Yamba (5)

A magnificent day in Yamba today, 27 degrees and slight balmy breeze.  Good day to head inland and see the country around Yamba.  First stop Maclean right in the middle of the sugar cane area.  This is a nice little village, with friendly people and the usual historic society, coffee shops, pubs, and all things to do with fishing.

Next we drove alongside the Clarence River and crossed by ferry to the town of  Lawrence.  Similar outlook with every house owning a boat, and car.  Houses on stilts.  Nothing here has had a coat of paint for years, and judging by the rusty roofs there is not a lot of spare finance.

Next stop Grafton, a thriving community with beautiful views of waterways spilling out from the Clarence River.  As is typical in many small towns, the Shire Office commands the best property right on the river.  We crossed the river into South Grafton and found the ex-servicemen's bowling club which had an array of lunch time meals but all deep fried.  And of course many, many poker machines and a separate room with 18 screens showing every horse race across Australia live 

As we drove through the countryside, we saw a few horses, a few alpacas, paddocks full of beef cattle, and endless sugar plantations.

View from our apartment on the Yamba hill.

Crossing the Clarence River by ferry on our way to Lawrence.  Large semitrailer on board was a trifle unsettling!!

View from the balcony over the river at our South Grafton lunch stop.

A cane cutter without a knife !  The sugar cane is very tall.

Yamba (4)

Today we undertook a waterways trip, with a very pleasant 45 mins ferry cruise to Iluka.  The ferry runs back and forth from Yamba several times per day, even in the low season.  Beautiful warm and sunny day.  It is rather demoralising to be sold "seniors tickets" without even being asked!!!!

There is not much to see or do in Iluka, but we finally found the "pub" for lunch.  Food was acceptable, although mostly the standard "greasies" and "batter".  Chairs and tables were a bit sticky, but the coffee and service were good.  And there's always pokies for those who want them!

Ferry which runs back and forth between Yamba and Iluka on the Clarence River

Clarence River Fishermen's' Co-op on the edge of Iluka township. Note the mermaid on the rocks at the entrance, almost a copy of the one in Copenhagen.

Caravan Park at Iluka, excellent location for the fishermen amongst the campers.

Soaking up the sun's warmth while keeping a watchful eye on us

Numerous pelicans waiting for fishermen to clean their catches on the stainless steel sink/ table in the foreground. 

Not the pub with no beer!  More pokies than people but a good atmosphere.

The Iluka pub where we had lunch.  Note the "no parkin' " sign !  If we're here yesterday we would have been eligible to enter the free hot "chook" raffle.  

Outside view of the only pub in town at Iluka, good old fashioned country pub.

Another view of the attractive caravan park at Iluka.  Cabins in background and fishermen on the rocks along the Clarence River.

Yamba (3)

Went to the main beach today to search for the sea water baths which Maxine and Russell swam in on their honeymoon.  The baths are still here and probably have not changed since 1968.

Dropped in to the Yamba Museum this morning where we found fascinating displays of the port development over many years, history of the surf life saving club, aboriginal culture, sugar cane industry, boat building, the town development and the fishing industry.

The original cemetery is now buried by the shifting sands, although there is a record of some of the people buried there.  Most were under one year old when they died, with some being only a few days old.  That must have been an exceptionally hard time for parents.  The Museum visit was fascinating, with a vast array of carefully collected and displayed memorabilia, and staffed by volunteers as is usually the case for such venues.  Two hours there was barely enough.

More sleuthing around the town this afternoon, surveying the beaches, streets, homes and very expensive boats.  We discovered that there are few stores to buy provisions in town, because the rent has become too expensive.  A shopping centre is located about 3 km out of the CBD, where Target and Coles are established in the newer residential waterway development.

Population of Yamba is now about 6,300 permanent residents.  The town is pretty with water to be seen everywhere, and plenty of green parks and open spaces.  It is quite spread-out, with an identifiable "older" and "newer" sections.

Sea water baths

Yamba Museum.  Building on the right is part of the museum, which is a relocated and renovated Presbyterian Church.

Very expensive "toys" resting in a tranquil bay

Yamba (2)

Our second full day in Yamba and the weather really turned it on for us.  We took this opportunity to head to the Angourie National Park and do the walk towards Woolowemyah.  The walk was just inland from the coast but at regular intervals we were able to see the beach with magnificent views across the ocean.  Temperature was 25 degrees, and a most enjoyable sunny morning was spent walking along a sandy track between very green native vegetation.

