Author Archives: Dearne and Rod

Moonee Beach from our motorhome

We are doing a quick blog update on our Moonee Beach stay as we are heading south to Coffs Harbour in about an hour or so and we are never quite sure whether we will have reception at our new location.

I know we have said this a million times before about other locations we have visited, but if you are ever in this area, Moonee Beach is worth a couple of days stopover. Moonee Beach is situated approximately 15 km north of Coffs Harbour on Australia’s east coast and is midway between Emerald Beach and Sapphire Beach.  Moonee Beach Reserve (our parkup point) is where Moonee Beach and Moonee Creek meet. While we didn’t get any fishing in (no surprises there), we did go on a couple of walks to the headland via the various boardwalks and bush paths around the Reserve.

Parked up in the bush at Moonee Beach

I guess what we really loved about our stay here was being able to park up in the bush well away from other campers. We appreciate the ‘social’ aspects of our journey but sometimes it is good to just park up and enjoy the peace and solitude.

Our plan for today is to get to Coffs Harbour and park up at the Coffs Harbour Leagues club. According to our WikiApp information the Club welcomes motorhomers so we are hoping there will be room at their park for us to take advantage of the offer.

More shots of our Moonee Beach stay HERE .

We received an email from our good friends Len and Sharon from Red Beach the other day to say that as a kid, Len spent a considerable amount of his time at Evans Head. While it has probably changed considerably since then Len, it is still a brilliant spot.  Worth a visit if you feel nostalgia creeping in.

If anything spoiled the visit it was the hundreds of dead and dying Wedge-tailed Shearwater sea birds along the beach. Apparently there have been quite vicious storms out at sea over the past weeks and the birds die from exhaustion. We picked up the live ones we saw in the surf and put them well back on the beach only to be told that no amount of care when they get to shore ensures their survival. We still felt we had done out best. No pictures are required – you can imagine what the beach looked like.

Grafton and its’ Jacaranda display

On leaving Evans Head on Wednesday we drove back onto the Pacific Highway and followed the Clarence River south to Grafton. We decided to visit Grafton as it is ‘Jacaranda Festival time’. A number of years ago ‘someone’ discovered that Jacaranda grows very well in the region and residents went mad planting Jacaranda trees throughout the town. The tree flowers about this time every year thus the Festival. We have to admit the town and surrounding area looks stunning.

Minnie Water General Store

From Grafton we drove toward the coast in search of an overnight stop. It was recommended that we visit a place called Minnie Water, a small coastal village right on the beach and surrounded by Yuraygir National Park. Minnie Water has one general store and excellent camping opportunities in the National Park. We joined about six other vanners in the Park and chose the flattest piece of grass we could find.

Another good night in Australia’s finest.

This years NSW coast fishing structures

Here is something for the fishers amongst you.  Before leaving Minnie Water this morning we got talking to a very friendly government fishing person. He arrived on the beach in a 4WD and trailer behind with two huge buoys on the trailer. After a bit of chit chat about the absence of fish in the area, he explained to me that about this time of the year, NSW Government Fisheries place a number of these buoys up and down the coast, 6 to 8km off shore and in about 50 metres of water. The purpose of the buoys (and their chain) is to provide a physical ‘structure’ to attract fish. Apparently there is no structure on this area of the NSW coast that attract fish and fishers get a little grumpy about having to pay a licence fee to catch ‘no’ fish. Yep – you need a licence here to fish either off the beach or from a boat. We live in a fishing paradise at home.

We left Minnie Water this morning with the goal of reaching Coffs Harbour by the end of the day.  We nearly made it – we are currently parked up at Moonee Beach about 15 km north of Coffs. Again we are parked right on the beach so have decided to stay here until Saturday.

We will update the blog again in a couple of days with shots of our Moonee Beach stay.

Isn’t it funny how often the little day by day decisions turn out to be some of the best decisions at the end of the day. Our visit to Evans Head was one of those times.

