South Coast to Sydney

At Orbost Caravan Park.

We have now well and truly turned the corner and headed for "home". Our final stay in Victoria for this trip will be Orbost, where the mighty & famous Snowy River meets the plains, and wanders its way down to the sea. Along the way we go through Bairnsdale and Lakes Entrance, old stomping grounds from the first year of our travels. We stopped at Lakes Entrance for good old fish 'n chips for lunch. Just can't go through Lakes Entrance without fish 'n chips! From there it is only a short drive to the little town of Orbost. Why stay in Orbost I hear you say? Well, we have two reasons. First, we saw the beautiful little caravan park on our earlier travels, and secondly, we met Laurel & Adrian while in the Pilbara of WA, and even though they now live in Far North Queensland, they originally came from Orbost, and are currently on an extended stay, visiting family, who still live in the area, for Christmas. 

Old restored cottage in Orbost.

Driving along beside the Snowy R.

We booked in at the caravan park, and were told we could pick any site we liked. This park is without doubt, the greenest, grassiest one we have ever stayed at, and the beautiful deciduous trees are showing their brand new leaves. With the Snowy River meandering by on the other side of the road, the place is a picture! We picked a huge site and settled in. Heaven! Orbost itself is a nice little town, with a couple of pubs, a supermarket, two bakeries plus a couple of other cafes, as well as most services and shops to keep the locals happy. For anything else, Bairnsdale is a short drive away. We met up with Laurel & Adrian, and caught up on all our various travels

The four of us.

Morning Tea under the trees.

since we last met at Esperance in WA, over afternoon tea in the garden behind our van! The next day, they took us on a lovely drive to show us the sights of the district. We followed the Snowy River out to Marlo, where it meets the sea. We passed through more lush dairy and cattle country along the way. Marlo is a lovely spot with a huge inlet, and is a holiday haven. There is an enormous pub on the hill overlooking the inlet, and lots of caravan park and holiday home options. We stopped at a hilltop lookout, where we reflected over a monument at a stairway leading down to the inlet. It was a monument to two young men who drowned whilst fishing more than 40 years ago. One of them was Adrian's younger

Quirky signs at Bemm River.

At the commemorative plaque

brother, just 14 at the time. A poignant and sad moment. We continued on, checking out the various campgrounds and view points of the Cape Conron NP, then headed up to Bemm River, where we had a lovely lunch at the very nice, and quite new pub. Apparently the old one burned down a few years before. Adrian & Laurel knew the owners. Adrian had worked for many years for the Forestry Commission, driving heavy machinery, when hardwood timber was the major industry around Orbost. Almost all the mills have closed, but it was nice having Adrian reflect on his working past. Some of the roads we travelled, Adrian had cut through the bush, 40 years ago. We called in at Laurel's sister's farm for an afternoon cuppa, and finished off the day driving past the property where Adrian and his family had started life, when he had arrived in Australia from Holland as a three year old. Back at the caravan park, we enjoyed happy hour out under the trees, trying to work out when and where we could next catch up. We know we have a caravan spot near Ingham FNQ, whenever we want!

Almost "home".

The quaint church at Cann River.

The next morning we were on the road again. We stopped for morning tea at Cann River, before crossing the border into NSW, the first time with the caravan since June 2013! It was a cold and drizzly day, hard to believe there was a heatwave just up the coast! We have not coped well with all the cold and drizzly weather we have encountered over the past three months. We are definitely warm weather people! We stopped at Eden for supplies, and a pie for lunch and were back on the road headed for Tathra. We missed this area on our trip down the coast in 2011, as the place was in flood. The way the weather was looking, we thought it was Groundhog Day! We arrived at

The Bikers were in Fancy Dress.

Hamburgers with Karen & Darren.

the Tathra Beach Family Holiday Park, which is right on the beach. It is a lovely park, and part owned by old Rock 'n Roll star Frankie J.Holden and his wife Michelle. We have seen it featured on TV Lifestyle shows, as they really try to make your stay fun, with themed nights and activities. As we tried to beat the rain and get set up, a friendly male voice says, "Hi John & Carol!" We both looked hard trying to remember, and were searching the memory banks, trying to remember when and where we met, when his wife says "don't worry, he only remembers your names because he follows your blog!" It was Graham & Alyssa, who we had stayed next to at Bairnsdale, back in 2011! Sadly the rains

The Bega River in flood.

Tathra Beach.

came, they missed "Hamburger Night", and they were gone bright and early the next day, so we didn't get to have a good catch up. All I know is that their camper trailer has been replace by a Jayco caravan! As I resumed my setting up, I heard another voice. This time it was Karen & Darren, who manage both the Shellharbour & Camden Caravan Parks, where we are regulars. They were having a few day's break. We did get to catch up with them, as dinner that night was going to be "Hamburger Night", put on by the park. Frankie was working, but Michelle was on the salad bar, and came by for a chat. It is so funny when you meet someone from TV. You feel like you already know them!!! The hamburgers were

Old Timer at the markets.

