Mt. Tamborine/Kingscliff

Kingscliff is just before the Queensland border. What used to be a sleepy little village is now a growth centre full of resorts and new subdivisions. Thankfully, they have kept the high rise out, so it looks good. The village along the beach is now a vibrant shopping and cafe scene, and we immediately like it. It feels good.

Tweed Heads Snapper Rocks

We had tried to get into the Caravan Park, along the beach, right in town, but it was full for big vans like ours, something we are finding now, and means we may have to book ahead more than we would like to. The caravan park had also suffered badly from the beach erosion that had taken place a few weeks earlier, with all the huge seas that have been pounding the east coast, and had lost some roads and sites. We found our spot, at Nth Kingscliff Caravan Park, only 2 km north, again right on the beach. It was good for us, as it made us walk to town and back, either along the walking path, or along the beach. We usually alternated. The weather was pretty good, and it was nice to get the shorts and T-Shirts out, and paddle in the surf. Still too cold for us to swim!  We drove around the area, and marvelled at how much it has changed, and also took a drive up to the Gold Coast from Tweed Heads to Main Beach, where we reminisced on holidays past in this iconic Aussie tourist ground.

We had a really lazy few days, doing some washing and other household chores. Yes we do have housework! It takes 2 minutes to vacuum or wash the floor, dusting is at least 3 minutes, and making up the bed is another 1 and a half. If we throw in the washing up, it takes us a whole 10 minutes! Eat your hearts out girls! This time John even got the bikes down for a full maintenance check and clean up. They take a battering out in the elements all day/night, but having spoken to the right bike shops, we now have the right gear to keep them in pretty good condition. Whilst Cadel may laugh hysterically at our equipment, we are only doing The Path of Kingscliff, not The Tour de Anywhere!

We sussed out the best coffee, and on our last night, had a terrific Thai meal, cooked by an Aussie Chef! In fact, the only Asian in the restaurant was doing the dishes! Shows you how cooking has changed. We always remember our Italian meal in Leichhardt, at the Jolly Italian Restaurant. The name should have told us, but all the staff were Chinese!

Mt. Tamborine Caravan Park

On to Mt. Tamborine. We took directions from the caravan park manager, whose last job must have been working for Basil Fawlty. In fairness, we could have written down the wrong information, like everything he said! We turned up Cedar Creek Rd, and were immediately confronted by a sign saying No Through Road. Another car had followed us onto this road and was madly flashing his lights at us. He pulled along side, and asked if we were looking for the caravan park at Mt. Tambourine. He was obviously a highly perceptive local, who proceeded to tell us that this happens all the time, so that means the manager is consistent, and that we will need to turn around, and go back to the main road and find Cedar Creek Falls Road. We eventually found somewhere to turn around, and headed for the right address. Now obviously the local and the manager went to the same school, because the local neglected to tell us that as soon as we turned into Cedar Creek Falls Road, we had to immediately do almost a U turn down a track on our right. This track was beautifully sign posted if you were coming back up the hill, which we were to find out. So down the ever narrowing road we travelled, until we reached a dead end in the Cedar Falls National Park car park, that had a turning circle designed for cars without caravans. The bewildered looks on the hikers' faces said it all! John executed a perfect 14 point turn, and to a standing ovation, left the car park. This time we found the sign, and the caravan park, and we were soon parked in amongst the trees and other campers.

Fresh avocados 3 for a $1

Dress Shop sign we loved

Mt. Tamborine is lovely, full of guest houses and B&B's, gift shops, cafes and every other tourist trap imaginable. If you closed your eyes you could be in Leura (NSW) or Montville(QLD) or the Dandenongs(Vic). The formula for tourist traps in the mountains is always the same, however here, the views back over the coast to the east, and out across the plains to the west, are breathtaking. It is all rain forest, so is lush and tropical, and grows a fair amount of produce in rich red soil. It seems everyone has an Honesty Box stall at the front gate, and we stopped to check a few out. Terrific avocados, stewed fruit (we bought a big jar of stewed rhubarb), lemons and various vegetables.