We departed Byron Bay last Sunday (27^th) and made our way down the coast road through Suffolk Park, Lennox Head and to Ballina. We quite liked Ballina and nearly ended up staying there the night but as it was only about midday when we arrived, we decided to carry on a bit further south.

On leaving Ballina we were back on the Pacific Highway and we knew that the Evans Head turnoff was a further 50 km south along the Highway and then an additional 10km to the coast from the turnoff.  We had decided on Evans Head as our next overnight stop even tho’ we could not find any information on Evans Head itself. The only knowledge we had was verbal from other travellers. We figured that if we got to the Head and found it not to our liking, we could retrace our steps and try somewhere else.

Evans Head River to the rivermouth from the door of the motorhome

We arrived at Evans Head at about 3pm on stunning Sunday afternoon, found a place to park on the edge of the Evan River and about 300 metres from the rivermouth. Three days later we are still here!!

Evans Head is midday way between the Broadwater National Park and the Bundjalung National Park so as you can imagine the bushland and beaches are pristine and free from the trappings of ‘highrise’ tourism. Evans Head township itself is about 500 metres from where we are camped and is about half the size of Whangamata.  If you are travelling through this part of the country, Evans Head is certainly worth a few days stopover.

While we are very tempted to stay a little longer, our journey must continue.

Our plan is to head back onto the Pacific Highway and travel further south tomorrow.  We have yet to determine where our next stopover will be but we have called a management meeting for this evening and over a glass of Pino Gris a decision will be made.

Our Brisbane stopover came to an end today and our journey into New South Wales and Victoria for the summer months has begun. As we said in our last update, our time in Brisbane was to allow Rod to return to New Zealand to comply with his ‘pension’ requirements and while there, visit family and friends. To be honest, we both started to get itchy feet – eight days in one place is just too long.

We left Brisbane this morning (Saturday) after a breakfast catch up with our ‘Bundy’ friends, Bruce and Lyn and their daughters, then continued south into the ‘unplanned’. Hopefully guys we will see you next year for our ‘trip up the middle’.

Rod’s visit to our favourite Whangamata friends, Gordon and Faye

Rod’s four day visit to New Zealand went without a hitch. He managed to spend a quick couple of hours in Whangamata to check on the houses and thankfully all is well there. Many thanks to Jenny and our lawnmower man Ken for their assistance with this. All our New Zealand children and grandchildren were visited and we are excited about the possibility of them joining us on part of our journey early next year.

To our family and friends in New Zealand who ‘accommodated and fed’ Rod on his short visit – many thanks. He doesn’t take much looking after but ‘unsupervised’ he has a history of disappearing or getting lost!! He was returned to me with nothing lost and no visible injuries.

A quick thanks to Andy and the team at Traillite for helping us with the ‘bits and pieces’ for the motorhome. Knowing we can call on you to help us during our journey is invaluable. Many thanks.

Tiffany and ‘Mummy’

I loved having daughter Tiffany and sister Nicky with me while Rod was at home. We had a great ‘girlie’ time visiting local markets and spending Saturday night at Noosa. I think Tiffany may have been a bit disappointed with the older team and their ‘early fade’ after a few glasses of wine but when you have ‘done it before’, you have ‘done it before’ – there is nothing to prove!

We have ended up tonight at Byron Bay in New South Wales and are staying at the local league club grounds. We arrived at about 3pm, unhitched the jeep and headed into town for a quick look around.  You would not believe it but there is a surf festival here this weekend and as part of the festival a big market was underway on the beachfront. Did we luck in or what?

Byron Bay Surf Festival Market

The whole market was arranged in native American teepee’s and each ‘stall holder’ had their display in a teepee. Very innovative and cool.

We are only here for one night and will continue our journey southward tomorrow morning. The plan is to stay at Evans Head on the New South Wales coast tomorrow night for no other reason than it looks quite interesting. If luck is really on our side we may get a fish in tomorrow night.

To answer the many emails, we did not see any platypus in the Coomera River on Wednesday night so we cannot confirm whether or not they actually exist on the river. Another day maybe?

