Advertisement
Published: July 28th 2009
“Travel is more than the seeing of sights;it is a change that goes on,deep and permanent,in the ideas of living.” Miriam Beard.With the sights of Sydney and Mudgee slowly moving into the mists of the mind,it was time to once again seek out new areas of this vast land.The journey from Mudgee down to the coastal plains took us through some magnificent farming country with sheep and cattle farming keeping most of the good farming folk of this region busy.Our destination was Newcastle,a coastal city about 200 kms from Sydney.Apart from rolling pasture land,there are a number of small towns along the route which kept Susan,the map reader and navigator,on the edge of her seat.Predominantly small farming towns,it was noticeable how neat and well laid out they were despite many buildings showing their age which was synonymous with their origins when the early settlers arrived in the late 1800’s.As previously mentioned Australia is one of the most urbanized societies in the World with most of the population living in major cities along the coastline.What isn’t mentioned is that inland of these coastal cities are numerous smaller towns supporting a vibrant mix of people drawn there by agriculture and mining and,no doubt,a
fair number by the peace and tranquility of living in the country.Anyone traveling to Australia needs to include some off beat meandering away from the mega cities for this is where the true heart beat of the nation is to be found.Newcastle has probably been victim to some bad press owing to it’s not too long ago status as a sprawling industrial city punctuated by the curse of smog spewed forth by steel mills and dusty coal stock piles.Our time there was short but it was very evident that this city is in the process of re-inventing itself as a destination with an ocean and some very good beaches.On the beach front strip there are clear signs of what Newcastle may have looked like ten years ago with some old fashioned apartment blocks holding on but these are vividly contrasted against new marina and waterfront developments which are transforming the place.Our reason for being there was to spend a night with Mark and Linda Wilson,ex Durbanites,who have lived there with their three daughters for the past nine or so years.They thoroughly enjoy Newcastle and enthused about the developments taking place.Leaving Newcastle,our destination was Brisbane,but as there is no straight road
to anywhere on this planet,opportunity now presented itself to see what lay between these two points on the compass.Now this sounds impressive……we drifted onto the Great Pacific Highway and the image will be of a mighty multi lane road system that whisks you in next to no time to Brisbane.Forget it!Australia is by and large one enormous road construction project in progress.How fast one moves is measured in fits and starts between each section of road construction and then for good measure this mighty highway traverses through a myriad of small towns where the speed limit drops to 50 kph.Now we were in no hurry so for once being on a highway meant actually taking in all the sights around us….normally these flash by in a blur.But some advice for anyone planning to drive from Sydney to Brisbane……you will need lots of time and don’t attempt it if you are in a hurry. This scenario is unlikely to change for the next five years such is the scale of road work being done.A good past time when the traffic is barely moving is automobile spotting.Pretty straight forward……what cars are gracing the roads as one ponders the cause of yet another
delay up ahead?The World’s major auto makers have done an impressive job ensuring their brands and models occupy Aussie road space.But there is one auto which stands out on the highway auto lot and you have to travel to Australia to see it.This is the mighty Holden which,for those who don’t know these things,was originally proudly built as an Aussie car to beat the rest.Their design has kicked on and the current crop are not much different to the plethora of other car makers designs and styles.But here’s the thing…..it is the older Holdens which kick ass!The station wagons,in particular,have very wide bottoms,loads of space and may have been the forerunner to the “ute’s” which are also to be seen in abundance.Pull up next to one of those old Holden station wagons with a grumbling,guttural engine sound and you take notice.Not quite in the genre of the Trabant in East Germany but they do grab one’s attention. There are numerous coastal towns along the NSW seaway with the lure of the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast adding a magnetic force as one moves north.We were never planning to get there in a day(impossible anyway)and chose a small coastal resort by
