Blogs from Armidale, New South Wales, Australia, Oceania - page 3

We woke to a very windy and cold day today and were very grateful to have our little heater in the caravan. This morning we drove out to the Dangar Falls at Armidale, we were disappointed to find that there was not one drop of water flowing over the falls even though it was raining! However, the gorge and escarpment were spectacular. We went for several walks along the different bush trails but it was very cold and wet. We then took a drive along the Waterfall way and visited the New England National Park and the Little Styx River camping ground. We stopped for a cuppa at Wollomombi. This is a tiny town with a corner store that is a post office, shop and pub - all in one. We then visited the Duttons Trout ... read more

We’re finding Australia to be a wonderful place with just enough differences from home to keep one off balance. Certain trees here don’t drop their leaves in the Fall, they drop their bark. You wake up to the sound of birds then realize they’re not chirping as much as yelling at each other. Then of course, there are the animals. How in the world could Charles Darwin explain a creature like a kangaroo? Last Thursday we picked up our campervan, RV, motor home, whatever you want to call it - we’ve decided to call it Sally. We did some more sightseeing around Sydney Thursday morning so got to the RV pickup place late. By the time we did all the paperwork, damage inspection, and orientation, it was around 4:00 meaning Wayne would get the pleasure of ... read more

26/05/09 Tuesday Day 284 A day of diversions Our original plan was to drive from Coffs Harbour to Port Macquarie, some 200 kilometres or there abouts. On the way down we decided to take a slight detour to a place called Taylors Arm, 30 kilometres off the main highway at Macksville through some fairly rough roads. This place has a population of 50 but it does have a famous pub called “The pub with no beer”. It’s a fine sized pub alright and it has it’s own brewing company out the back somewhere. We didn’t bother sampling any of their beers as we would be driving another while. After that we headed back to the main road to continue south. We saw a number of signs saying that the highway was closed between Clybucca and Kempsey ... read more

Wed Nov 26 Goodbye to Texas and trouble in Bangkok It is hard to believe we have only been in Australia for a week so far. We seem to have seen and done so much in that time. The boys are up without much prompting as Greg has planned one last ride on the ATVs for them. We pack the car and have breakfast before heading out. After a brief stop at Greg's parents' place, we head out to area where Dougal is putting together the irrigation system. The boys ride one ATV up to where we meet Greg's third brother John, who handles the cattle operation. There we pick up a second ATV and Benjamin and Joshua go for a ride. When they finally comeback, Evy and I take a spin with them. It seem ... read more

The Waterfall Way was the big surprise of the trip. We had no idea that NSW was in possession of such dramatic beauty. Along The Waterfall Way (which extends from Bellingen through Armidale and beyond), we whitnessed several deep gorges with sheer cliffs and plunging waterfalls. They are comparable for both beauty and drama with the stunning waterfalls in Yosemite, CA, but fewer people seem to know about them or visit.... read more