Great Lunch Roll!

huge, and really good, and we sat up quite late having a few wines, talking to Karen & Darren. A large group of Bikers was also staying at the park, and they were all dressed in Horror Fancy Dress. It all added to a fun night. That night it teemed with rain and it continued all the next day and into the night. The rain gauge was saying 120+ millimetres, or almost 5 inches in 24 hours. The highlight for the day was breakfast at the cafe next to the Surf Club, where we bumped in to Karen & Darren again. The breakfast special, scrambled egg with chorizo, rocket and peppers, was excellent, as was the coffee. We squelched back home, and had a lazy day in front of the computer and telly. Carolyn watched Gone With The Wind for the

Hamburger Night at Tathra.

More Fancy Dress.

umpteenth time. What brother Neil is to Zulu, Carolyn is to Gone With The Wind! Quite frankly, I don't give a damn!! Amazingly, Sunday morning dawned bright & sunny. I was feeling for Carolyn, as she had really wanted to visit Candelo Markets, one of the best we have seen on our travels, and supposedly on today. We decided to head out and see what was happening, and to our surprise, some hardy stall holders were set up beside the raging river on the soaked ground. We managed to score some fresh food goodies, plus a little

Debris on Tathra Beach.

extra, and enjoyed a nice lunch roll from Hardcore Carnivore, where some funky young folks were dishing out some flavourful goodies. We drove home the long way, via Pambula & Merimbula, but it seemed that the rain had dampened most things, as not much was open. That night the rains came again, but thankfully only briefly. On the Monday morning we headed into Bega to do some banking, but were shocked to see that the Tathra/Bega road was closed due to flooding. We had to go the long way via Merimbula. Apparently the Tathra/Bermagui road was also cut! It was 2011 all over again. Thankfully, on Tuesday morning the Tathra/Bermagui Road had re opened "with caution".

Arriving at Bob & Shirley's

Beautiful country.

The drive up The Tathra/Bermagui Road is a very lovely drive. We could see the evidence of floodwater across the road at several points, and made it into Bermagui in time for coffee. We found a little place run by some alternative young guys & gals, who used one of those Free Trade, Organic Coffees, Hand picked by virgins under a full moon. But what the heck, it was good! We were on our way to Moruya, for a farm stay. We are having a really nostalgic trip up the coast. This time we are staying at Bob & Shirley McLeay's farm just outside Moruya. We

Shirley on the trail.

We just sat around and talked.

met Bob & Shirley at Mataranka, in the Northern Territory, where we had kept them amused for ages, as we drove around and around trying to get our caravan positioned for our satellite to aim at a small gap between the trees! We just hit it off with them, and Carolyn & Shirley were off bush walking and swimming in the thermal pools, whilst Bob & I solved the caravanning problems of the world. It was a lovely few days, and we have kept in touch ever since, now taking them up on their offer of

Lunch at Bob's camp by the dam.

Off for a morning walk.

a place to rest the caravan. We had been in regular touch whilst in Tathra, as they get cut off by flood waters, and the road to their farm only reopened the night before we arrived. It is a beautiful little valley where they live. It is 30 acres, and they raise a few cattle, and it is their little piece of paradise. They were wonderful hosts. We set up on the side of the hill behind the house. Bob had made some ramps to help get the caravan level, and we had power from the house. A damn fine caravan park indeed! From the time we arrived, we simply whiled away the hours on the verandah.The time just flew by, talking about everything from travels and caravans, to

Pretty good sausage sanga!

A very nice site indeed!

families and friends. We drove out around nearby Mossy Point, Tomakin, and Moruya Heads. We met their son Mark, and all enjoyed Thursday night Fish 'n Chips, from a very good take away in town, sitting down by the river at the picnic tables. In between showers, the girls managed some long morning walks through the nearby forests, and we had a great lunch at the camp site Bob has constructed down near the dam. We lit a fire, and sizzled some snags & onions, made a cuppa to wash down Shirley's delicious home made cookies, and it was just wonderful.  We have truly met some wonderful people on this trip to date. We can now, never again drive through Moruya without staying a few days. The night before we left, the rains came again, and the thought crossed our mind we might get flooded in, but we didn't really care if we did! We were a bit sad as we left, but we will keep in touch and meet up again along the road.

Set up at Ulladulla Headland Caravan Pk.

Ulladulla Harbour.

It isn't far up the road to Ulladulla, our last stop before reaching our Christmas destination of Shellharbour. We picked out the Ulladulla Headland Caravan Park, which isn't very busy yet. Coral was the young lady in the office, and she was extremely helpful, putting us on a large double concrete slab site, overlooking the Ulladulla Harbour. We can walk into town, which we always like when choosing a caravan park. For those that don't know, Ulladulla is very hilly, so no matter where you walk you get a workout! Ulladulla has undergone quite a transformation. It now has new Coles, Woolworths & Aldi Supermarkets, plus IGA! Amazing for such a small town! We haven't done much, but be lazy, reading our books and writing this blog post. We have done the markets, which just happened to be on this weekend, and took the essential drive out to Mollymook and Milton. The countryside around here is just lovely, and after all the rain, is lush and green. At least it hasn't been too wet. We did get showers the day we arrived, but the sun has shone ever since. Not warm, mind you, but hopefully a sign of things to come. If not, it's back to Broome!!!

We will be taking a bit of a break over the next several weeks, while we celebrate Christmas & New Year with family & friends, in and around Sydney. Will be back in 2015, when our travels resume! Stay tuned, and have a wonderful Christmas with whoever is special in your life, plus a fantastic New Year.