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Published: October 25th 2010
We had enjoyed our stay in Armidale but today we were completing the journey along ‘The Waterfall Way’. This road is supposedly the third most scenic road in all of Australia. We had met a lady at Wollomombi Falls who said that the only two roads more magnificent were the Great Ocean Road in Victoria and the road between Cairns and Port Douglas in Queensland. Having travelled along both those roads we looked forward to judging her comment. Our latest camping neighbour, who lived near Coffs Harbour, was in Armidale that week conducting ‘sleep seminars’. He said it would take quite a long time to get to the coast even though it was only about 100 kms away and he was right. We made good time to start with but then the road started to climb and became windier. There were also a lot of road works with stretches of traffic light control and lengthy waits if you were unlucky with the lights like we were. One good thing was that there weren’t many big trucks on that road. Dorrigo was at the top of the mountain and after that it was an extremely steep, windy descent in a low gear
and not much fun for Graham who was driving. It was a stunningly beautiful drive but we were pleased to get to the bottom in one piece where we passed through the town of Bellingen. We noted both Dorrigo and Bellingen as worthy of visits while we were staying in the area.
We headed towards Urunga which was just a few kilometers away. We had never been there before so Sat Nav helped to get us to the Top Tourist Caravan Park. They had plenty of room so we were able to choose a site that was easy to get on (!), not too far from the amenities block and had a great view of the lagoon. There were quite a few other units set up on concrete blocks down the other end of the site but we had chosen a quieter, grassier pitch where very few vans were. Once we had set up we went for a stroll on the path along the edge of the site, which was a public footpath and continued along a boardwalk that went out towards the sea. The boardwalk has recently been extended and with the new bit it was about 1.5kms
long. The tide was on the turn and there were bar-tailed godwits and whimbrels busy feeding. At the end of the boardwalk a few people were looking out to sea and, yes, there were whales frolicking about that we could clearly see with our binoculars. A few dolphins came by a bit closer to us to make it even more special. That evening we strolled the opposite way, along the riverbank. In one particular tree hundreds of parrots were gathered and were making an amazing noise chattering to each other. Every now and then they all flew round and landed again. We felt very lucky to have found such an unspoilt gem of a place and looked forward to exploring more in the morning.
I woke early on Thursday morning, got the washing on, had a shower and then we were drawn again to the boardwalk. It’s a wonderful spot, whales or no whales and as it happened, this morning we didn’t see any. We had a quiet morning, catching up with a few jobs and then I popped over to the local shops which were very handy and eventually came back with some mash potato meat pies from
the bakery. We try not to eat too many Aussie pies as they can become a bit of a habit but sometimes it’s nice to have one. After lunch we got the bikes out and went off along by the River Kalang and cycled over the river via the road bridge then found a quiet road which initially went through a small housing estate and came out into a lane which ran alongside the river bank - it all looked very English. We stopped so that Graham could help a terrapin over the road - it seemed very sluggish so we hoped it would be OK. We cycled down an inviting looking track that led to a tiny beach and had a stroll. There were lots of holes in the sand and gradually we could see more and more funny looking crabs appearing. It was really strange seeing them gather all together and go marching off like a platoon in the army - we must have just caught the tide right for the crabs to come out like that. Back along the river bank we were lucky enough to see a pelican busy fishing - it buried its head under
water and scooped something up - it was fascinating to watch. Just under the road bridge there was a pleasant café that we’d spotted earlier and they were still open when we cycled past so we stopped for a cup of tea and some cake - Graham had another cheesecake and I relented for once and had a pumpkin seed citrus cake and of course they were both delicious. From where we were sat, in the conservatory, we could see an osprey’s nest on the top of the bridge structure. While we were looking, one of the birds returned fleetingly but without any fish as far as we could see. It soon went off again. We couldn’t see if a female was on the nest or if there were chicks in there but it was great to see. Back at the caravan park we walked along the boardwalk again and were lucky enough to see a few whales in the distance. We also walked along a second boardwalk which went off to the right into the centre of the lagoon. The sand flies were out in force that evening - they especially like the taste of Graham’s delicate skin! The
crabs were out and about here as well and also some more whimbrels. I was taking my time taking photos while Graham went on ahead so he missed the osprey that came right over my head looking for a last meal of the day and then it dived into the river for something - it was just too far away for me to make it out clearly but I don't think it came up with a fish. My dawdling really paid off that time! Since we were having a lazy day we got fish and chips for supper - in Aus there is usually a wide selection of fish to choose from so we went for Barramundi. Did we want it battered, breaded or grilled came the question? Grilled of course and it tasted great!
We had already decided to go back up the mountain to Dorrigo and see some more waterfalls so on Friday, after our early morning walk to the end of the boardwalk and back, we set off. The drive from the coast to Dorrigo was fantastic and Graham could enjoy it a bit more not having to worry about towing Sweetie. We stopped first at
Dorrigo Discovery Centre and walked along the skywalk to the lookout. We could see right back down to the coast as it was a clear day and it was a fabulous view. We stopped for a refreshing cup of ‘altitude’ tea and very tasty it was too, combined with the raisin toast! Replenished, we strolled along the Gondwana Rain Forest Walk - we had to avoid the many strands from the strangler fig trees that grew there. We could hear plenty of distinctive bird calls but could never quite see the birds long enough to take photos. The Discovery Centre had a great photograph exhibition on of local scenes and wildlife. The photos were fabulous and I resolved to go to classes when we get home. The shop next door had some great quality gifts and I spent far too long and far too much money in there! Graham had long gone back to the car for a snooze (he knows me too well!). When I finally emerged it was lunch time so we drove into the town of Dorrigo. We had expected a buzzing town with lots of cafes but we struggled to find one that we fancied. We
ended up going into Juan's Cafe Del Fuego which was a quirky place with the added attraction of being ‘the smallest motorcycle museum in the world’. It did have about four motorbikes on display, one of which looked like a drag racing bike. Juan, the owner, who served us, was a chirpy chappy and although the toasted sandwiches we had were pretty ordinary the overall experience was good!
We then drifted back down the mountain admiring the fantastic views to Bellingen, had a wander round the town and popped into the Commonwealth Bank where we were helped by the usual very pleasant cashier. She double checked our account and confirmed that the transfer we had done to Grant on the internet had not worked again. So this time we got a bank cheque and put it in the post to finally pay Grant the money we owed him which had recently grown because he paid the car rego for us and also got tickets for the Ashes Test Match at the MCG - thanks for doing all that and for being so patient, Grant!
After that we needed a bit of refreshment so we called in to the
Old Butter Factory for a cup of tea and cake and headed back to Urunga for a walk along the boardwalk and then another lazy supper from the local Chinese Takeaway to end another great day.
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Darryl and Sarah
Wallaby Wanderers
Beautiful!
Go Mum and Dad! Look at all these stunning places you're cramming in! Great photos too, really lovely. Gosh we wish we were there .... although it would be a tight squeeze in Sweetie!!! x x x