A rocky outcrop at Angourie.

This was typical of the track

Plenty of signage and some boardwalks.

Pristine beaches waiting to be explored.

Yamba

Yamba is a quiet little fishing village at the mouth of the Clarence River.  Surfers and kite surfers are out today but not many.  During the warm holiday season it would be packed with tourists and backpackers on the four main beaches. The facilities in the town cater well for all, with plenty of seafood restaurants and seafood retail outlets as well as other eateries for most tastes.

We are staying in a small apartment suitable for a small person who likes washing dishes by hand, squeezing along the wall to get into bed and moving the dining table to open the fridge. There is no oven but a microwave is a bonus.  Our "villa" comes with a car park big enough for a mini bike.  

The people who gave it rave reviews obviously enjoy the ambiance of a mouse hole.  

We will be sure to enjoy this place as it has a hot shower, two TV's, two hot plates, a microwave and a fridge.  As you open the wine, the room immediately becomes larger and the views much more enjoyable.   Even the narrow bed seems to widen into a double bed!!

This is "Main Beach".  Yamba has four separate beaches.

After having no luck buying quality seafood at the Fishing Co-op, we discovered this gem on the main road into town.  The sign shows the range of delicious fresh stock for sale, which is bought direct from the trawlers.  Beautiful fresh jewfish for dinner tonight!  We will definitely be back for more another day.

Another beach 

Third beach with apartments overlooking the sea

Attractive apartments right across the road from the beach.  You get what you pay for!!

Runaway Bay

Have just spent three days with Jenny and Peter at their home in Runaway Bay north of the Gold Coast.  They are excellent hosts and gave us a fun time, for which we are extremely grateful.  We are very lucky to be able to call them special friends.  Jenny says she can't cook, but that is totally untrue!  She prepared delicious meals for us.  One day we went to lunch at a seafood restaurant beside the water, where we ate superb food and fed the scraps from our plates to a frantic boiling school of fish just below the balcony rail.  This seemed a strange thing to do, but apparently it is the custom at the restaurant.  The scraps of lobster shell, octopus, fish and rice all disappeared rapidly.

It was relatively warmer at Runaway Bay, and pleasant sitting around the table on the undercover patio watching the sun set.  Peter insists that the sun always shines there.

We had a running sheet for a game of 500 (cards) over 2 evenings and one morning, with the final victors being Brian and Jenny - major shifts in scores and loads of laughs!  They are coming to Eildon in October for the AGM, so we could always continue the game then!!!!

A strange yacht which can skim across the water with its hidden underwater keel

Peter's new barge, parked on Stradbroke Island across from their house

Peter and Jenny's house on the right, taken from the water.  House immediately in front (next door to them) has just been purchased by them to complete and renovate for resale. 

   

Next door house - view from the street

Large glamorous yacht moored out the front of the seafood restaurant.  Some of these boats take 35,000 litres of fuel, that is about $50,000 to fill the tanks !!!

Peter's latest toy - a rubber dinghy 

View across the water from their patio at breakfast time

Lady of leisure enjoying the interior of Peter's new "barge".  How many glass-holders?

Ballina (2)

OWe all had a good night with dinner, wine, and plenty of laughs together.  Brian cooked a "man breakfast" for us all - eggs, tomatoes and mushrooms, toast and tea.  Facilities in the apartment are excellent, with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, functional kitchen, good lounge room with flat-screen TV, laundry with washer and dryer.  Even a dishwasher, although the dinner plates don't fit!!

Still too cold to remove the jumper, and the wind is whistling around our 5th floor windows.  The sun shone briefly for an hour or two in the early afternoon.  Waves rolling in from the ocean onto the white sand make an attractive view from the comfort of our cosy apartment.

Three of us enjoying our xth glass of red wine

Breakwater at the river mouth with open sea beyond

Sea view from our access road

Ballina

Maximum temperature at Armidale was 3 degrees and overnight was -3 degrees.   We travelled through Tenterfield where we visited the Peter Allen memorial at the local  information centre (his first famous song was " Tenterfield Saddler" written for his grandfather who was a saddler in Tenterfield).  After Tenterfield we went through Lismore where the temperature went up to 20 degrees.  At last we were warm, hard to believe that it snowed that night only about 100 km from the Queensland border!

Last night we spent the night at our really nice apartment in Ballina, and today met up with Peter and Jenny at Byron Bay for a delicious seafood lunch.

