We have seen a property in the beautiful Thora valley and so off we went to investigate.  We left Grafton for Coffs Harbour, onto Bellengin and out to Thora.  The property on Darkwood Road was very nice with amazing views, but we still need to look at many more before we finally call our travels finished…who knows when that might be…the East Coast is very beautiful and a place we will call home…eventually.  Enough of that, back to our adventures.  We left the property and headed back to Thora and then up the spectacular Waterfall Way to Dorrigo.  Here we stopped for a snack at Griffiths Lookout which shows off how pretty this countryside really is.  Funnily enough the lookout also looks over the valley to the property we just viewed.  If you want to have a look at the property…google 701 Darkwood Road.  From the stunning Griffiths Lookout we passed through Dorrigo and to Dangar Falls.  With the recent rain the falls were amazing with huge volumes of water poring over the falls…check out my post on Facebook (make Shaun Marshall your friend or follow this link)

From Dangar Falls and getting late in the day we had a long way to go…especially heading the Dorrigo – Armidale Highway.  Again a picturesq drive and one done half at night.

Bushman Bud…Enjoying Australia

Well we had just about exhausted our exploration of Alstonville and the surrounding regions and so it was time to relocate to the Grafton Showgrounds. Before making the trip I greased the suspension on the van ready for another 7,000klms of travel!!

Before we left another couple turned up. We both thought we recognised each other and finally spotted the location. The Daly River in the Northern Territory. This couple had been leaving Banyan Camp about the same time as we arrived. They were in the rest area a few klms from the camp, we passed them and then turned around to get information from them about the region. We spoke for about 10 mins and both went on our merry way. Well 5 months later, leaving Alstonville (them arriving) we bumped into each other again…wow what a small world hey. We had another chat for 15 minutes before parting ways…I wonder when we will cross paths again…what a chance meeting…how amazing.

We drove off to Grafton Showgrounds arriving mid afternoon and setting up camp near a big old fig tree in the shade. $20 for a family for the night, powered, with hot showers. Not bad around school holidays, anyhow.

We spent the rest of the day chilling out and the kids decided to camp out in their little tent. Surprisingly they made it through the night without getting scared…cool…they had a ball too.

Bushman Bud…Enjoying Australia

Heading South today from the “Shed.” Our plan was to look for some coastal bush camping area around Evans Head or Iluka (Woody Point).

Our first stop was Evans Head. It was a similar place to Brunswick Heads and equally as busy with school holidays still rampant. At Evans Head we had a picnic near the coastal river heads and the skate park. The kids had fun playing on their skooters whilst we had lunch. After lunch we explored the small town and then headed over the river and up, up, up to the lookout above the town on the South side of the river. The lookout is spectacular and worth a visit. The river itself a great place for a swim, some fishing or a boat ride. Try and visit outside school holidays or book early.

Next stop Woody Point just outside Iluka. Woody Point is a camping area in the National Park near a sheltered bay on the ocean. The bay is further sheltered by reef structure and is a great place for kids to swim and play in the ocean. The only problem here is the very cramped camping space and the fact that it is booked during school holidays twelve months in advance. Again try and visit outside school holidays and I bet you will have a remarkable time at this spot.

Well the search for campsots came up short and we headed back to Alstonville through Wardell (the scenic way) back to camp.

A great day exploring some regional areas and we will be back…when school hoildays finish

Bushman Bud…Enjoying Australia

Leaving our central location at the “Shed” Alstonville we headed into Ballina firstly for a visit to the tourist info centre and to get some information on the aurrounding National Park, places to see and visit and any bush camping in the area.

Armed and dangerous we headed North up the coast passing through Lennox Head to Lake Ainsworth. What a nice Lake for enjoying a day at the water. Plenty of people were enjoying themselves swimming and playing in the shores of the Lake and it looked like a terrific place for a family day out. School holidays may not be so pleasant if you don’t like the crowds. Sometimes we get spoilt because we travel so much outside of school holidays. Following the coast as much as possible we made our way to Brunswick Heads where we spent the rest of the day and evening.