Giant Trees and Orchids

The raised walkway among the treetops

The highlight for us though, was the Treetop Rainforest Walk. What a wonderful 2 hours we spent doing the 45 minute walk. You don't need to be a tree hugger to know what a privilege this is. The towering trees, the ferns, the orchids, the palms, the vines and the bird life, all made it such a treat. And the peace and quiet. We didn't want to leave. We would sit in a quiet spot and wait for all the birds to come to life and just look and listen to all the sights and sounds. By the time we were finished, we were ready for coffee, local rainforest blend of course, and be assured, there is no shortage of choices, all with their special kinds of goodies to temp you. We tease ourselves for a while, but soon succumb.

Now that's a campfire!

Back at the camp we treated ourselves again. This time, happy hour around our own little campfire. Our powered site came with its own campfire, so we bought a bag of firewood, and along with almost every other camper, got the fire going. It was beautiful evening, complete with one of Carol's fantastic baked dinners. The trees were full of lorikeets, and there were bush turkeys everywhere. As night fell and a million stars came out, who needs TV!

We enjoyed Mt. Tamborine a lot, and would welcome a few days back here at some future time, but only if the weather is good. On our last night, having enjoyed the campfire, we were woken in the early hours by a tremendous downpour, that lasted several hours. Morning dawned to a sea of water and mud, soaked campers and flooded camp sites. We weren't the only ones packing up and moving on.

Port Macquarie and North Haven

We left Sydney, again, and headed across the Harbour Bridge, and a last look at the fantastic harbour, for a few months. It still feels sad and strange, without April on Carol's lap, head out the window and into the breeze, heading up the highway, but we are soon into the traffic of the F3, and past Newcastle, on our way to our first stop at North Haven. We've got the stereo on, and Bob Segar is in fine voice, as the miles fly by.

We had to change our travel schedule for the trip north. It would now be 10 days instead of 3 weeks, so we decided against lots of short stops, and would spend a few days at both North Haven/ Port Macquarie, followed by Kingscliff, and a short 2 day stop at Mt. Tambourine, a place Carol has wanted to visit for years. Unfortunately this meant no farm stay at Gloucester on the way north. This we will defer until the return journey in January.

North Haven from
North Brother Mountain Lookout

North Haven is the new chosen home of our new found friends from WA, Julie and Ron. We met them on the road in March, and they told us of their plans to settle on the east coast. They had a list of possible areas, but didn't get past the first stop at North Haven! They had sent us photos of their "Tree House", so we were eager to see it.

The area is only 40km from Port Macquarie, and includes the nearby townships of Laurieton, the main shopping area, Dunbogan, Camden Heads and West Haven. It is a very pretty area with ocean, river and lake. We stay at the Jacaranda Holiday Park, on a large grassy site, out the back among the paperbark trees and the lorikeets. It is really peaceful and quiet. Across the road from park it is a short stroll to the breakwall, and a lovely walk either out to the river entrance and surf beach, or back along the river into town.
First night is dinner at Julie & Ron's new house. It is an amazing house. Architect designed as a holiday house, it is high set among the trees, with all the living space and bedrooms upstairs, with separate guest room underneath with the car parking. There is a huge under cover deck off the upstairs living room, which looks out over the reserve that they back onto, and the river beyond. It is all steel beams and louver windows, and reminds us of our Lilyfield home. And of course, there is plenty of room for the caravan. We are certain they will love living here. We enjoyed a lovely meal of chicken casserole, with a few wines, and headed back home at a respectable hour.

Hail storm at North haven

Next day we took a drive around to look at the sights. What is it with us and weather! What started out as beautiful day, finished up with a hail storm! Apart from the hail, we had a great day. The area has grown tremendously since we last had a stop here, about 20 years ago. It is still a quiet little holiday town, with beach and fishing as the major attractions, as well as the fantastic scenery. The view from the lookout at North Brother Mountain, is 360 degrees, and really shows the varied landscape of mountains to the sea. We enjoyed another couple of great evenings with Ron & Julie, at both the Laurieton United Services Club (LUSC to the locals, but Carol preferred LUST), for the $13.50 T-Bone and Schooner night which was pretty good value, and a lovely meal at a little restaurant called Relish.

