Port Stephens - 04.02.2013 to 07.02.2013

Port Stephens has been a destination Crowey has been keen to see, right from the start. With its many bays and beaches I soon began to understand Crowey's eagerness to visit this lovely place.

The weather was a pleasant 28-30 degrees every day, the beaches were pleasant to swim in and the area not overpopulated like Port Macquarie. Port Stephens is actually the official dolphin capital of Australia and during our sunset walk on the beach (awwwwwww how romantic are we??) we actually saw about four dolphins feeding in Shoal Bay. We toured all over this area and really took in every part. We both really liked Port Stephens and took an interest in the local real estate quite quickly. Perhaps a destination for both of us down the track? Who knows.

Fingal Bay

Nelson Bay Marina

sunset at Shoal Bay

just too cute

Crowey also got an invitation by a fellow Nolex Yacht owner who lives in Port Stephens to go out on his yacht in a race and he jumped at the chance to go for a sail. Of course he loved it, they had perfect weather and even did well in the race. Crowey believes it was because he made a good ballast.

the race boat

Crowey's new friends, the Nolex group

So Port Stephens did make an impression on me and I know for certain Crowey would move there tomorrow. We will have to see what the future brings us.

Port Macquarie - 30.01.2013 to 01.02.2013 and Tuncurry/Forster 02.02.2013 and Stroud 02.02.2013 to 04.02.2013

With the weather turning fine we decided to settle into Port Macquarie for a couple of days to really check this place out. It did not disappoint. Beach upon beach, large lakes to sail a yacht and a comfortable population, we really liked this area of NSW.

Heaps of beaches along this area with lots of small towns where you could imagine heaps of visitors every year coming to this area to enjoy the sun and surf and probably lots of fishing. The ocean was still angry from the storms and there was no way I was going swimming, but you always get those mad surfers going out to catch those big nasty waves. I leave them to it.

The drive around Port Macquarie is very scenic and we decided to go for a drive up and down the coastal towns of Lake Cathie, Bonny Hills, Laurieton and Dunbogan. Laurieton lookout was a steep drive but the view was breathtaking. Taking off for a walk around sub-tropical rainforest, Crowey noticed a leech on my leg, Yuck! Needless to say I did kind of panic and slightly screamed and carried on whilst Crowey got it off my leg. Heading back to Port Macquarie to watch the waves at the beach Crowey noticed a lot of blood on his foot and soon discovered that a leech had hitch hiked and in the process bloated himself up full of his blood. It was not long after that that I noticed another one on the inside of my big toe and second toe. The blood that comes out once you flick these horrible monsters off is quite amazing. Just disgusting.

beautiful view but horrible leeches lurk

Crowey showing the size of the leech once full of blood (he has a big thumb)

 

This place has made an impression on us, maybe a place we could imagine ourselves living one day.

The next day we ventured onto Tuncurry and Forster, basically just over the bridge from each other, the northern side of the Great Lakes area. Staying just the one night we then ventured to Stroud, just inland from Tuncurry/Forster where we were invited to stay with a wonderful couple, Mark and Jazz, who we met in Wyndham WA in August last year. We really get along well and over the next couple of days had many a laugh with them. They took the time to show us around Historic old Stroud and also around the area of Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest which lies on the Northern shore of Port Stephens. The weather was not kind to us but we loved being chauffered around and we stopped at the Tea Gardens pub where we had $10 fish and chips and couldn't even get through half of the food the serving was so big. That night Mark got out a couple of his guitars he hadn't played for a while and the boys had a bit of a jam session while Jazz and I listened (well sort of, amongst the chatter). They made us feel so welcome and it was sad to say goodbye. Needless to say the invite has been set for them to come to Melbourne and visit us. It was a really nice time with some really nice humble people.

Moonee Beach - 25.01.2013 to 28.01.2013

Heading further south, seeking a spot to ensure we kept well out of the way of the predicted rain and storms on the way, we ended up at a little place called Moonee Beach, which is about 10km north of Coffs Harbour and way up high, with no chance of flooding us out. It was the long weekend of the Australia Day celebrations and apparently the caravan park had been booked up full but with the weather predictions nearly everyone had cancelled.

Our first day we took a drive into the town of Coffs Harbour, where I remember as a girl of about 10 going through this place and thinking that the BIG Banana was just great. Funny how when I view these "BIG" monuments now, it doesn't really have the same effect and believe me it is amazing how many of these BIG creations you see across Australia. Mango, Banana, Lobster, Prawn, Avocado, Bull, Cassowary, Crocodile and Gumboot just to name a few.