name of Nambucca Heads for a “one nighter”.The caravan park cabin was superb and a walk of fifty meters put one on a picturesque,golden beach.A further observation which came as a surprise were the number and size of rivers along the eastern seaboard.The anecdotal picture of a dry,waterless country just does not fit in with what one sees on this eastern side of Australia.There are numbers of massive waterways with superb estuarine systems and factoring in the semi tropical latitude,most of these rivers have wonderful mangrove trees clustered along their banks.The Nambucca River fitted this profile of a large river with crystal clear water meeting it’s destiny with the ocean and in the process providing a beautiful delta caressed with white sandy fingers and beaches.Thus you have many of these rivers ending in estuary systems providing idyllic backgrounds for a number of coastal resorts.Just about every town has a myriad of walking/cycling paths which often wend there way along the river’s edge.If ever there was a need to be back in Washongi…this was it!So many superb little towns,each with wonderfully located caravan parks,waiting to be explored.The countryside is equally interesting as the highway moves away from the coastline.Low hills rise
not too far from the shore and are mostly covered in dense eucalypt forests.Where open glades were visible there was a fair amount of sugar cane being grown and a gentle reminder that Australia produces roughly twice the amount of sugar annually that we do in SA.Another observation as we passed through these small coastal and inland towns was how clean and tidy they were.There appeared to be some intense competition along the coastal strip with each town fluffing it’s feathers in pronouncing it’s superior charms to lure holiday makers.Thus the bar was raised with each town realizing that if it wasn’t shooting for the stars it simply wouldn’t empty the tourist wallet.The “Aussie dream” which includes a clip on owning a boat of sorts was also evident with each town boasting a marina and an impressive line up of boats.After leaving Nambucaa Heads our destination was Lennox Head for a two night stay before the final push up to Brisbane.There was an interesting “twist” in our journey and choice of Lennox Head as I had discovered in Mudgee that my Under 13 XV rugger coach lived inland in a town by name of Alstonville.Ray Radloff taught at Queens College for one year(1966)and I reminded him that our success in that season(only one loss)was due to the fact that we were simply too sh..t scared to lose(he refuted this and I will verify with the team and provide feedback).We had lunch with Ray and his wife,Kay,and it was a wonderful occasion to catch up and reminisce especially as he had lived in Elliot in the Eastern Cape where the family owned and ran the hotel for many years.William Pretorius(whom many will know from Natal University)and his wife,Eldrith,farm macadamia nuts close by and they joined us as well.Life as immigrants to Australia was not initially easy and from the many discussions we had with ex South Africans,it would probably be fair to conclude that a period of five years was needed to get over the hump and settle in.The following day was spent with Ray and Kay who took us on an inland tour of the rural farming country and towns.One which caught the eye and imagination was Nimbin which has reinvented itself and become a haven for the “cool dudes” who like to explore something stronger than Peter Stuyvesant.It was surreal and one had a sense of a Woodstock reincarnation which has simply never ended.Apparently the local cops tolerate the goings on as long as the spaced out inhabitants don’t behave too badly.Alstonville was a very good example of a small farming town and community with a charming main street lined with craft and coffee shops in a laid back,tranquil setting.Once again….anyone spending time in Australia must allow time to explore the smaller towns across the country.They are all unique in their own special way and mostly very attractive and neatly set out.Lennox Head was simply stunning with our caravan park cabin once again a short stroll across the road to the beach.Boasting a prominent headland with panoramic views of the ocean and golden beaches,it just felt like the sort of place to drop anchor for longer than two days.This was not to be as we headed up to Brisbane with an important stop off at Byron Bay which is one of the iconic holiday resorts on the coast just short of the Gold Coast.This is also the most easterly point on the coast line and the views from the lighthouse were spectacular.Apart from beaches in both directions we had sightings of whales and dolphins.In summary the journey from Newcastle to Brisbane is full of surprises…….a splendid coastline boasting superb golden beaches,mighty rivers and pristine estuary and delta systems,a myriad of interesting and appealing small towns,both coastal and inland,and then some large inland lakes which provide a shimmering blue contrast to the green mosaic of trees which line the highway and cover the mountain ranges.You gotta see it to believe it!
Advertisement
Tot: 1.928s; Tpl: 0.018s; cc: 5; qc: 48; dbt: 0.1206s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Barrie
non-member comment
Stiil here
Great to know you are still in the country, had not heard for a while. You are doing all the things we hope to do one day. Greg and I spent a bit of time in Nimbin, very strange place, certainly hippie haven, also at Byron bay - wonderful lookout from the lighthouse - did you get in any swims? Beaches are great.