Heading Home

After saying farewell to our rellies in Glen Ines we headed down the Great Dividing Ranges to the NSW Coast.  On the way we stopped at Raspberry Lookout which gave us a great view of the Mann River and the Clarence Valley.



Raspberry Lookout -Gibraltar Range National Park



Deep valleys and giant granite boulders protect rainforest of World Heritage importance. Scenic creeks and cascades, swamps, heaths and woodlands

We set up camp in Yamba, a lovely spot if a little trendy.  The caravan park was ideally located as we had an easy walk to the beach in one direction and to the ferry in another.  The weather was superb and we were able to get in an early morning swim at Turner’s Beach.  We spent a relaxing day on a boat cruise on the Clarence to Iluka, another nice little village.

Sunset at Yamba

Mouth of the Clarence River

We also continued on with the Scottish links from Glen Innes by visiting Maclean, another town with a proud Scots heritage.  I found out there that I am entitled to wear the Buchanan tartan as a descendant of the Harper family on my Dad’s side.  Whilst in the Maclean area we drove around Woodford Island, Australia’s largest inland island.  Marty loved catching the ferry to the island. We also had a quick look at the town of Grafton.

The Clarence River

Crossing the Clarence River

From Yamba we headed south down Highway 1 to South West Rocks, a spot that had been continually recommended to us for its views.  We visited a number of lookouts and toured the Trial Bay Gaol.  We have visited a number of gaols on the trip and in terms of conditions and location this was the best.  We also had a look at a number of camping sites including the bush sites at Smoky Bay  (in the bush but next to the beach) and  Arakoon, a camping area directly below the gaol.  It is not cheap but the location and views are fabulous. 

On the Banks of  a scenic tidal waterway at South West Rocks

Goal baths

After this it was time to visit another set of friends we have met on the trip.  Scott and Robyn camped next to us at 80 Mile Beach and Exmouth in October and we had not seen them since this time.  We stayed  at their place overnight.  They have an idyllic life living on 19 acres in the bush between Crescent Head and Kempsey.  Scott is an artist (http://www.scottjacksonartworks.com.au/index.htm ) and it was great to see the many fantastic paintings done by him and Robyn hung all around the house.  On the way we stopped at Crescent Head and walked to the top of “the head”.  Once again beautiful views and weather.  As it is not too far from Canberra w reckon we will have to come back soon. 

The beautiful seaside resort of Crescent Head

Little Nobby Cresent Head

Scott & Robyn

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Maarty & Cathy

We then continued south towards Newcastle.  On the way we stopped for morning tea with our friend Cathy at Wauchope.  We also had morning tea with Cathy on day 2 of our trip so it was nice to see how we had all changed.  We have all lost a fair bit of weight over the 11 months.

Breakfast on Lake Macqurie

 We stayed at Toronto right on Lake Macquarie.  Once again the views were stunning and the lake provided us with a great opportunity for reflection as we were nearing the end of the big adventure We had one last opportunity to catch up with friends from the trip.  Colin and Jenny camped next to us in Cloncurry back in July last year and as they live in Kurri Kurri we paid a quick visit.  The trip really has been about the wonderful people we have met as much as the places we have seen.

Sharing a roast meal with Jenny and Colin in Cloncurry

We thought it was fitting to finish the trip camping with members of the camper trailer association.  A weekend’s camping had been arranged on the Colo River near the town of Colo just north of Windsor so we were happy to attend.  We loved the tall stories around the camp fire and having a look at each other’s gadgets. No one could believe that I would take a musical cake slice on a 12 month trip but it came in use!  We swam in the river and generally relaxed before heading home.

And then after 340 days with Marty I drove home.  We arrived back in Canberra at about 5:00 o’clock on 19 March.  What a great trip.  We will post a summary of the trip on the blog soon.

Home after travelling 4800 kms

The Tartan Brigade

Whilst in Glen we met my very hospitable cousin Helen and her husband John.  We got to see their miniature horses and their new property and have a good old chin wag (and a few drinks).  We also spent some time with Helen’s dad Kevin and my Mum’s brother Trevor and his wife Maureen and had a chin wag with each of them too.  We paid a very quick visit to my cousin Leanne who was very pregnant with twin boys.  She had them a couple of days after we left. We also had a slap up Chinese meal, (our first Chinese meal for over a year) locally where all the rellies attended except Leanne of course.  An additional attendee was my cousin Peter, Helen’s brother.  We met a further cousin, Neil earlier in the day

Thank you Helen for finding my camera

Helen Me and Aunty Maureen

John, Marty, Uncle Trevor, Uncle Kevin, Peter, Aunty Maureen, Me and Helen

John, Marty, Peter, Uncle Trevor, and Uncle Kevin,

Given the circumstances we were glad to leave Dubbo and head for the hills, specifically Glen Innes in the New England Ranges, where my Mum grew up.  We have seen a lot of my Dad’s relatives on the way round and now it was Mum’s turn.

We travelled from Dubbo to Glen via Dunedoo, Coolah, Premier, Currabubula and Tamworth.  There was lots of water on the road after the recent floods but we were able to navigate our way thru.  My Mum’s Granddad came from Currabubula so we stopped to look for his old blacksmith’s shop but unfortunately it does not seem to exist anymore.  However a quick look at the cemetery found an old rellie.

Eliza Jemima and Benjamin Walters -  My Mum's Great Grand Parents - Currabubula NSW

A highlight was spending a day on the farm with Uncle Kevin.  Uncle Kevin is 82 and still runs his two farms.  We saw him demonstrate how to train cattle dogs and look after his many Hereford cows.  We even saw the tree that he frequently stops under for a quick afternoon nap. This has previously been a family secret.   Marty got a degree in gate opening.  After pondering a yellow object on a fence he asked Uncle Kevin what is was for.  Uncle Kevin replied that it was an upside down bucket that he put on the fence to remind him to get rid of it!!

Uncle Kevin

It wasn’t all rellies though as Glen is a beautiful area, albeit a bit chilly.  We drove out to Red Range just to admire the wonderful country side with Uncle Kevin.  We got an understanding of the Celtic heritage of the town, including a tour of the Standing Stones. The stones are similar in style and design to Stonehenge and are a tribute to the Celtic heritage of the area and the contribution Celts have made to the development of Australia.  We had a quick cuppa at the Crofter’s Gallery while visiting the stones.

Glen Innes Standng Stones

Raspberry Lookout