Sydney Trip 2014, South West Rocks to Pottsville

The drive from South West Rocks to Pottsville was very nice. I used to get so annoyed at the slowdown points through the little towns everywhere you go. Dropping down from 110 kph to 40 or 50 kph makes you feel like you have stopped dead. I now just enjoy the drive and take time to have a look at as much as I can during the slow down period.

We pulled into Taree for lunch, the kids were starting to loose it a little bit and I thought it might be nice to have lunch down by the river. Well didn't that prove to be way too hard to quickly find a park close to somewhere to buy food.

I found a little cafe that had a good rating on some foodie website I looked at. Well never again! Apart from the service being slack, the food order was either completely wrong or missing vital ingredients (toasted turkey and cranberry sandwich which lacked cheese and cranberry) . I forget what Kirsty asked for but it was not even close and I remember thinking was it someone else's order?

What did come out correct was the kids food so happy days there. They settled down for a bit and we could drink our coffee.

Then we had to go to a toilet for the kids luckily I saw the public toilets on the way in so I headed there. Well what a circus that proved to be. I've never seen anything like it. Everything was sensor controlled and of course the sensors didn't work and the smell was rank. 

Wave your hand to open the lid, wave your hand to flush (it didn't), wave your hand for soap (nup) wave your hand for water (this worked which completely threw me) and wave your hand for the hand blower (no go), wave your hand to open the door (thank god that worked).

And the entire time Muzac was playing through busted roof speakers. If there is a hell then this must be a close approximation.

We passed the Wang Wauk rest stop without issue, the scene of much unpleasantness a week earlier. We got into Pottsville late in the day, again, and got to setting up camp. This would be home for a couple of nights before we made the push back into Queensland.

I couldn't find a Big4 park where I wanted to stay but The Tweed Coast Holiday Park Pottsville South looked good for what we needed. I have to say, it was awesome.

Our little bush camp
Yep, that's a 15 person tent for 2 adults and 2 kids. 

When setting up our circus tent at each camp, there is a common theme. This happened at Mapleton, South West Rocks and then at Pottsville.

It goes like this. 

• Lay the tent out on the ground
• passerby's and other campers chuckle at the sight of it "Oh my god, look at the size of it", "what are they thinking?" were comments I overheard.
• 5 minutes later the tent is up, another 5 minutes I have the waterproof fly on and pegged out. It takes me longer to blowup and make the beds inside the tent than to set it up the actual tent.
• passerby's and other campers who were laughing at me would then slowly come over and comment "I can't believe how fast that went up", "It took me an hour to do my tent (small dome tent)", "Well that went up fast", "It takes me longer to put my annex up on my caravan"

From our camp looking toward the ocean

Searching for a track to get down to the beach

Wooyung Beach

Hastings Point

More Wooyung Beach

Fabulous sunrise on Wooyung

Jack the Beachcomber 

Tracks behind Wooyung Beach.
I was hoping to have to use 4wd and I didn't :(

The Tweed Shire's response to Seagull Menace
It flew by following the coast. The next day 2 fighter jets shot by but I wasn't quick enough to snap them

Our good friend Ali who we stayed with in Coffs was coming up to met us in Bangalow to take some family photos. If you didn't know Ali took our wedding photos and she kick arse. Check her out at Live, Laugh & Love Photography.

On the up to Bangalow we called into Byron Bay for lunch. On the way in Jack spotted The Rainbow Shop and come hell or high water he was going to have himself a rainbow shirt.

As you can see he got his way.

Jack the Smelly Hippie
He says the shirt gives him Rainbow Powers.

Byron Creek

Heaths Old Wares Shop in Bangalow

Heath has a lot of buttons

My little girl Maggie on a swing at Bangalow

Just a tree

Well thats it for Pottsville, we were going to travel through the Border Ranges and stay at Bunya National Park but the weather turned on us and it would have been cold and wet. Bugger that we thought, not for us on our last night before we got home, so we booked a cabin at Burrum Heads which would give us a short run home the next day and we wouldn't have to do a wet pack up.

Travel Day 9

South West Rocks to Pottsville

As recorded by GPS
Download the Google Earth KML file

Travel Day 10

Pottsville, Byron Bay and Bangalow

As recorded by GPS
Download the Google Earth KML file

Travel Day 11

Pottsville to Burrum Heads

As recorded by GPS
Download the Google Earth KML file