Gold Coast - New England Hwy - Kangaroo Valley -Southern NSW Coast

We left home late morning Monday 31st January stopping briefly at Aratula for lunch before tackling the climb through Cunningham's Gap to Warwick where we refuelled. Joining the New England Highway we continued climbing, briefly stopping at Wallangarra on the New South Wales/Queensland border to take advantage of the last cheap fuel as we knew full well that fuel prices would jump in the order of 20c litre once we crossed into New South Wales.

Continuing on at a leisurely pace, we eventually pulling over onto a disused portion of the old highway deciding that it was as good a place as any to stay the night. The next morning following a less than peaceful night’s sleep accompanied by the dull roar of numerous interstate transport trucks, we continued on our way towards Lake Chaffey near Tamworth where we had pre-planned another stay.

The drive was quite pleasant, again taking our time and continuing to follow the New England Highway passing through the towns of Glen Innes, Guyra (detouring to inspect a grave site of one of Leigh’s distant relatives that was literally located in the middle of nowhere; he found it by pure chance some month earlier while investigating his family tree), and Armidale eventually stopping at the Moombi Ranges lookout for lunch while enjoying panoramic views over the plains towards Tamworth in the distance.

We arrived mid afternoon at the all but deserted Lake Chaffey and with temperatures near 40c it didn't take us long to select a suitable spot on the waters edge, get ourselves organized, then dive into the lake for a cooling swim - Mita didn't need much coaxing to go for a swim but soon discovered that while the surface water temperature was quite pleasant, 600mm (2 feet) under the surface it was a totally different story.

Late that afternoon it soon became obvious that we may be in for one heck of a storm with threatening clouds appearing on the horizon and by evening thunder and lighting was emanating from the nearby mountains. Fortunately the brunt of the storms missed us by some ten kilometres however from all report were accompanied by large hail and vicious winds causing considerable damage over a wide area.

Packing up the following morning at a civilized hour, we decided on a change of route opting to exit the New England Highway at Scone instead taking a westerly route and ultimately entering Sydney via the Blue Mountains. Turning of the highway at Scone we made our way through some beautiful countryside to Merriwa stopping for lunch and having a casual wander down the main street, all two hundred meters of it. One thing that did catch Leigh's eye was this seat outside a local arts and craft shop that Mita was investigating; very thoughtful of them to consider us husbands.

The next point of interest after Merriwa was Gulgong, a town reputed to be a remarkably intact and picturesque example of a 19th century Australian town; unfortunately the tourism spiel in the relevant brochure was a just little over exaggerated with what to expect. That aside we still spent some time wandering the streets viewing the colonial architecture, antique shops (that were open), the exterior of an old Opera House (albeit being mooted as being open for inspection), plus several other points of interest. In days gone by, the town was also the home of poet Henry Lawson however we were unable to locate the Henry Lawson centre that supposedly provided an interesting record of his life and times.

From Gulgong we continued on to Mudgee with its thriving wine industry intending to spend some time there but soon lost interest when we found that not only was parking with a caravan was near impossible, while attempting to locate suitable parking got caught up in a Police road block with the officers diligently conducting breathalyser testing on anything and everything that moved.

By this time Leigh’s sense of humour had failed (most unusual for him) and we (???) decided to get to heck out of the town making our way to nearby Lake Windamere where we would stay the night. With the sky’s once again looking threatening it was a mad dash to find a suitable camp site that would offer some protection from the pending storm eventually setting up camp on the waters edge behind a small knoll just as the winds arrived, and boy didn’t they arrive with a vengeance. Any thoughts of having a barbeque dinner that evening went out the door instead seeing Mita once again slaving over a hot stove; I should point out that by this stage the temperatures had dropped substantially and by now we were both wearing Ugg boots and cardigans.