On Friday we departed Tamborine Mountain and made our way closer to Brisbane. On the way through we caught up with Martin and Raewyn Frost (ex Navy) in Inala (about 20km out of Brisbane).  We admire people who move countries ‘later’ in life and maintain the drive to ensure they succeed in their new environment. Good effort guys and we wish you well with your new life in the ‘lucky land’.

On Friday night we decided to take a punt on a ‘free overnight stop’ we found on WikiCamps that was about 10km out of Brisbane itself. The area was called JC Slaughter Falls in Mt Coot-tha Forest Park. When we arrived at the forest we were able to drive through a pair of boom gates into the forest for about a 1km.  It was nice and peaceful so we settled in for the night.

At 7pm there was a knock on the door and local security informed us that the boom gates were being locked we could not stay in the forest. The option given was for us to move to the carpark down by the road.

Our night in the carpark was most unpleasant. There was traffic noise all night and to top it off at about 10pm a bunch of drunken hoons arrived in their car and started partying at the rear of the motorhome. We put up with it for a little while then contacted the police who sent a car out to sort it. Unfortunately the hoons had taken off before the police arrived but we were thankful for their support and that we got out of it with no damage to the motorhome, the jeep or ourselves. Lesson learned…we would never do that again.

Maroochydore Beach Sunday afternoon

On Saturday we made our way into Maroochydore and the Cotton Tree Holiday Park where we are staying until Monday. Our friends Steve and Jane were out to dinner last night so we strolled down to the Maroochydore Surf Cub for a very pleasant meal and evening.

Today has been a bit of a maintenance day on the vehicles and ourselves and tonight we are catching up with our friends for a few wines and a bar b que dinner.

We leave Maroochydore tomorrow and head into Brisbane where we have booked the motorhome into a park while I return to New Zealand for a few of days and the girls join Dearne in Brisbane.

Isn’t funny? When you have to be somewhere at a particular time, your travelling takes on a slightly different aspect. Since beginning our Australian adventure we have had no time pressures put on us at all. However for personal and business reasons, Rod is catching a flight back to New Zealand on the 18^th October for four days and we are having to plan our travel just a little more precisely.

I will not be alone while he is gone. Nicky (my sister) and my daughter Tiffany are making the journey from Perth to Brisbane to keep me company in Rod’s absence. I am sooooo looking forward to a bit of ‘girl’ time.

Mt Lindesay from The Summerland Way Highway

When we departed Kyogle on Sunday morning we continued north along The Summerland Way, through the Border Range National Park and Unumgar National Forest and into a little settlement called Woodenbong. It was our intention to stay at Woodenbong but on arriving we found there was limited opportunities for an overnight stay.

After an ‘in van’ lunch we decided to continue north to Rathdowney where we had identified a free rest area just north of the town. It was getting late in the day and as we passed the rest area we could see it was already quite full.

We did a quick u-turn, drove back 5km and then headed 40km inland to area called Lake Maroon. The lake was reputed to have some of the best camping areas in the region. It was the best decision we had made all day.  When we arrived at the Lake we were the only ‘campers’ on site (the long weekenders had gone home) and we had the whole 40 acres to ourselves.  Our lake visit was further enhanced as it was the first time that we had encountered turtles in the wild. Much excitement.

Canungra Village at the base of Tamborine Mountain

On leaving Lake Maroon on Monday morning and we ventured towards another one of our must do’s – Tamborine Mountain on the Canungra Range. Canungra village is the gateway to the Lamington National Park and thousands of hectares of stunning rain forests. When we drove into the village it reminded us very much of Titirangi Village in Auckland.

Our current home is at a bush campsite beside the Coomera River. We have been reliably informed that at the end of each day and early in the morning platypuses play along the riverbanks.  We shall see! We are here until tomorrow so I foresee sitting on the riverbank this evening, camera at the ready, a cool Pinot Gris in hand and awaiting the appearance of the platypus.

