September 2013

Cloudy this morning in Nambucca Heads with a temperature range of 14 to 23 degrees.

Partly sunny for Nelson Bay today with a temperature range of 14 to 22 degrees.

We got away from Nambucca Heads at about 9:30 am this morning and backtracked 20 km to Urunga to use the public dump point as the one at the White Albatross caravan park is about 10 metres from the roadway and not convenient to use with holding tanks. Our detour cost us an hour as we went through Nambucca on the way south at about 10:30 am. Our total trip distance today was close to 400 km and we arrived at Nelson Bay at about 3:30 pm. We stopped for lunch at the Port Macquarie Service Centre and had a Grand Angus hamburger at Macca's with a couple of coffees to keep us going. Next stop was the Caltex servo at Coolongolook for fuel. Once we got past Port Macquarie most of the Pacific Highway is dual carriage way and easier for the driver who does not wish to travel at 110 kph.

At the Halifax Caravan Park we were allocated site 141 - we had this site last time we were here, and we were all set up for 4 nights by 5:00 pm. The best bit is we have excellent TV reception so David does not have to get the satellite dish out.

No photos today.

Mostly sunny today in Nambucca with a temperature range of 13 to 24 degrees.

Happy Fathers Day to all those fathers out there!

Today we walked up to the V-Wall Tavern at the entrance to the caravan park for a fathers day lunch. We had booked a table on the balcony and Di had a Chicken Schnitzel with a garlic prawn topper, while David had a Scotch Fillet steak also with a garlic prawn topper. Both very nice with a Rothbury Shiraz.

Low tide on the Nambucca River - lots of sand

David ready for his Fathers Day lunch

Beautiful one day - perfect the next, 14 to 25 degrees and sunny in Nambucca today.

Today we decided to do the tourist thing again and drive along the Waterfall Way that runs from Urunga on the coast to Armidale on the New England Highway, 145 km inland. We only went as far as Dorrigo which is about 750 metres above sea level, stopping for morning tea at Bellingen. The dairy industry around Bellingen crashed in the 1960s with the rise of the European Common Market, and Rainforest logging ceased altogether in 1975. From the 1970s until the present, alternative life-stylers purchased land in the area and constructed owner-built homes.

After morning tea at the Old Butter Factory, we went for a walk around Bellingen, which is something of a haven for artists, craftspeople, writers, musicians and horticulturalists. One interesting building in Bellingen is an old style department store - Hammond and Wheateley. We made a small purchase while we were there - a pair of very superior Heaven brand stainless steel secateurs with wooden handles which turned out not to be made locally, being imported from the UK - but still good value at $40.

Old Butter Factory Cafe at Bellingen

Court Yard at the Old Butter Factory

Bellingen Main street

Hammond and Wheatley old style department store at Bellingen

Old Style interior of the store

From Bellingen we drove on to Dorrigo which involved a climb of more than 700 metres up 30 km of windy, narrow road - not a good candidate for towing caravans, either up or down. After a visit to the local information centre we drove to the nearby Dangar Falls, then moved on to the Never Never Picnic Area in the Dorrigo National Park for lunch. After lunch we drove to the Griifiths Mountain Top Lookout to take in the views across the Dorrigo National Park.

Dangar Falls at Dorrigo

Close up of the Dangar Falls

Never Never Picnic Area in the Dorrigo National Park

View across the Dorrigo National Park

View from the Griffiths Mountain Top Lookout at Dorrigo

Another view from the Griffiths Mountain Top Lookout at Dorrigo

Newell Falls on the Waterfall Way

View from the Newell Falls Rest Area