After a less than peaceful nights sleep with the unrelenting winds buffeting the van all night we eventually awoke the next morning to a temperature of 8C and to add confusion to matters, the forecast for the day was SNOW down to 1400 meters!!!!! What? Are you kidding? This is supposed to be the middle of summer. Needless to say after a hot breakfast we hitch up and headed for Sydney (with the car heater on) to hopefully find warmer weather.

The trip into Sydney was uneventful with us travelling through Lithgow and the Blue Mountains as planned. With the advent of the recent storms the Blue Mountains were looking absolutely lush and glorious, and coupled with a pollution free environment compliments of the previous evening winds we were privy to views of the Sydney skyline some fifty kilometres in the distance, a rare event these days.

One of the reasons for visiting Sydney was to allow Leigh to conduct some genealogy research at Woronora on Sydney’s SE outskirts however the scenario of towing the van through Sydney’s suburbs in bumper to bumper traffic wasn't an attractive proposition so we opted to book into a caravan park at Camden, a satellite city on Sydney’s SW outskirts and instead drive to Woronora the following day. After making a unscheduled stop at St Mary’s to collect some spares to repair the van awning mechanism we continued on to Camden eventually arriving mid afternoon.

While it's been some twenty odd years since we were last in Camden the village really hasn’t changed all that much retaining much of its character, beauty, and rural atmosphere albeit the urban sprawl of Sydney is starting to encroach upon the area.

Following a hearty breakfast of sausages, bacon and egg’s cooked by “his lordship”, Friday morning saw us tackling the drive to Woronora and weren’t we glad we decided to make our base at Camden. For us “hillbillies” not used to driving on Sydney’s roads it was chaotic to say the least but I suppose if you’re a “local” and know where you’re going things wouldn’t be to bad however when your driving in a large congested city and have to make split second decisions while in heavy traffic, it all gets a little nerve racking. After a few choice exchanges of words between Leigh and other drivers, semaphore signals, and scratching our heads while looking at our fifteen-year-old street directory we eventually found the Woronora Cemetery.

The staff at the cemetery couldn’t have been more helpful and after locating the supposed crypt containing three past grand uncles and aunties (the crypt actually turned out to be a series of cremation markers in a rose garden), Leigh was then confronted with another mystery regarding his genealogy project. From there we decided to visit the last known address of his late relatives in the hope of unearthing more clues only to discover that the address is now the site of quite a modern home in a area with a heavy Arabic influence created by recent overseas immigration. Leaving a note in the letterbox of the residence in the hope of unravelling part of the mystery we decided to visit the southern beachside suburb of Cronulla with the intention of having a peaceful lunch. After another frustrating drive in heavy traffic and an equally exasperating time trying to (eventually) locate a parking spot we came to the conclusion that living in a major city is definitely not our scene.

Saturday morning was escape day from Sydney but not without its drama as we once again managed to get ourselves lost, this time with the van attached. After much drama we eventually located the freeway and headed south towards Moss Vale, a pretty little community that appears to have avoided the encroachment of modern life together with the inevitable influx of fast food outlets, major supermarkets, etc, instead retaining its country character and charm.

From Moss Vale our next stop was the small community of Robertson where we made the fatal error of stopping at the local cheese factory; some dollars later and armed with a variety of cheese’s, stuffed olives and pate’s we continued on our way to the next destination, Kangaroo Valley. After winding our way down through the ranges while enjoying magnificent views of the rolling hills, valleys, forest, etc in the distance, we stumbled across a solitary country store with a sign announcing “The Best Pie’s in Australia” plus “Old Style Malted Milk Shakes” - well what can I say……; incidentally the pies were huuggeee and yummie, and the malted milk wasn't to bad either.

Five kilometres further on we arrived at the township of Kangaroo Valley complete with a pretty little van park with all the required facilities perched above Myrtle Creek. Feeling somewhat lethargic (I can’t understand why) we decided that this was enough travelling for one day; the rest of the day was spent wandering through the various art and craft shops in the village while admiring the local scenery.