We have arranged to catch up with friends back in Maroochydore this weekend. On leaving here tomorrow we will continue to drive north (destination unknown at this stage) and on Saturday park up at the Cotton Tree Holiday Park in Maroochydore for the weekend.

Our overnight stop at the Bluff Rock Rest Area was surprisingly quiet despite it being quite close to the road. As usual we were the last van to depart the Rest Area on Saturday morning in stunning weather and with no particular travel plan. With us closing in on Brisbane we are finding that there are less and less free spots to stay so we are having to do a bit more planning each night.  Even with the lack of free sites, we are preferring Low Cost sites i.e. Showgrounds, rather than staying in Caravan Parks.

Dearne at the Tenderfield Markets

As we were only a short distance from Tenderfield we decided to drive into the town and have a quick look around.  As ‘luck would have it’ the town was having its’ monthly Saturday market so of course that is where we headed. It’s amazing how Dearne can sniff out a market from a 100km away. The opinion was ‘that it was a nice little market’ but we did not come away with any new ideas for future income generation.

Driving through Casino

From Tenderfield we carried on along the New England Highway to Casino. Again with the cooler temperature and early spring, the landscape looked very much like we were travelling along any New Zealand country road. The ‘road kill’ was a little different to home but the country was very green with new lambs and calves on the paddocks.

Speaking of ‘road kill’, we have never addressed these experiences on our blog mainly because the grandchildren follow us and the explanations and/or visualisations could upset them. We have seen our fair share since commencing our journey in June 13 – kangaroo, wallaby, pig, sheep, cattle, camel, wombat, snakes, lizards etc etc..  We have done our bit by assisting a snake off the road and on another day slowing to allow a couple of rather large lizards to cross and live on. We have yet to come across an injured animal where the ‘humane’ thing was required and to our credit (we say ‘our’ because we share the driving) we have managed to avoid any animal/vehicle contact.

Entertainment on Sunday at the Kyogle Showground

We stopped and had lunch at Casino then headed north along The Summerland Way to a little town called Kyogle. We made a decision at Casino that we would stay at Kyogle to get off the highways over this long weekend. We are staying at the Kyogle showground along with about twenty other motorhomes who are travelling as part of a club outing. They have made us feel very welcome and included us in their socialising.

We will leave here tomorrow (Monday) and continue along The Summerland Way northwards towards Brisbane.  We have to be in Brisbane on the 16^th October so we still have a few days to take in more of Queensland and complete this part of our journey.

Our journey on Wednesday to Armidale passed without issue. The city is set in the heart of the New England Tablelands on the New England Highway. We noticed a significant drop in temperature as we climbed the 980 metres above sea level to the city and the end of their winter. Daytime temperatures were around 25 Deg C but at night time it dropped to 10 Deg C.

Armidale is the highest city (as opposed to highest town) in Australia.

Armidale Courthouse – built in 1862 and still the towns only courthouse

As usual we hadn’t settled on a place to park but when we arrived in the city we drove passed the local showground and noticed a number of motorhomes and caravans parked up. So we took the bull by the horns, drove in and enquired about staying.  The caretaker said we could stay for $10 per night. Perfik! Our initial plan was to spend one night in the Armidale area and then move on northwards toward Glen Innes but we found city so intriguing that we ended up staying two days.

Many of the cities buildings, commercial, churches and residential, were constructed in the late 1800’s with the arrival of the railway and the discovery of gold at Hillgrove near Armidale. The people of the city have taken great pride in maintaining the buildings in near to their original condition as possible.

Again we are glad we took the time to stop a while.

This morning we continued on our way north through the Ben Lomond Range and along the New England Highway towards Glen Innes and Tenderfield. The landscape (apart from the gum trees) reminded us very much of travelling the Canterbury Plains at the same time of the year.