Coffs Harbour appears to be run down and speaking to an ex local, it is not one of the nicest places to live in. Scenery wise it was pretty but one of those places that didn't really grab us. Moonee Beach was a nice little holiday spot and just north of here are lots of little holiday destinations. So anyway we were pretty much stuck here for four days with constant rain, alternating between heavy and just consistant, with winds reaching about 50 - 60kmph, with Cape Byron getting over 100km winds.

Here it comes.......

even the birds took shelter

our van up high and out of any potential flood

So we sat loose for a few days, not letting it bother us as long as we were out of harms way. On the fourth day of our stay the sun was out and it was quite funny because everyone started to emerge from their vans and it was like we had all been hibernating and once the sun was out from the clouds took the opportunity to get some vitamin D. We took off for a drive and couldn't believe how much water was laying around and the debree showing signs of where the rivers got up to in some of the towns. We ended up taking a drive up to Dorrigo along the Waterfall way and it was a perfect day for it, no flooded roads, sun shining and the water coming down from the mountains on our climb up to Dorrigo was absolutely beautiful.

beautiful scenery

waterfalls

more waterfalls

After drying ourselves off it was time to keep moving on we decided to get ourselves down to Port Macquarie.

Grafton - 25.01.2013 to 26.01.2013

We only stopped at Grafton for one night, mainly to get the Prado serviced. Grafton is quite a pretty town with tree-lined streets, elegant buildings and sits on the Clarence River. The rivers in Northern NSW are absolutley huge. It was here that it started to rain and we soon got ourselves on the road as the river is prone to flooding and as pretty as Grafton is we didn't want to find ourselves stranded there for a week,  the reports of wild weather and plenty of rain soon had us hitched up and looking for a spot to settle in that was high from any rivers or waterways. 

The huge Clarence River in Grafton

 

One of the many tree lined streets

 

Yamba - 22.01.2013 to 25.01.2013

Yamba is a gorgeous little coastal town with the entrance to the Clarence River on one side. The coastline here is really pretty with absolute golden beaches, good temperature of about 30 every day and the water warm enough to just jump in. Taking a drive south of Yamba we came across a little town by the name of Broom Head and what a beautiful little spot to come for a week or six. Families aplenty enjoying this spot with the beach on their caravan or tent doorstep. Going for a walk up to the hill, the view was amazing, pelicans coming in to get a feed from the fishermen, sun shining, waves rolling in, rock pools all around. We couldn't resist having a swim here and ended up staying in for quite awhile, resulting in a bit of sunburn unfortunately. Having some lunch we headed off for Sandon, which happened to turn out to be another fabulous spot. Camping area had quite a few of campers there and you could see why because the secluded beach was a treat. We went for a walk up top a hill, just around from the beach, where we happened to sight an eagle settling on the rocks looking for some food and a great view from up top. It proved to be hard work in the sun so a dip in the ocean was called for. Yes another tough day in the lives of Murph and Crowey.

Iluka, over the other side of Yamba

Brooms Head, picturesque holiday spot

ready and waiting......

View of Brooms Head from top of hill

Sandon, another oasis

Juvinile Sea Eagle

Mullumbimby/Byron Bay - 17.01.2013 to 22.01.2013

Over the border we go from Qld to NSW, where we decided to camp at Mullumbimby. Where the hell is Mullumbimby? Well if you go just inland of Brunswick Heads or Byron Bay, that is where you will find Mullumbimby. A cute little town on the northern rivers, where we camped for $25 a night at the local leagues club with power and water, showers etc. Our first day we decided to go for a drive up into the mountains to where the roads are narrow but the scenery very picturesique with rolling hills, green pastures and Mount Chincogan in the background.

Taking off to Byron Bay for the day and boy was that a bustling little place. People everywhere, cars banked up, to find a park was something you had to wish for. Very pretty area, once again with a spare couple of million you could easily settle yourself here. It is no longer the hippieville of bygone years, I think they have all been moved to Nimbin, but more the yuppieville town of today. Crazy holiday place but I would have liked to have looked into the shops here with a purse full of money as there were some gorgeous little dress shops aplenty, not just your main stream ladies shops. Maybe next time..........

We ended up staying a couple more days at Mullumbimby only because we had some issues with the brakes on the car and had to wait until Monday to see if we could get them looked at. The local brake place was busy however so we decided to move on.

Byron Bay Lighthouse

Surfers Paradise - 15.01.2013 to 17.01.2013

Surfers Paradise, what can you say? A place many a person has been to sometime in their lives. The Gold Coast has always been a keen holiday destination for us southerners, with its warmer climate, heaps of beaches and entertainment to offer. A great family destination with all the theme parks at your back door, but too over commercialised for us. We did make an effort to explore right down the coast all the way to Coolangatta, or more like on the border of Qld and NSW. It was like we didn't quite want to cross that state line as it meant our time on the road was getting closer to our home state of Vic.

