Blogs from Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia, Oceania - page 3

Seit Wooyung sind wir im Bundesstaat New South Wales und es hat merklich abgekühlt. Statt der 42°C in der Nähe von Brisbane, hat es nur noch um die 28°C. Besonders in der Nacht bieten diese Temperaturen eine willkommene Abkühlung und wir sind nicht mehr auf die Klimaanlage angewiesen. Angezogen durch den "Waterfall-Way" haben wir uns für einen Caravan-Park in Mylestom entschieden. Eigentlich wollten wir nach Coffs Harbour, aber wie bereits erwähnt ist es in dieser Jahreszeit relativ schwierig, an den populären Orten eine Übernachtungsmöglichkeit zu ergattern. Der Waterfall-Way führt direkt zum Dorrigo National Park (730 m.ü.M., 80 km SO) hinauf und alleine schon die Fahrt ist spektakulär. Nicht nur wegen der Aussicht beim Dorrigo Plateau, sondern vielmehr weil wir mit dem Wohnmobil eine kurvenreiche Bergfahrt zu meistern hatten, gegen die die alte Gotthardstrasse Nasenwasser ist. Der ... read more

After waking up in a condensation filled station-wagon, we both enjoyed the $30 luxury of a hot shower. Clean(er) beings, we checked out late at 12 pm and headed for the nearby beach at Crescent Heads where there were 2 surfers catching the waves. The beach was wonderfully sandy and warm, and other than the surfers we had the entire thing to ourselves. We walked back to the car and while sitting reading the map, I spied what we believe were dolphins surfing the waves right in front of us. Feeling spoiled that I have seen Minke Whales in Orkney and dolphins in Greece I was rather chuffed that Andrew and I got to see some by pure chance at a quiet beach. I then got back into the car (a couple of driving lessons learned ... read more

We arrived in Coffs Harbour last Friday expecting to stop overnight before heading further south to our family in Medowie ready for birthday celebrations on Wed 27th. However, the floods at Kempsey are much worse than expected and the highway is still closed. At last the rain has eased, so several loads of washing later and a relocation to a cheaper site in the camping ground, we expect to be here for another 2 or 3 days. So what do you do? Coffs is really a nice beach side town with good facilities plus a number of tourist attractions. We like the freebies such as the Botanical Gardens, the beaches and boat harbour etc. There is also The Butterfly House and The Big Bananna, both of which boast a range of activities to keep one busy. ... read more

We had a dream - bright sun, Camera's a clicking every day, But day four has come - what a blast, A tropical low has made us run. Over the years we have driven through and camped in some scary weather from blizards to fierce tropical storms. The present storm while not spectacular certainly has brought challenges. The wind have been switching as well as extreme gusts, probably around 80-100ks. Driving became hazardous with trees down, bits and pieces flying. In Ballina yesterday a gust of wind picked up and moved tables and chairs at an outdoor eatery. The plan was to meet up with David and Mary at Yelgun and then first stop Ballina followed by various NNSW beaches until Sunday - BUT, the tropical low changed that. The Yelgun meetup on Monday all went ... read more

We continued our northern exploration of New South Wales and took some lovely drives along the edge of the continent. Which reminds me, we heard that Australia is the only island that is a continent and the only continent that is a country. As a result of its isolated position in the world, it is filled with exotic flora and fauna. We started seeing road signs showing kangaroo and koala crossings. There are about 800 species of eucalyptus and the hillsides are covered with these gum trees as far as the eyes can see. The population of this vast country is about half that of the state of California and 90% of that population lives along the coasts ringing this island. Just to get a perspective on the population density: Australia has 5 people per square ... read more