They came back to stay the night and we are trying to beat them at backgammon - if we don't win a game they will not get fed so we had better improve in a hurry.  It is still too cold to even consider a T-shirt!!

Ice on the windscreen in the morning at Armidale

Memories of Peter Allen at Tenterfield museum.

Peter Allen's father and grandfather both owned and worked in the Saddler business.

Beach at the front of the apartment in Ballina on a windy and cold day.  Lovely view from our loungeroom.  We are looking for the migration of the whales - apparently 350 pass by each day.

A protest against American funding of Israel by the youth in Byron Bay.  Must have used their Govt allowance to make the signs !!!

More protestors.

Armidale

There is little to see between towns.  Not many cars on the road, with most traffic being trucks, caravans, or campers.  Highways are in good condition, and mostly very straight for up to 50 km at a time.  Today was even colder, reaching as low as 3 degrees for much of the trip. 

We were overtaking a very large RV that was towing a trailer.  On the trailer was a car and on a rack above was a fishing boat.  We were admiring this rig and slowly passing alongside when suddenly the lady washing the dishes decided to pull the plug in the sink.  We took the full blast and the car was covered with dirty dishwater.  

A welcoming sign for us coming into Tamworth

A view of Tamworth from a lookout nearby

View from our window at hotel in Armidale.  Wind is whistling around the door, and temp outside still only 5 degrees.  We are huddled inside wrapped in a blanket, waiting for the heater to warm the room.  So much for travelling north to avoid Melbourne's cold winter!!!

Coonabarabran

More interesting terrain today for travelling.  Some paddocks with fresh crops of wheat and other grains, and sheep, beef cattle, and dairy cattle on farms.  Even an emu farm.  At one stage we had to stop to allow a large herd of dairy cattle and calves cross the main highway.

After lunch at Gilgandra, we raced back to the vehicle where it was a comfortable 22 degrees.  Today has been a considerable improvement in temperature - it rose to 15 degrees by 12.00 noon, allowing us to remove one layer of clothes.  

We took a diversion into Warrumbungle National Park and drove through on the visitors' road.  Spectacular scenery, some rain falling as sleet, and an observatory standing stark white against a darkening sky.  Temp fell to 7 degrees!!

Now in Coonabarabran in a reasonably comfortable room.  As usual, there is something missing or not quite right, but it is warm and has a comfortable bed.

At lunch we were served by an American Indian whose mother was one of America's "stolen generation".   They had had a cash register delivered today, and none of the staff knew how to make it work!  

View in Warrumbungle National National Park

Observatory silhouetted against an angry-looking sky

Another view across the Warrumbungle Range

Cobar

The roads in this area of Australia are VERY straight for hundreds of km, and the terrain FLAT in all directions.  Fauna is mostly scrubland with an occasional eucalypt, and there is very little grass.  Red soil and rocks is the norm.  Along the route from Broken Hill to Cobar there were many kangaroos having "permanent sleeps" beside the road, and the animals eking out a life in this semi-desert were a few sheep, some emus, and literally thousands of wild feral goats.  The goats graze close to the edges of the road in packs, so a driver must take care to avoid an unexpected road crossing.  Venison on foot anyone???  We also saw a few dead wild pigs - presumably shot by hunters.

We stopped today for lunch at a gallery/cafe in Wilcannia on the Darling river, which proved to be a real find in no-mans land (home-made pumpkin soup, healthy sandwich, and very good coffee).

Along the way we saw some intriguing sights, particularly close to Wilcannia.  Low trees next to the road were decorated like Christmas trees with strange objects - one with many chairs, one with undies, one with bras, one with bottles, and one with T-shirts.  Intriguing as to who would be doing the decorating - a local custom or competition perhaps?

We are now in the mining town of Cobar which is not as "outback" as expected.  Main shopping strip is much like any larger country town, and our motel unit is good with heating (necessary!!) and a good bed and bathroom.  Nothing worth visiting other than a lookout from the water towers to see surrounding countryside exactly as we have travelled through today.

Darling River at Wilcannia

Statue of a miner at Cobar

Open copper mine at Cobar.  Cobar mines also extract gold, zinc and lead

The tunnel from the mine shown above

Tray of a huge mining dump truck which holds 200 tons of iron ore,on its way to Port Hedland

Another view of the tray of the dump truck

Huge beer can, erected in Cobar in 1990 which stands 5 metres tall

A well-preserved historic hotel in Cobar