Byron Bay to Port Macquarie

21 March - We continued south to Ballina where we shopped and were going to have lunch but continued to on Evans Head and had lunch overlooking beach and the coast. We followed the A1 on to Woodburn where we fuelled up. This part of the A1 (about 200kms) is being upgraded (not before time). This is the main road north and in parts is very rough, much worse than the worst bits on our main roads. We turned back towards the coast and stopped for the night at the National Park at Bundjalung.

A beautiful camp on the beach with a rough surf breaking in but costly at $45 without power!!! A few kangaroos hopped past our site.  It has started to rain and rain is in the forecast.

22 March - Breakfast overlooking the sea before continuing on down to Iluka for a walk along the beach. The surf was really pounding in. Back on the A1 to get to the other side of the Clarence River and down to Yamba Beach where we sat dodging the showers, had lunch and watched the mad surfers jumping off the rocks into the washing machine surf and out into the breaks. We followed the A1 to Grafton and camped in the showgrounds. Much cheaper fees, thank goodness! Rained off and on for the rest of the day.

23 March – We have had a few problems with our house batteries so we drove to an auto electrician who tested the batteries and diagnosed that one was buggered. Better then both though!! Back to the showgrounds at Grafton for another night. We walked the short distance into the town. This town is called Jacaranda City due to the Jacaranda trees through the town. Unfortunately, the trees have passed their best. It was a nice old town, set on either bank of the muddy Clarence River. We walked around the shopping area. It rained before dinner and then the skies cleared for a sunny evening.

24 March – We drove back towards the coast but the camp we were aiming for does not exist. We ended up at Arrawarra Beach, at a surfer’s camp. It had a very Bali feel. We were right on the beach with heaps of young surfers in backpacker accommodation. Our camp site is great, set in lovely trees, and cheap so we will stay here two nights. We rode our bikes along a cycleway to Arrawarra Heads.

25 March – We went for a swim in the surf dodging the surf classes either side of us. A beautiful day but after lunch the warm wind came up. We sat on the beach reading and watching the surf classes. This whole camp is run by a surf school catering mostly for young attractive girls staying in the backpacker accommodation which includes 6 old coaches with bunks. The “scenery” is great! We must be the oldest here. In the evening about 30 young ones had yoga class outside “Andy”.

26 March – Drove the coast road down to Emerald Beach where we walked the length of the beach before joining the A1 for our drive into Coffs Harbour. At Bunnings we swapped our out of date LPG bottle and then back to our camp at Park Beach. Our fridge/battery issues are now a thing of the past so we can now be off power indefinitely. We walked to the beach for a swim but was a bit cloudy. Rung Mum and the girls in the evening.

27 March – Checked out of the camp and walked around to the marina and along to Mutton Bird Island before shopping and heading south on the A1. All going well until a huge explosion under our front left tyre. A blow out! Managed to stop off the motorway and inspect the damage. The remains of the tyre had left black marks along the left side, smashed the right wing mirror, and damaged the plastic bumper and mud flap. We jacked up the camper but could not release the wheel nuts. Val phoned the insurance people and they sent a tyre company out from Nambucca Heads to sort the tyre out. A very helpful young guy put the spare on and we followed him back to his depot where they changed a few things around including a new spare for a very reasonable price.

 Back on the road to a “bush camp” outside Macksville at Gumma Reserve. It would have been a great place but the river had flooded a week before and left silt all over the ground.

28 March – At Macksville we shopped for a couple of bits to fix the tyre damage. (mirror replacement, cutting compound and some hardware).

We drove inland to the Taylors Arm Hotel. This was made famous as the “Pub With No Beer”. Some country and western history! Slim Dusty and Gordon Parsons wrote the song at this pub. Slim Dusty found a poem written about a hotel in Ingham (Queensland) that rang out of beer because the American Navy drank the place dry.

The song (written at the Taylors Arms) was based on the characters at the Taylors Arms. We camped at a reserve across from the pub and spent the afternoon working on “Andy”. Val did a great job recutting a mirror and I fixed the bumper bar and mud flap issues. We walked over to the pub and had a beer with the locals. We went back in the evening for a pizza and another drink with the social club. What a bunch of interesting people who made us very welcome.

29 March – Started up “Andy” and then he stalled. The motor turned over fine but no joy at all. Back to the pub where Wade called the local fix it man, Mick.

Back at the camper we did some sums and realized although the fuel gauge showed ¼ full we could be out depending on our tank size (unknown) and our fuel consumption (unknown). Mick arrived in the afternoon and confirmed that we were out of diesel. After borrowing 20lts from Big Jim (syphoned from his truck), Mick, with the aid of an aerosol can of a product called “Start you Bastard” got “Andy” running again. Nobody wanted to be paid so we had to force money into their hands. Too late to go anywhere so we had another drink at the “Pub With No Beer” and our new “mates” and stayed another night.

30 March – Andy started first pop and we went back into Macksville for fuel and onto the A1 for a 100km drive down to Port Macquarie where we had a camp site booked for 3 nights as it is Easter. We were at Flynns Beach so after lunch we walked to the beach and had a swim. The surf is rough and the beach is officially closed but we swam in the shallows. We walked home via Nobby’s Beach which allows dogs. Hundreds of them were enjoying rushing around in and out of the surf. We have a nice shady site overlooking the camp.

31 March – Another sunny day and we rode our bikes for a hilly ride to the town and harbour. We walked around the shops and then rode around to the harbour, returning to “Andy” via Town beach. Heaps of people around!! Managed to find the camp pool with no screaming kids in it so had a great cooling swim.

 In the afternoon we walked to the Koala Hospital who were having an open day. Got to say I really do not find them particularly cuddly! Decided to de-frost the fridge so we bought some ice on the way home.

1 April – Daylight saving finished last night.

We put on our new walking shoes and headed on the coastal track to Tacking Point Lighthouse. The walk was about ½ track and ½ beach. The coast is rocky headlands and beautiful beaches. On our way home we stopped at Shelly Beach and had a great swim. The total walk was 9kms. It got dark early and there was a cool breeze so we are inside watch TV and writing this. This is as far south we will be going and tomorrow we turn inland and start heading north.