The beaches are quite good here, with the water still warm to just amble in with no Oooohing and Arghing as your nether regions reach the wet. We even managed to get the boogey boards out again and catch a few waves. Good weather, lots of shops, people and traffic but overall not a bad place to go, though the caravan parks on the beach were charging heaps for a site so we stayed in Southport, just north of Surfers.

Brisbane - 13.01.2013 to 15.01.2013

Brisbane has never been a spot either of us has stopped at and explored, so we thought we would have a look for a couple of days. We ended up camping at some showgrounds where for a site with power and water you paid only $20 per night. Taking ourselves through Redcliffe (really nice area) and up and over to Bribie Island we had a great drive sight seeing in these areas. Lots of little spots for swimming and there were certainly many a family enjoying their holidays in this area. The next day took us south of Brisbane to explore the coastal suburbs, wisely leaving the city alone (didn't want to remind us of Melbourne too much at this stage). Again a nice drive and we are glad we had a look around, but soon decided to head for the smaller coastal towns, which is what we have enjoyed the most.

Back on the road again...........Sunshine Coast 10.01.2013 to 13.01.2013

Six weeks Crowey left me at my mum and dad's for. It is the longest time I have spent with them since leaving home at 19 years of age. We had some good quality time together, just the three of us for Christmas (oh and of course their dog Moonbi who soon had me trained to play with her and fetch her treats). New Years was spent  in Hervey Bay with some friends of mum and dad's and on the way back dropped into the Maryborough showgrounds where a fairly impressive fireworks display  was going on.

sunset at mum and dads

Moonbi, mum and dad's dog with her xmas toy

cheers from the murphs xmas day (note dad is ready to eat)

little green frog at mum and dads

Its quite amusing how we all live our own day to day lives, and staying with mum and dad for this extended period made me realise and probably confirm my suspicions that they are workaholics. Yes they are retired, but live on 3 plus acres of land where they have many a job to do including mulching, making steps down their embankment which then had to be painted. I guess I don't mind doing a hard days physical work, but day after day of it? There were times when the heat rose that little bit too much and mum and I went on strike and stayed in the cool of the house and chilled out. We even managed to have a few girlie days where we went shopping and had a nice time amongst the shops looking.

All in all it was great spending that time with them but I was hanging out for Crowey to get back from Melbourne to continue our journey. Six weeks proved to be a long time to be apart and needless to say we did miss each other a lot, especially that we had been together 24/7 over the past nine months or so.

So on the 10th January we finally headed off again, saying goodbye to mum and dad and needless to say missing out on mulching that day.

Our first destination was the Sunshine Coast. Well was that a busy spot! Of course school holidays are in full swing and the caravan parks were charging astronomical prices per night. We ended up coming across a park in Bli Bli, about 5km from Coolum Beach. Sunshine Coast covers Noosa Heads, Coolum Beach, Mooloolaba and Caloundra to name a few towns. Extremely busy all along this coast and a bit of an eye opener for us of how populated the east coast is compared to the west coast. We still did our best to explore all of this region though but there is no way we would live here with the property market quite high, especially in Noosa Heads, a place that kind of reminded me of Port Douglas with the elite cafes, dress shops and properties. Nice place if you have a spare couple of million.

Hervey Bay to Tin Can Bay 19.11.2012- to 29.11.2012

Hervey Bay, nearly our last destination before Maryborough where my mum and dad live. It is quite amusing because Crowey has been to Hervey Bay a couple of times now and always thought that it was a quiet little seaside town, but in fact holds a population of over 50,000. We did quite a bit of exploring in this area as it interested us to perhaps move to this area one day.

The weather, though still warm, stays pretty much around the 30 degrees mark, with a sea breeze to cool things down. The caravan park was right on the beach with shops and cafes etc right across the road. A swim was in order, with no stingers in sight at the moment, but a few big ugly jellyfish had been washed up to shore.

Mum and dad came down from Maryborough and we all went out to Mexican, a cuisine all of us enjoy. It was great to see them again and a good night was had by all. I think my dad talked Crowey's ear oYou hff. but I guess they hadn't seen us for a while and there was quite a bit to catch up on.

We took the opportunity to do a couple of things whilst we were in a larger town, fixing Crowey's computer (again) and I decided that a call to the hairdressers was in order after about 5 months (yikes!).

Hervey Bay is a popular destination for tourists, with flights running from Melbourne and Sydney daily. The Whale season here is meant to quite spectacular, but we were there at the wrong time of the year to enjoy that. All in all we had a good time in Hervey Bay.

