Everyone needs to meet an Echidna

 Today’s adventure was an exploration of back roads…east to Coffs, and then north a little to Nana Glen and the back road to Dorrigo.  Beautiful rolling hills on narrow roads that went from tar to dirt.  

Climbing to Dorrigo was a little hairy…single lane, windy and speckled light made me a little nautilus - needing a couple of stops to regain the balance!    

 

After the meeting of Mr Echidna…..we came across the biggest Tallowood tree we have every seen…it must be pretty special…it had a sign!  

Beautiful Bellingen and more water!

Leaving Port Macquarie we headed north.  Taking a leisurely drive through Kempsey, Macksville with lunch in Nambucca Heads.  We then headed a little further north to Urunga and then west to Bellingen.  We are camped up in the Bellingen Showgrounds for a couple of nights to explore the area.  

Up early on Saturday we visited the Bellingen Farmers markets in the Showground - small but the the fresh produce was amazing.  Breakfast was in a local cafe called Black Bear while we sat and watched the world walk by.  Bellingen seems to be a real mix…from hippy to upmarket.  

The water theme of the last few days continued…however not rain this time but waterfalls on the aptly named Waterfall Way.  The road is treacherous and one lane in many places…what would be a 10 minute drive on a normal road took at least 30 minutes and it wont be fixed any time soon - rock falls and road wash always I think are constant.  Traffic lights control the flow  -not sure I would like it for a commute to work.  BUT>>>>>>> the views were simply stunning!  More gorgeous Australian rainforest - dead straight gums with rainforest undergrowth and then every so often…a waterfall!

The waterfall is on the road…..I wasn’t quite quick enough to frame it completely in the car window!

Once you’ve conquered the twists and bends of the uphill climb, something beautiful awaits…enjoy the view from the top of the world at Griffiths Lookout just east of Dorrigo.

We rounded the end of the day off heading back down the mountain and toward the ‘Promised Land’ valley - crossing the Never Never Creek!

North to Port Macquarie and then a compass tour

 After a very leisurely start to the day at Myall Lakes, we ventured a few minutes up the road to visit Bombah Point Eco Cottages.  Duncan and Suzie spent a few hours showing us their lovely set up in the bush…koalas, peaceful bush, private cottages…a beautiful thoughtful eco business, run by hospitable and friendly people.  

We hit the highway and travelled through to Port Macquarie…booking in late in the afternoon at the Breakwater Caravan park, scoring a site right next to the water - we look out our bedroom window to the artistically panted breakwall rocks and pedestrian path that leads into town (2 mins) or around to Town Beach and a good walk….which is not happening this morning as 45 mm of rain fell overnight as NSW suffers flooding…..

View from the bedroom window…blurred colours are the painted break-wall rocks

We decided to stay another night and take a drive west and then south and back along the coast to Port Mac.   Wauchope was a pleasant rural town - bigger than I thought.  The trip from Wauchope to Wingham was a beautiful surprise.  This is timber country, and if it isn’t timber, the paddocks are emerald green.  We drove over tiny one lane roads, with what looked like hedging along the sides - protecting a avocado and blueberry fields.   Steadily climbing up - we knew it was a back road but were not quite prepared for quiet how basic it would be.  We hit dirt and then drove through the most magnificent rainforest and areas…tall gums - 30-40 metres high, straight as a telegraph pole (about the same width) towered above while it did look like there had been fire and the tangled undergrowth sat low.   At times we travelled along ridges - looking left and right to very steep drops.   At times there were tree ferns- huge clusters of them standing 10 foot tall…just beautiful!  

 

The Back track to Bulahdelah

Leaving Bylong, we travelled to Denman.  A lovely couple of hours was spent with Johnson brothers Uncle Brian and Uncle Allan.  It was after we left that we realised we should have taken a photo!  

Continuing to travel east we drove through Jerry’s Plains and Singleton to Gresford, where we had a lovely cafe burger lunch - huge authentic Aussie hamburgers with the lot…sauce dripping everywhere with every bite!  

The afternoon was spent driving up and down dale and over Sugarloaf Mountain to Stroud and onto Myall Lakes National Park between Bulahdelah and coast.  A gorgeous National Park Freecamp site saw us next to the lake, with goannas, wallabies and kangaroos within metres of the van!  

View from the kitchen window Korsman’s Landing Camp, Myall Lakes National Park

Look closely…camouflaged Goanna…a little curious visitor!

B at the Van…the cars left after a few hours fishing and we were alone

Heading East

 And here we go again.

November 2021, a couple of weeks of nomad time.  This time we intend to head east to the coast of NSW and then North.  Not sure how far we will get…not planning anything in particular, although we are not intending to travel too far…this one is a rest and relax time.

NSW has experience lots of rain recently, and as I write, Forbes is flooded!.  The weather is not looking great - nots of clouds/rain on the forecasts so we are playing it by ear…too much rain and we will keep moving!  

The rain has chanced the countryside to a see of green.  The drive out of Bathurst was just beautiful.  The trip through Ilford, Rylstone and Kandos was rich with stock on green fields.  Cattle standing in paddocks that are emerald green and they look like they are just floating as you can’t see their legs.    In the Bylong, the roadside weeds are waist high right up the the edge of the tar - something like driving through a sort of hedge - you can see low vehicles coming the other way around a bend…not so much of an issue as it is a quiet road, but not something you want with a 7 metre caravan behind you!  

On the road from Sofala to Ilford

Day 1 Camp - Bylong Valley.  A nice little donation community campsite in the Bylong Valley.  We passed the infamous Obeid property ‘Cherrydale’ as we came through…B needed a picture for the ‘war album’.