Brunswick Heads is another one of those pretty spots on the East Coast which is built on between the river and ocean. The town is relatively small and therefore a quaint place with much to offer the experience of a traveller looking for small place to relax – outside school holidays that is, right now you will find the caravan park packed to the rafters.

We took a walk around the town and near the Eastern side we noticed a state wood chopping carnival in progress. We all perched ourselves in the stand and enjoyed a few hours watching various activities including chopping, sawing and the spectacular tree climbing event. It was an excellent experience and we all enjoyed it.

Behind the woodchopping carnival was a fair…of course the kids noticed it and begged for us to stay. There was a second session of woodchopping later in the evening too and so we ended up at the pub for dinner (which has a great beer garden) and off to the fair. The kids had a ride on the bumper cars and some twirly whirly ride which got faster and faster and by the end of it the kids where genuinely shocked…what a funny sight. The kids also had a couple of slide rides on the big dipper. Like all good evenings should end, the kids had an icecream and we watched another hour of the woodchopping before heading back to Alstonville to retire for the night.

Bushman Bud…Enjoying Australia

We left are campsite at the “shed” around 9:30am heading for Byron Bay from Alstonville.  We followed some scenic roads through the beautiful hinterlands with gorgeous coastal views…mmm…a place someone could live for sure.  We arrived in central Byron Bay and fought for some parking space close to the centre of town and began a walk to the lighthouse.  We reached the Captain Cook lookout and took the high ridgeline walk through the rainforest towards the light house.  Along this track there are some glimpses of coastal beaches south of Byron Bay until you reach the lighthouse – which being the highest point of the peninsula has sweeping views of the surrounding bay, hinterland and mountain ranges.  We took some photos of us at the lighthouse and had a quick look in the small museum at the base.  Interestingly I found out that Byron Bay once had two jetties and was surprised by the number of ship wrecks off the nearby coastline.  Onward, down, down, down to the peninsula below.  This was the main objective of our trip today, to reach the most Eastern part of the Australian mainland.  We have travelled West to Steep Point, North to Cape York and now we stand at the most Eastern Point of the Australian Mainland – Cape Byron…what a truly awesome achievement and experience.  Our next stop, the Mornington Peninsula on the Victorian coastline and the most Southern point on the Australian Mainland.  Crazy to some, but I enjoy the significance of geographical landmarks in Australia.  In some ways, Cape Byron seemed like the least important of all three thus far.  Probably because it was the easiest to achieve and travel to.  Steep Point and Cape York are so remote and take a great deal of planning to get to, they are not so easily conquered.  We were lucky to get a couple of family snaps that I will post soon and took in the beauty of this place.  Cape Byron, for all the hype surrounding the nearby town of Byron Bay is spectactular and beautiful, but also a place you will always share with other people, due to its accessability.

From Cape Byron, back to Byron Bay along the coastline walk that takes you past many of the sheltered beaches.  The beaches today were packed tight with all of the holiday goers, but they still looked very inviting.  The loop walk back to the Captain Cook lookout is 3.5 klms, steep in some sections with spectacular views along the way.  Do it in anti clockwise direction as you get to walk down instead of up some of the steeper sections.  Allow two hours.

We arrived back in central Byron Bay with a further 3 klms or so under our belt, being the walk from town to Captain Cook lookout and back.  We had our packed lunch and headed out to Mullumbimby and the Crystal Castle.  We had been their last about ten years ago and Lovely Lynda was keen to get back to a place she loved so much.  Once again a nice drive as you ascend into the hinterland past Mullumbimby and up to the crystal castle.  Arriving at the crystal castle we were in for a surprise.  Wow, the place had changed so much and so had the warm welcoming energy of the place.  The Crystal Castle was now a commercial landscape requiring $44 just to enter…that is right $44 just to visit the shop and spend sometime on the property.  This left a bad taste in our mouths and unfortunately our hearts and a once pleasant experience was lost.  The sad part is, we missed out on an experience but they missed out on sales in the shop due to what I think is short sighted…hey, that’s my opinion but there are many more pleasureable experiences you can enjoy which are free such as our next stop at Minyon Falls.