Crowey entertaining Hervey Bay Beach goers

hows that for ugly

friend of the park

one of the ducks at the park who adopted us for the week

Our next destination was Tin Can Bay. Quite a short trip about 30 mins away. The Caravan park was a little bit rustic, but the locals across the road from where our van was parked amused us no end. There appeared to be about 5 different people living in the same old house, which I must mention had quite excellent views of the water, with none of them I believe having jobs. We had to laugh one Thursday as they all were up early one morning (usually 10 or 11 in the morning was the normal time for them to emerge) and off they all went in one car. It was quite evident that it was "pay day" and the whole house appeared to come alive with activity for the day. Later that night we went to the pub for a counter meal and who should be at the pub but our lovely neighbours, obviously having had one or six drinks too many.

There is lots of fishing, boating and general swimming to be done in Tin Can Bay and one thing I never know was that they actually have their own resident dolphins that come in every morning for a small feed and interaction with the crowd. I went early one morning to experience it and I must say it was rather good, beating Monkey Mia hands down on the ability to be able to stay in the water (keeping quiet as possible of course) whilst the dolphins chose their time to come up close. At Monkey Mia you are not allowed to be in the water and only a select few get to actually feed the dolphins there. At Tin Can Bay for a small fee of $5 anyone was allowed to approach the dolphins with the respective staff nearby. The kids loved it and many a happy snap was taken.

Rainbow Beach is not far from Tin Can Bay and appears to have become quite a destination for back packers and the young in general. The town has had a lot more development than Tin Can Bay and a good surf beach, where we quickly grabbed our swimmers and headed down for a body surf. Quite a pretty place and the closest town to get to Fraser Island from.

We were fairly relaxed in Tin Can Bay but after about three nights decided to head to mum and dad's where Crowey was to leave me behind whilst he went back to Melbourne over the Christmas and New Year period.

Bargara - 12.11.2012 to 19.11.2012

Bargara is a small seaside town about 20km's from Bundaberg. We really liked the atmosphere here and quickly settled in for a good week. There was plenty of birdlife to amuse us and many a photo was taken our new wildlife friends. The park we stayed in was just across from the beach where the water was warm and good swimming beach. The town itself is quite pretty with cafes along the main strip where good fish and chips could be found. At the tourist info centre they had a shell museum, where for a gold coin donation a little old lady patiently took me around and told me all about the seashells. It was beatifully and lovingly set out by the seashell collectors of the area and sad to know that it was becoming a dying art in the area due to the age of the collectors. I think if I lived there I would have become a fan of these little old ladies and their passion for seashells. I was a little envious of their collection, making mine quite small and insignificant in comparison. Although Crowey would be hesitant to say that my collection is small.

Crowey makes new friends

The colours are beautiful in the Rainbow Parrot

Time for a bath

Good old beach cricket 

The Bargara area is really pretty and close to Mon Repos turtle rookery, where the loggerhead turtles come to lay their eggs between the months of November to March. It is quite a successful area for breeding and paramount for the continuing survival of these gorgeous sea creatures. We were a little too early for the hatching and didn't bother to book a tour which are quite difficult to get in.

Bunderbeg is the next major town from Bargara and it is here that the infamous Bundaberg rum is brewed from the sugar cane molasses. Sugar Cane is quite a big part of the town's industry, exporting the sugar overseas. Bundy as it is favourably known amongst the locals sports most shops and is quite an old town dating back to the late 1880's. Beautiful old queenslander homes sit proud and beautifully restored, as they are along many a town in Queensland.

It was in Bargara that I came across this gorgeous little possum, nestled in a tree to sleep the day away. He loved the fruit I gave him and mango quickly became his favourite.

Sleeping Poss

soon wakes up for a piece of fruit though

mmmmmmmm, mango

Seventeen Seventy (1770) - 15.11.2012 to 19.11.2012.

Such a strange name for a town, but originally named Round Hill and changed in 1970 to Seventeen Seventy to commemorate the second landing by James Cook in..........yes you guessed it, 1770.

Arriving on a Thursday we booked in for four nights. We soon noticed that there were a lot of tents in the caravan park, which was unusual and not something we have come across in any of our travels before, but apparently this little place is popular with the locals from Gladstone who bring their families down on weekends. Which after driving through Glandstone we can definately understand why you would want to escape that place. Soon we were surrounded by tents, kids and lots of noise. But what can you do, but sit back and relax and take in the atmosphere.

Crowey also got to catch up with a friend's daughter who lives in Seventeen Seventy who came and checked out our van and listened to stories we had to tell. All in all Seventeen Seventy was quiet, but looks like it would get busy in the holiday period. Not one of my favorite places we have been, but can see the why it would be a draw card for families.