We moved a short distance up the road to Port Macquarie. Here we checked in at the Sundowner Breakwall Caravan Park. It is a big park with over 300 sites, and is in a wonderful location beside the breakwall and surf beach, and right on the edge of town. The main reason for our visit is to catch up with Charlie and Marg, the original owners of Gaymoir Products. We love their company, and there is much reminiscing about the 2 generations of Gaymoir, and we all share the nice feeling that the third generation of Mario & Cheryl, will continue the tradition. We shared a couple of nice meals at each others' places, walked the breakwall and the coastal walk, and generally had a great time. Marg is into everything, line dancing, folk dancing, clogging, bush walking, table tennis, badminton and I'm sure there is more! She took Carol to badminton, and as only Carol can do, she soon had them asking her back for more fun!  Carol had a ball. Three days later, and Carol is still feeling the muscles she had forgotten.

Sunday, after a beautiful, if not a bit pricey breakfast at The Fig cafe, we took a nostalgic trip up to Crescent Head and South West Rocks. We took the back road, taking the old cable ferry across the Hastings River, and following the mostly dirt, Mariah

Old Lodge Gallery & Riverside Cafe

I said it was beside the river!

We headed on to South West Rocks, and along the way stopped in the lovely old coastal river port town of Gladstone. Most of the old buildings, from the boom timber times of the late 19th century, have been beautifully restored. The old pub with its lacework around the verandah is a classic. We found a gorgeous gallery and cafe, for morning tea. The gallery was excellent, and the cafe at the back was right on the banks of the Macleay River. The sign said "Famous" Devonshire Tea, all home made. Imagine the let down when the waitress said sorry, the Bikies came through this morning and ate all the scones! Come on, Bikies don't do scones! They are tough and mean. Can you imagine huge, leather clad, hairy men covered in tattoos and body piercing, sitting down sipping tea from fine china, with pinkies perfectly extended, saying "Oh Slugger aren't the scones divine, so light and fluffy? Yes Bruiser, and isn't this Earl Grey tea beautiful? Don't you just love these pretty little cups?" It's the most far fetched excuse I've ever heard! Anyway, the Hummingbird cake was a pretty good second choice.

On to South West Rocks, where we found the bikies doing what they are supposed to do, drinking schooners at the pub and devouring huge hamburgers with sauce dripping off beards and elbows! Carol was having a good old reminisce also. No, not about the bikies, but holidays, long ago with Bev. The two of them had driven up to the Rocks in Carol's old Vee Dub. Bev met Fred, he took her out to the old gaol site to show her his etchings, and the rest is history! We took a drive out to the old gaol, which has been restored, and now looks great on the hilltop looking out over Trial Bay. There are lots of walks and lots of plaques, nothing about Bev & Fred though. He told me he was famous at The Rocks! We took a note of the Horseshoe Bay Caravan Park, right in town, as a good site for a future visit, and generally drove around, being amazed at how much the area had grown over the years since our youthful holidays.

We headed back to Port Macquarie. The sky was looking very stormy, and sure enough we got another hail storm. We sheltered by the side of the road. The hail was small, and not damaging to the car, but I was secretly hoping that those bikies had been caught out in it!

The 60's Silver Bullet Retro Van

We arrived back at Port, and started talking to our neighbour. He was one of those surfers left over from the 60's. His van was a silver bullet retro job from the 60's and he was pulling it behind a 1968 Valiant Station Wagon, complete with venetian blinds and the number plate SWELL. Two long boards strapped to the roof, he and his girl were reliving the dream big time! His rig was in fantastic condition, and attracted an endless stream of onlookers. The sky was again looking ominous. He took a look at the sky and boldly predicted that there wouldn't be much in it. Three hours later, we were about to find out if the Silver Bullet could float!

Monday morning we hitched up and hit the highway, headed for Kingscliff. It had dawned a beautiful clear morning, and the temperature gauge is slowly rising.

Bendigo & Back

Struggling with the loss of our little April, we headed back to Melbourne to get our caravan repaired. We were not happy with having to turn around and head back to the cold, but we had little choice. We had decided to base ourselves at Bendigo, as we hadn't spent any time in that area, and we had heard good reports, and it was only 90 minutes from where we had to take the caravan.
First night, we got to Wodonga. We did manage a stop at Jugiong, at one of our all time favourite spots, The Long Track Pantry. As usual, we had an excellent lunch, and stocked up the larder. We love this place! At Wodonga, we did a drive through site, so we didn't have to unhitch. It was cold and wet. Next morning, we had to get fuel, and called in at a trucker stop. We hadn't had breakfast so went into the cafe, and for the uninitiated, who don't realise that trucker stops are not famous for low calorie or vegetarian food, Carol spotted that her favourite, savoury mince, was on the menu, so it was a no brainer, and breakfast was served. Boy was it served, and boy was it good!!

