Maclean, Palmers Island and Yamba

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On our way to Yamba, only about an hour’s drive from Grafton, we stopped in at Maclean. This town has a strong Scottish heritage which is apparent from the moment you arrive. The power poles are painted with all the different Scottish tartans, there is a Cairn with plaques displaying clans’ mottos, the street names are written in English as well as Gaelic and there is a Highland Gathering each Easter! Neither of us had expected to find such a place in Australia and I felt strange ‘rediscovering’ my own Scottish roots.Sadly the Maclean Historical Society, housed in a quaint 1879 stone cottage, was closed while we were there but we admired the view from the lookout and drove around the town checking out the tartans on the power poles.



This part of NSW is the start of sugar cane country and we drove past countless cane fields. After harvesting the cane, they burn the fields between May and December, but we didn’t see any of that.



Around lunchtime, we arrived in Yamba. It’s a cute holiday town with heaps to do and see and really friendly people but, in our quest for peace and quiet, we headed back out of town and checked into the loveliest holiday park near the township of Palmers Island on the Clarence River. With the Easter holidays behind us it was nice and quiet and we picked the most remote camping spot with a view of the river and a paddock that was popular with kangaroos. It was pure perfection. We had the camp kitchen right beside us, the amenities a short bicycle ride away (with individual modern mini bathrooms instead of the usual cubicles… you can tell the kind of things I get excited about these days!), a tiny (and freezing!) lagoon pool, a water park and a miniature open air cinema. Despite the abundance of facilities, it was well spaced out and such a peaceful place. A real treat. Aside from lots of relaxing, we visited the villages of Angourie and Wooloweyah, went kayaking in the river and went to the screening of ‘Puss in Boots’ in the outdoor cinema – chilly but magical. It was one day prior to full moon and there were virtually no clouds in the sky. I felt like pinching myself each time I looked up at the moon and the stars, before becoming re-engrossed in the movie.



We have finished watching the addictive ‘Alcatraz’ and on the cinema-evenings got stuck into our new addiction, ‘Revenge’. It’s excellent and, if Dean didn’t ration us to one episode per evening, I would have a grab a tub of popcorn and watch the lot in one big mega-session!



The only downside to our stay around Yamba was the mozzies. They don’t have normal mozzies… they have devil mozzies. At one point I saw four of them land on me at the same time and several of them happily land on your forehead… completely shameless! I doused myself in repellent and wore long leggings to bed, only to wake during the night and realise that they had bitten through my clothes and all the way around my ankles. I think I’m allergic to a certain type of mozzy as some of the bites have swollen up something horrid. These creatures are clearly a problem in the area (even more so since the recent volume of rain) as there is even a mosquito clinic service at the local wellbeing centre. I just can’t wait to be bite free again as it’s driving me insane and keeps waking me up at night. I should add that Dean has only two bites, which he can’t even feel!! Perhaps my blood would be less tasty if I changed to a diet of meat, bread and white chocolate!! ;-)



Whilst in Yamba, we also had a big clear/clean out of the van and realised that we have a serious damp problem. We were aware of the condensation that builds up on the inside of the van each night but we were not aware that this had caused a whole lot of mould… in our shelves… on the bed base… on the underside the mattress… all over! We stuck the mattress out in the sun for a day and rearranged a lot of our stuff in the van. I had to throw out a straw mat and my lovely leather Billabong sandals, boo hoo. It was quite gross and, in addition to our two vents, we now have a tub of ‘Damp Rid’ in the van. We suspect that the only thing that will fully remedy the problem is moving northwards to warmer weather.

We’re delighted to be getting lovely warm sunny days for now. Moreover, the weather forecast for the next week is excellent: sunny and 24^oC, yay!!

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