DAYTRIP to SOUTH WEST ROCKS
Although the weather was not perfect, we decided to go out for a drive to South West Rocks.
South West Rocks is situated at the mouth of the Macleay River and has some wonderful sandy beaches along the Horseshoe Bay and Trial Bay. We parked close to the surf club but stayed in the car for a bit because of the rain. When the shower was over we walked over the grassy area and had a good look over the beach.
There was a nice cafe called the Heritage Guest House and cafe. This is where we had coffee and while we were walking towards the cafe it started raining again. After we finished our coffees, we went to see the lighthouse.
The Smoky Cape Lighthouse is one of the tallest lighthouses in Australia. After parking in the P-lot there is some walking up hill to do but not too far.
Two wallabies were on duty to keep the grass short.
Another historic site is the Trail Bay Gaol but the weather didn’t make it worthwhile to pay this site a visit and we decided to turn back and make a note that we have to come back another day when the weather is more welcoming.
Back at the golfclub we had a wonderful dinner at the clubhouse. The locals are really appreciative when you pay for your stay this way.
FREDERICKTON to DUNGOG
The weather didn’t improve and we left our spot at the golfclub and headed for Dungog.
Before reaching Taree the fuel gauge indicated that the beast we are traveling in was getting hungry. We left the freeway and drove through a little town called Cundletown where a service station got our attention with a diesel price that was economical attractive. We filled up, drove around the corner and had our morning coffee next to a large grassy field which is also used as a market place. (Not today). Without further interruptions we arrived at the Dungog showground. Three people were in the dooropening of a shed and I found out that one was the caretaker. He showed us some spots where we could park our motorhome. There were three more vans coming he said but was not sure if they would arrive because the weather has been awful the last couple of days. We chose a nice flat area, unhooked the Jimny and went for a walk around town. The info was closed but it would be open tomorrow so we decided to stay here for two nights and come back in the morning to hear about all the attractions Dungog has to offer. The showground is $20 pvpn power, water and showers included. $17 without power so not too big a difference.
The next morning we had another sightseeing tour (by ourselves) and found some amazing buildings as well as some old Hydro Bikes in someones backyard which, by the looks of them, haven’t been used for quite a while.
We had coffee at Chill Billies cafe where the open fire was warming the cafe. After we finished our coffee break we went to the info where a nice lady told us about the Chichester Storage reservoir and dam as well as a walk along the Jerusalem Creek in the Barrington Tops National Park, a 2km one way walk.
The Dam and the park are about twenty minutes drive and is worth the effort. At the dam are nice BBQ’s and picnic areas as well as a toiletblock.
To be continued