Replenished, we did three laps of the car, and headed for Bendigo. We arrived at the Bendigo Park Lane Caravan Park, and after refusing the first cabin offered, that resembled a large phone booth, settled into our large two bedroom brand new cabin, complete with airconditioning, 2 plasma TV's and all other mod cons. We got all the things we had to, out of the caravan, ready to drop it off next morning. We didn't realise how much stuff we had to take out. It took us 3 hours! So early to bed, and up early and off to Melbourne. We dropped off the caravan, and the plan was to have it back by Friday.

Th talking Tram - Bendigo

Back to Bendigo, and what a gem it is. Full of history, wonderful buildings, galleries, and shops. It is a real melting pot of culture and sophistication. Of course, the gold mining heritage is front and centre, but there is so much more. Did you know that Sidney Myer came from Bendigo? Yes, the first Myer store is still in Bendigo. Did you also know, that Leggos tomato sauce came from Bendigo, and it is not Italian. Those bloody Yanks took over and started spreading lies! The original family owners came from Wales! And finally, the biggy. The chiko roll was invented in Bendigo! So Bendigo is responsible for around eleven trillion calories, that the founders of the Fernwood chain of health studios, also Bendigonians, (that's what the locals call themselves), are now trying to get rid of!

First stop was the Visitor Centre, then off to take the Talking Tram trip across town. It's a must. It leaves from one of the old gold mines, and goes through the centre of town, to the Chinese Joss House (Temple), and back. There is a stop at the Tram Museum, and a great orientation of how the city works. Bendigo is a city of more than 100,000 people, so there is lots to see and do. It was not hard to fill in the week, and then there is the surrounding area to see as well.

Bendigo Cathedral

Timber cottage with iron lace.

There are some magnificent buildings in Bendigo, none better than the cathedral. There is no doubt about the catholics, they sure know how to dominate the centre of town. This is as good as anything we have seen in Europe, just minus the gold inside! All around town you see great buildings. Too many to list individually. Even the old homes have been beautifully restored. There are so many examples of the basic timber cottage with iron lace around the veranda. Classic Australian architecture.
The food scene is excellent, both produce and restaurants. No shortage of places to try and buy, which we do regularly. We really liked the Epicurean Cafe, with its home cooked Italian influenced food. Yummo! 

The longest Dragon, called Loong

There is also the iconic Bendigo Pottery, which we called in at and bought a small piece, and there is an amazing Chinese Museum, called the Dragon Museum, that houses the oldest, as well as the longest, ceremonial dragons in the world. The exhibits, depicting the Chinese culture from the gold rush of the 1850's until present, are wonderful, as well as a fantastic collection of artifacts and treasures from the gold rush t

The Lake House - Daylesford

A short drive from Bendigo, are the wonderful towns of Daylesford, Castlemaine, Kyneton, Mount Macedon and many more. We took many wonderful drives into these towns, all of which are less than 90 minutes from Melbourne, and are trendy little places full of history, and now B&B's, gift shops and cafes. Daylesford is home to the iconic Lake House. This has been on Caro'ls list of places to eat for years, and now it has been ticked off. It was worth the wait. We had the most wonderful lunch on a beautiful day, overlooking the lake. The entree of caesar salad with the crumbed poached egg, white anchovies and locally smoked pancetta, was simply amazing. (Hang on while I wipe the drool off the keyboard!). It was one of those memorable occasions we will never forget.

Bluestone home from 1870 - Kyneton

While all this was happening, our caravan repair was proceeding slower than expected, but with good weather and so much to see, not to mention all the space of our cabin to lounge around in, we weren't that worried! The weekend came, and still no caravan. We were promised for Monday, so over the weekend we took in Kyneton, with it's magnificent bluestone buildings. We had lunch, on a cold and showery day at a beautiful little cafe, enjoying a fabulous pea & ham soup with crusty bread, delicious!