Bluff Rock from the Bluff Rock Rest Area

While we could have carried on to Tenderfield tonight we decided to stop over at the Bluff Rock Rest Area for the night. There is a bit of history to Bluff Rock. It is said that in 1842, the local aborigines had made several attacks on local shepherds and their sheep.  Men from the Bolivia sheep station were armed and tracked the aborigines from Pyes Creek to Bluff Rock. Once cornered, the aborigines were thrown from the top of the rock killing or seriously injuring most of them. It is reported that they were never seen in the area again.

Dearne relaxing on the bed watch her movie

As with many rest areas around Australia there is not too much to see or do when you get there. Most travellers arrive late in the day and they are simply a place to stop for the night. We arrived at Bluff Rock at around 3pm and with a bit of time to kill Dearne spent it relaxing on the bed watching a movie on her laptop. In case you are wondering what the ‘green thing’ is on the ceiling, it is  our new battery powered fan we use to circulate the air when we cannot run our air conditioning. We have had no problems adjusting to our new lifestyle!!!

This is a one-night stay and we will continue our way north on Saturday.  It is a long weekend in Australia this weekend so we are expecting a big increase in traffic on the road this weekend. We will probably find a quiet side road area and stay put for the weekend.

Pilliga Artesian Bore Baths

Our visit to the Pilliga Artesian Bore Baths, while very relaxing, wasn’t quite what we were expecting.  I think we set off to the Bore visualising it would be something like our ‘hot pools’ around New Zealand. It turned out however to be a swimming pool very similar to the size of an in ground domestic pool with a continual flow of warm artesian water running through it. Our parking area was an open ‘paddock’ with the odd tree thrown in for shade. In saying all that, the pool was very relaxing, the people we met were lovely and there was no road or traffic noise. It was what it was and we were privileged to be able to be there.

The new ‘GREEN’ scenery

We got away from the Bore quite early on Monday morning as we were not sure how far we were going to have to drive that day.  We returned to Wee Waa to grab a coffee, and then back onto Narrabri, down through Turrawan, Baan Baa, Boggabri and into Gunnedah. It is incredible how quickly landscapes change in Australia. In a matter of 150km we went from a dry harsh red dust environment to an almost lush green pastoral environment. What a difference a few drops of rain and a slightly cooler temperature makes.

We decided not to stay in Gunnedah for the night but drove 12km east of the town and settled at the Red Bank Rest Area. The area was typical of many of Australia’s rest areas – about two hectares of grass and plenty shade trees. We were the second motorhome on the site at 4pm but by 6pm there were 15 other motorhomes or caravans staying the night.  We are not quite sure what the food source was at the stop but crested cockatoos were wandering around in their hundreds.

The overnight stop was quiet and without dramas. Tuesday morning, and as normal, we were the last van to leave the overnight stop. We seem to have this ‘no pressure’ life well worked out.

On Monday night we received an ‘alert’ to say that Tuesday would bring high winds and storm conditions towards the end of the day.  How right the advice was. Our journey from the Red Bank Rest to Tamworth was a little challenging. The high winds made driving the motorhome a little similar to sailing a yacht – the wind sheer had us all over the place.

Main street Tamworth

We made a decision before getting to Tamworth that we would stay at a caravan park for the night just in case the storm got a out of hand. Another good decision!! As we complete this update it is bucketing down, the winds are howling and there does not seem to be any letting up soon. At least we are a little sheltered with all the other buildings around.

We are hoping the weather improves overnight so we can have a look around the town tomorrow.  Tamworth has established itself as Australia’s Country Music Capital so there is heaps to see. Our plan is to leave Tamworth tomorrow sometime and head up the New England Highway towards Armidale. There are a number of recommended stops, weather dependant, we would like to make.

We were both extremely excited this morning when we looked at our travel blog and saw that in the last few days the blog had received over 10,000 hits since its’ launch in January 2013. We would like to thank all those who have shown an interest in our travels and we hope the information we are providing assists those who intend taking a similar journey.

If any followers are looking for additional information on how we arranged our travel or organise our day to day travel, please feel free to email us on dearneandrod.fredum@gmail.com

Regards

Dearne and Rod