾ acres in a beautiful bushland setting. They built their house out of mud bricks and it really looks great in this setting. They have rabbits, chooks, fruit trees, vegetable gardens a fantastic fire pit and of course a gorgeous dog called Buster.

We spent many nights around the fire, with the odd drink, but most importantly reminiscing about the old days. I heard some wonderful stories and it was fantastic to see that the great relationship between Greg, Marty and Michelle had not changed even after so many years. We spent some time at Burrill Lake, which is about 20 kms north of their home, fishing, barbecuing and boating; particularly on Mothers Day, which was a wonderful day at the Lake. We had a look around Mogo which is a quaint art and craft village nearby and had a lovely meal at the Ex Servicemen’s Club in Ulladulla just to the north. Ulladulla is a pretty fishing village with population of about 16,000. Michelle also drove us around to Mollymook a gorgeous surf beach which hosts surfing competitions. It is a very pretty part of this lovely South Coast of NSW.

Marty and Michelle were great hosts, along with their sons Sam and Tom and Marty’s mum Dot. Marty makes the best Scotch and dry ever, which is really important to me, he he! On Tuesday we reluctantly left Bawley Point after spending a wonderful 10 days there and were very sad to leave. Again it was an emotional farewell and we hope that it is not so long before we see them again. Thank you so much Marty and Michelle for opening your house to us. We loved every minute of our stay with you.

We have to be in the Gold Coast by 25^th May, so unfortunately have only 2 weeks to get there. After the Gold Coast we will be able to relax and take our time travelling north through Queensland on our way to Cape York. We had to drive through Sydney to pick up a part for the cruiser, but we got out of there quick smart. We drove about an hour north of Sydney and are currently camped at another seaside town called The Entrance. My next blog will be posted just before we get to the Gold Coast. Cheers till next time.