The next day after eventually getting ourselves organized we ambled off making our way towards Nowra on the coast. The climb out of Kangaroo Valley was sensational to say the least with absolutely magnificent views however it's a shame that there are no lookouts provided for motorists to pull over and savour the panorama.

Reaching the coast we continued south detouring into Jervis Bay where we had intended staying in the Booderee National Park on the southern peninsula of Jervis Bay. We soon changed our mind when we discovered that the area had been handed back to its “original owners” – a local aboriginal tribe who wanted a $10 entrance fee plus another $23 per night to camp in an area with absolutely no facilities – total cost $33 per night; I somehow think greed has got in the way of reality. After the disappointment of Booderee National Park we doubled back to visit Hyams Beach reputed to have the world's whitest sand beaches.

Leaving Jervis Bay we continuing to follow the coast eventually arrived at Moruya electing to stay at the Moruya South Heads Caravan Park located in a bush setting with absolute beach frontage and complete with all facilities, and for just $15 per night – just a little different to $33 per night.

After eventually dragging ourselves out of bed the following morning, Mita attacked the laundry while Leigh busied himself with washing the van and car plus carrying out some routine maintenance including modifying the water purification system he installed prior to leaving home. With all the dreary tasks completed it was off to do some exploring taking a leisurely drive along the coastline to nearby Bateman’s Bay following the local tourist route pulling into numerous coves and bays, our favourite by far being Guerrilla Bay, a picturesque little cove hidden away from all the hustle and bustle of civilization.

Arriving at Bateman’s Bay early afternoon and feeling a little dehydrated we located an inconspicuous little café on a boardwalk overlooking the Clyde River where we indulged ourselves in iced coffees before commencing our return journey to Moruya via the village of Mogo where the main industry is Arts and Crafts. We eventually got back home late afternoon

Leaving Moruya the next morning we continued south along the Princes Highway continuing to skirt the coastline while enjoying the views, arriving at Narooma late morning then continuing onto Mystery Bay ten kilometres further south where we intend staying for three nights in a council run bush camping area. As it turned out the Mystery Bay camping area while basic was quite pretty being spread over twenty acres amongst gum trees with views along the coast line and out over the ocean towards Montague Island in the distance.

With all the necessary tasks completed it was back into town to book a trip out to Montague Island where Leigh had intentions of snorkelling with the seals (supposedly I was also going to partake as well…..yeah right, in his dreams). After visiting the local tourism office and obtaining all the applicable data on “swimming with the seals” plus anything else that grabbed our fancy, it was time to do some shopping restocking our dwindling food supplies. That completed it was back to the van for a relaxing afternoon, a stroll along the beach, and a change of plan regarding the “swimming with the seals” scenario after Leigh tested the water and discovered that it wasn’t quite as warm as he expected – scrub “swimming with the seals” off the “to do” list.

Wednesday morning heralded an overcast day with rain forecast hence any idea of walking along the miles of deserted beaches was shelved instead reverting to plan two involving taking a drive into the Narooma hinterland, the Wagonga Lakes system, traversing various state forests, lakeside picnic areas, and a lookout, eventually returning to the coast on the northern outskirts of the town. From there it was back into town for a coffee at the Narooma Golf Club with its commanding views of the coastline complete with lush fairways and immaculate greens. Incidentally the cost to play eighteen holes of golf was a measly $32.

Thursday’s weather wasn’t much of an improvement on the preceding day with the forecast being for a continuation of overcast skies accompanied by a cool breeze and the odd shower. This time it was the turn of Cental Tilba to be graced with our presence. Cental Tilba is a town listed by the National Trust and while I sometimes question some of the National Trust listings in this instance there is no doubt about the justification. Once again the drive to the town was through some very pretty countryside with the town hidden in a scenic little valley; it’s not until you are within a kilometre of the town as you crest a hill that you have any inkling that the town exists. The main street is much as it was in the early part of the last century with a variety of shops selling leather goods, confectionaries, art galleries, a cheese factory, pottery outlets, a cobbler, antiques, plus the usual souvenir shops. While there we also visited the Tilba Tilba garden centre complete with its three acres of immaculate gardens, craft shops, pottery, etc.