Follow signs from Mullumbimby to the Crystal Castle and you will pick up signs to Minyon Falls.  The falls are located in the Nightcap Range National Park and are beautiful single drop falls of at least 50m.  They are situated only a small walk from the carpark with a longer 9klm walk to the base of the falls if you are feeling energetic.  We arrived at the falls around 4pm wich pretty much cancelled out the bigger walk.  Spend sometime here, the falls are certainly worth a visit and remind me a little of the long drop waterfall up at Springbook National Park.  About 3 klms further up Minyon Falls Drive you can camp at the pretty Rummery Park which will cost you $5 per adult, per night.  It is a beautiful grassy area but to really suitable for big offroad caravan such as ours.

From there, we followed the Minyon Falls Drive out of the NP and then followed the scenic route through many country towns back to Alstonville.

A fantastic day out and great to be back out exploring again.

Bushman Bud…Enjoying Australia

North: 8th Aug 2010: Cape York, Queensland

South: Wilsons Promontory, Victoria

East: 10 January 2012: Cape Byron, Byron Bay, New South Wales

West: May 2011: Steep Point, Western Australia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_points_of_Australia

When Bushman Bud reaches each geographical location we will ”SPOT” and blog the location with text video and photos.  Our SPOT subscribers will know instaneously the moment we get there by email with a  Google Earth map image and longitide and latitude points of reference.  Sign up to SPOT now and enjoy Australia even more.

Bushman Bud…Enjoying Australia

We left Toolum Falls campground mid morning and headed back to Urbanville, turning right in town and following the very scenic road out to Bonalbo. We found some shade in the rest area here for lunch and replaced the fuse in the caravan camera…so I could again see behind me! After lunch we followed the windy road for another 25 klms before getting to the Buxter Highway and making our way to Casino, Lismore and finally Alliston. Here we chose to stay at the show grounds. Toilets, hot shower, water and power for $20. We plan to stay here two night and take a day trip out to Australia’s most Eastern tip at the Byron Bay lighthouse, visit the alternative town of Nimbin, the crystal house and Ballina. This will allow us to plan our next move down the coast.

Arriving at the show grounds in Alliston we were lucky enough to camp under a massive pavillion as a huge storm hit. We had only just got both cars and caravan under cover before the heavens opened and heavy rain fell. Luckily no hail fell, but we would have been safe anyhow. That ends the day for us.

Bushman Bud…Enjoying Australia

3rd January 2012
Finally back on the road again today, heading a short distance to Tumbulgum for some fun around the Tweed River. We arrived at Stott Island Reserve around lunchtime and soaked up the rest of the afternoon around the caravan enjoying some free space and…the cricket. I have been cricket starved at times and for anyone who knows me this is like torture. So as the kids played I enjoyed some cricket. That was pretty much the rest of the day, dinner and then bed.

4th January 2012
With all the best intentions to find a camp for the upcoming weekend with kids, the cricket caught my intention. The thought of a Ricky Ponting century was too much for a cricket tragic and so I slaved through a day of cricket. I am not really sure what everyone else did…I think, paint toe nails, ride scooters and create some crafty things, not to mention some lego play. For me the day was awesome – Ricky Ponting ton and a Michael Clarke double century and Hussey 50, which turned into a ton. Great day I say, even if we are still at Stott Island Reserve.

5th January 2012
Our good friends Noel, Kylea and kids, Rory, Ella and Jordan met us at Stott Island Reserve for a camping trip out to Woodenbong and beyond. We started the day travelling past Tumblegum through to Uki and then onto Kyogle through the beautiful Tweed Valley and Volcanic Rim. This is a fantastic drive and one to savour for anyone heading out this way.

At Kyogle we stopped at the information centre and agreed on a camping option out near Urbenville being a place called Toolum Falls. To get there we headed North to Woodenbong past the spectacular Border Ranges National Park and through Urbenville. Urbanville has a great little camping area at the North End of town as an option. We carried on however to Toolum Falls arriving mid afternoon and setting up camp, including collecting some firewood for the evening. With most of the day gone we relaxed around the fire getting to know some great people some more.

