We awoke to cloudy skies and rain. After schooling was completed for the day (around 9:30am) Bushman Bud, Orangatang Amy and Joey Jess headed for a morning dip. My kids must be water babies like myself as it never takes much convincing to get them in the water. After the swim it was time to head off. The plan was to head to Kyogle to Grafton and then towards Armidale where we would find a camp somewhere along the Grafton to Armidale Road.
From Toonumbra Dam to Kyogle I thought the caravan was towing a little heavy, on close inspection I found I had left the park brake on…oops…happens to the best of us I guess. The road to Kyogle was a mix of gravel and bitumen followed by a rather flat 100klms of straight relatively flat road to Grafton.
Leaving Grafton the scenery changed significantly. We were into another volcanic valley similar to that of the Tweed Valley. The first 100klms of road from Grafton to Armidale was straight and flat at first then turned into a constant upward winding road to Ebor (the drive travels through awesome rainforest (narrow road in parts) and open grassy pastures. The drive itself is throughoughly enjoyable and a nice drive West) .which is a small settlement on top of the mountain range on the border of the Guy Fawkes River National Park. We decided to take a break at the Rest Area just outside Ebor only to be greeted with the Ebor Falls. These falls were amazing and some of the most spectacular falls I have seen in Australia thus far. Photos and videos never do the scenery justice but here are a few snaps.
The falls were in two sections, the upper and lower falls. If you head to the lookout at the upper falls you can see the water tumbling over a drop of 30m and then another drop of 30m immediately after. The falls drop over the full width of the Guy Fawkes River and so are sensational when their has been a lot of rain. We were in luck as the falls were flowing the result of recent downpours in the area. There is a walkway of 600m along the top of the enscarpment which looks over the river valley below. Along the entire walk (which is all bitumen and relatively easy) you can hear the thunderous sound of the falls with many lookouts of the lower falls along the path. At the end of the walk is the best lookout. You can see the upper and lower falls combined which is an awesome sight. The lower falls, possibly more spectacular than the upper falls, drops about 30m also. When you combine both falls in one you have a combination of three sets of falls over about 500m dropping an amazing 100m. You really have to come and visit this spot, it is easy to find, has easy vehicle access and is an easy walk around the falls. You can even drive between the upper and lower falls if you can’t handle the 600m walk! There are picturesque picnic areas here, toilets and wood BBQ’s.
That was the end of the day for us. We set up camp, cooked dinner and enjoyed a nice camp fire to reflect on the day.
Bushman Bud…Enjoying Australia