The Cross at Mount Macedon

We then headed up to Mount Macedon, with its amazing mansions. You have to see the homes to believe them, all in the most beautiful bushland setting. The homes are huge, with gardens to match, yet there is nothing else around. It is a bit bizarre really. High on the mountain, is another fantastic sight. The Cross. This is a huge monument to Australia's fallen from the First World War. It was a gift from a wealthy local by the name of Cameron. He wanted something that could be seen from Melbourne, and he built it. It is magnificent. The original was hit by lightning, but it was rebuilt bigger and better than ever, and remains quite a sight.

At the bottom of the mountain is the famous Hanging Rock picnic area. You all remember the movie? Well it was late, so we didn't take a picnic and we didn't go missing, we just drove through.
Monday morning came around, and Carol got a real treat, as a result of the delay with the caravan. The Bendigo had been advertising it's world exclusive exhibition, from the Royal Albert Museum in London, called, The White Wedding Dress. So there we were, some of the first people in Australia to see this excellent exhibition. Even as a bloke, it was very good, and Carol had a ball, oohing and aahing at all the famous wedding dresses, the photos, and the Royal Wedding videos all the way from the Queen Mother to Will & Catherine. In the afternoon, we headed to Melbourne to collect the now waterproof van (we hope!). All seemed well, so back to the cabin, and a late night repacking the caravan, in readiness for an early start north, to warmer climates.! Hopefully this time we'll make it!

Tuesday we headed back to Sydney. We decided to take a different route which took us across the heartland of the Riverina, and would give us a chance to look at some new places, that might be worth a visit down the track. We headed north to the paddle steamer capital of Australia, Echuca on the Murray River. What a great little town. This is one we will be back to spend time in. From here we continued north to Deniliquin, home to the largest red gum forests in Australia, and also home to the biggest ute muster. Yes once a year, literally 1000's of young men and their tricked up utes, gather in a paddock out of town with their friends and cattle dogs, to celebrate all things country, but mostly beer and music!

Blossom trees near Junee

From here we went through Jerilderie to Narrandera, not a lot here, then east to Coolaman, Junee, and our overnight stop at Cootamundra, birthplace of Aussie legend Sir Donald Bradman. The drive was beautiful with the country looking spectacular. Vast fields of yellow canola, and green winter grain crops. The wattle was in full bloom, and being a bit further north and away from the freezer called Victoria, even the blossom trees had burst into flower.

Grain silos at Coolaman

This area is huge in grain crops. Every town, large and small, has its grain silos beside the railway, and with such a bumper crop after all the drought, the silos are surrounded by tarpaulin covered piles of grain, waiting to be shipped. Quite a sight.

We arrived in Cootamundra for our overnight drive through stop. We were immediately advised about all things Bradman, by the enthusiastic park manager, so we decided to take a look first thing next morning. The caravan park was right in the middle of town, so dinner was taken at the RSL Club next door, about the only thing open for dimmer on a Tuesday Night. It was a good, hearty club feed. Up early next morning to take in the sights.

The Captain's Walk in Cootamundra.

First stop was The Captains Walk, which was in the park right next door. The local council, has created a fantastic spectacle of a pathway through the trees, with a bronze bust of every Australian cricket captain, complete with a plaque recounting their individual record. It is fantastic, and is up to date. From here we took a drive past the Don's old home, which is now a museum, but we were unfortunately a bit early!

So off for Sydney we headed. We had decided for a last catchup with mum and friends on the way north, so we did an overnight drive through for dinner with Bev & Fred at Shellharbour. Sadly no time for fishing this time, then off to Camden for another overnighter and dinner with Cheryl & Chris at our favourite little Italian, Salute. Friday we gave the caravan's water leaks a real test at the Caravan Park. Darren, the manager, aware of our problems from a chat we'd had the day before, came down and suggested we get out the fire hose, and give it a real test and a wash! Thankfully it passed the test!

Friday we were back at Rockdale, to drop off a few excess things at Mum's. She reckons the bill has just gone up again! So we took her out to dinner, with Mario & Cheryl, and had a real good catch up all round.

Saturday was like old times. John off to golf at Moore Park, and Carol off for a walk and breakfast with Robyn. The Golf was rusty, but the breakfast, walk and shopping were a success!

Sunday, we are off to lunch with Nancy & Keith, at Danny's Seafood Restaurant at La Perouse, before back to pack up and get ready for our journey north to begin again on Monday morning.