Returning to the van later that afternoon Mita decided it was time to relax and read while the "Great White Hunter" decided to try his luck fishing; I really don't know why he bothers - that night it was a mixed grill with salad.

Learning that the coast road between Bermagui and Merimbula had recently been sealed in it's entirety we departed Mystery Bay deciding instead to detour from the main highway and follow the coast road to Merimbula, with our first stop being Bermagui. It was a huge day's travelling involving all of twenty-five kilometres and taking a mind-boggling thirty minutes to achieve (plus we stopped on the way for some sightseeing). Naturally our first stop was the local tourism office in search of information regarding camping, sightseeing, and things to do/see. While talking to the local tourism officer, for some unknown reason the conversation switched to camping in the SW of Western Australia when amazingly it came to light that we had both made a mutual acquaintance at Esperance in Western Australia during our travels in that region.

Bermagui is a pretty fishing village that also relies heavily on tourism however it also achieved a degree of fame after being used as the setting for the hit movie “The Man Who Sued God” staring Billy Connelly and Judy Davis; from all reports the stars, cast and production crew of the film made quite a positive impression on the locals.

After settling into a local caravan park overlooking the ocean, coastline and nearby township, we then visited the Blue Pool (aptly named because the water is soooooo damned cold you turn blue when you get in for a swim - only joking) plus several other points of local interest before heading out to the Aragunnu Beach camping area in the northern section of Mimosa Rock National Park to investigate a couple of recommended camping spots. The coastal scenery around this area is spectacular to say the least but unfortunately any thoughts of getting our van into the camping areas was short lived.

Returning to Bermagui Leigh decided it was time test his skills on the local golf course while Mita took the opportunity to rest as she had been suffering from a cold for the last week or so. From all accounts Leigh's golf game was about the same standard as his previous days fishing. Being in a fishing village, that evening we took advantage of the amply supply of fresh sea food by going down to the nearby boat harbour purchasing fresh fish, prawns, and chips.

Packing up the next morning we continued south to the Gillards Beach camping area located in the southern section of Mimosa Rock National Park where we had been told access may be a possibility. Unhitching the van near the entrance to the park we drove into the camping area past the "Not Suitable For Caravans" sign to investigate, and while the road into the camping area was dirt, occasionally corrugated, windy, and a tad squeezy in places between overhanging trees, it definitely wasn't impassable for larger vans to access if you took due care; there was already two other large "off-road" vans settled in.

Following another stressful day involving forty kilometres of travel we decided to "vegetate" for the remainder of the day, savour the views from our camping spot, read a book, take an afternoon stroll along Gillards Beach, and of course enjoy a late afternoon wine or two while sampling some of the cheese's purchased earlier in our travels; all very stressful.

With the arrival of Sunday it was off to explore the local area, first stop being Nelson Inlet. The road in was rugged and very steep requiring us to engage 4WD low range to access the areas of interest providing Mita with quite an adrenalin as we crawled down the final stages of the track. Clawing our way back out of Nelson Inlet next stop was Baronda Head with its commanding views north and south along Cowdroys, Gillards and Middle Beaches.

After enjoying the outlook it was down to the bottom of the headland for a walk along Cowdroys beach where lo and behold we were joined by an old battered 2WD vehicle driven by a guy who obviously subscribed to the alternative lifestyle doctrine and hadn’t seen a shower for quite some time. It never fails to amaze us why these guys are intent on entering these areas when there are warning signs posted everywhere advising that the road is 4WD only; unless it’s a “life or death” situation Leigh and I now refuse to assist these people if they get themselves into trouble as a result of their own stupidity following several instances where we have sustained damage to our own vehicle.

From Cowdroys it was out onto the Highway and northward to tackle another 4WD track into the park that provided access to Middle Beach and its lagoon system, plus Bithry Inlet and Wapengo Lake, both very pretty and obviously very popular with the "locals". With Mita not feeling all that well we headed back to our campsite via Tathra, a pretty little seaside community just outside the national park boundary.

After several hours sleep Mita was feeling decidedly "more human" so we opted for a late afternoon walk along a track leading up to the northern headland overlooking Gillards Beach only to discover that not only did it give some nice views of the surrounding area but also provided easy access to the next beach; be damned if it wasn't Middle Beach and its lagoon - we could have saved ourselves a whole lot of driving.

The next morning following breakfast we went for another walk along the beach spying a seal playing in the waves and chasing fish. Returning to the van, it was time to pack up, shower and head for Merimbula where it was time to locate a doctor for Mita whose health was slowly deteriorating. As luck would have it there was a medical centre opposite the local tourist information centre so while Mita darted over to make an appointment Leigh went in search of information on the local area. Mita was fortunately in that she was able to almost immediately see a doctor who diagnosed bronchitis and prescribed a course of medication.

It has been twenty odd years since we last visited Merimbula and the changes have been significant; it's no longer a sleepy little coastal village but quite an upmarket resort town, very similar in a lot of respects to the Tweed Heads/Coolangatta region of bygone years, and very busy. Having no desire to do battle with the crowds we moved on to nearby Eden deciding to stay at Twofold Bay on the southern outskirts of the town. Not only is Eden renown for its fishing and logging industry but in years past was also host to a major whaling industry. As the afternoon was drawing to a close we did a quick drive around the town viewing the scenic spots, checking out the fishing fleet, going to the lookouts, before eventually returning to the van for a quite evening.

Tuesday morning turned out to be another miserable day with a strong southerly accompanied by rainsqualls, not exactly what we needed considering our plans to spend the day touring the Ben Boyd National Park. The park is named after Benjamin Boyd, a 19th Century entrepreneur who played an important role in the development of the local area being instrumental in establishing quite a few industries including shipping, wool, fishing, and of course whaling. Boyd actually built a lighthouse but when approval wasn't forthcoming for its use he converted it into a watchtower to assist with the spotting of whales.

Our first stop in the park was an lookout with commanding views out over Disaster Bay before continuing on to an area known as City Rock; why? I don't know however it's unlikely we'll forget the area. Having trekked down to the bottom of the escarpment to view whatever we were supposed to see we opted for a different return track. Just as we passed some scrub Leigh heard a noise, looked to his side just in time to see a Tiger snake rearing up and in the process of making a strike at him; fortunately he was quick enough to evade the strike although Leigh is sure it did graze his leg. Not content with having had a go at Leigh, the damn thing then decided to attack a second time before turning its attention to Mita and attacking her; waste of time Mr Snake 'cause Mita was nowhere to be seen. For our overseas friends, Tiger snakes are rated in the ten top deadliest snakes in the world.

After that bit of excitement we headed back to the car (via a different track) and then made our way over to Pulpit Rock where we watched a couple of rock fishermen dodging huge seas trying to catch a feed - crazy people. From there it was on to Green Cape Light House with its views over Disaster Bay to the south and Twofold Bay to the north. From Green Cape we moved on to Bittangabee Bay, a very protected and pretty sandy cove just around the corner from the lighthouse that prior to automation served as a dropping off point for supplies but is now maintained as a beautiful little picnic and camping area.

Having finished with the Green Cape region of the park it was over to Red Point located at the mouth of Twofold Bay, specifically to inspect Boyd's Tower and the Davidson Whaling Station ruins. The tower was quite impressive, even more so considering that all the stone was shipped in from Sydney, hauled to the point of construction by bullock teams, and then manhandled into place by block and tackle. Having enjoyed the views across the bay towards Eden we then moved on to the old ruins of the Davidson Whaling Station that have all but disappeared although much to our surprise the original residence was still in use until the mid 1980's.

From here we cross into Victoria with our first stop being Mallacoota before continuing around the coastline to Mornington Peninsula, and then Melbourne.