6th January 2012
More fun at Toolum Falls. Noel, Kylea and family really wanted a trip of chilling out, so talks of a walk were squashed pretty quickly and the day was spent gas bagging with a venture to the bottom of Toolum Falls for a swim. The Falls themselves are right in the campground and should you choose you can pretty much camp on top of them (yep, within a couple of metres if you so choose…the campsite is also dog friendly and free by the way). We all had a swim out to the falls and splashed around for about an hour before heading back to camp to chill out some more.

Noel and I did venture out on a mountain bike ride though in the state forest on the far side of Toolum Creek. In fact we rode across the river on top of the Falls and hit the trails. We followed one trail down the river to a set of rapids and nice swimming hole where you could camp before heading up into the hills. By the end of the ride we were muddy and, only being able to vouch for myself, happy to see camp again.

Dinner and fire ended the day…as did a cool beer.

7th January 2012
Saturday brought more of the same, chatting and banter around camp. However, by late afternoon it became apparent that Noel’f foot (he had puntured it having a swim yesterday) was badly infected, so Noel and I took a drive to Warwick Hospital to get a Tetnis injection and some antibiotics. We are still not sure what the nurses thought when two blokes rocked up, Noel with painted toe nails. With Noel fixed up we were back on the road heading back to camp for our last night around the campfire. Although not the outing you want, it was good to spend some bonding time with Noel and become even closer friends. A fire closed out the night.

8th January 2012
Time for Noel, Kylea and family to leave us. Not before some more coffee and great converation with like minded fantastic people. We have enjoyed the opportunity to make new friends and look forward to next time we will see them…thanks guys.

With our friends leaving late afternoon, we cut some more firewood for a night around the fire and spent some time with the kids. They were off playing with new friends over the past few days and so we kind of missed them.

We all shared dinner and a big fire for our final night at Toolum Falls. We had enjoyed our stay here and enjoyed making new friends.

I have to mention the friendly possums too. Don’t leaveout any food they will take it…saying that the kids love to interact with tame wildlife, so enjoy them too!

Bushman Bud…Enjoying Australia

Last time I wrote we had just finished on Fraser Island.

After Fraser we headed to the Gold Coast for two personal development courses and a wedding back in Perth. That pretty much consumed the rest of November and early December. Early in December we then headed to a further personal development course down in Gembrook, VIC with the kids, finally arriving back on the Gold Coast mid December.

My parents then asked us to hang around for Christmas and New Year and so…as time flies we found ourselves on the Gold Coast until 2nd of January.

It was a whirlwind, almost 2 months and we are finally back on the trail as of tommorrow the 3rd Jan 2012. Cya on the road hey!!!

Bushman Bud…Enjoying Australia

Our last day on Fraser Island leaving on the 5pm ferry.  We packed up the hotel room and headed for the resort pool for a early morning swim.  We plan to head south today along the eastern beaches following a scenic route past various lakes and ending up at Lake Mckenzie before heading to Kingfisher Bay to catch the ferry around 4:30pm…see what happens along the way hey.

Leaving the hotel we headed south along the beach from Eurong turning right at Dilli Village along the Southern Lakes scenic route.  This track turned out to be a great adventure past a number of lakes and through some interesting forest. At one stage we had lakes on either side to look out on. Our first stop was Lake Bombabon. We walked down to the lake for a swim only to find the foreshore under water, interesting the signs pointing out no camping and no fires was in the water as was the walking trail sign.  The water looked uninviting but instead we climbed a couple of trees that were hanging over the water, this proved to be a whole lot of fun for me, Jess and Amy. Back in the 4wd and onto our next stop Lake Beerabin.  This lake proved to be a beautiful swimming lake and we all enjoyed a refreshing swim and play in the beautiful fresh waters. 

Whilst the kids built sand castles on the beach a big monitor lizard came down to the beach for a drink and crept up on the girls before deciding they were a little too scary and headed back to the bush. I was secretly hoping it would sheen up on the girls and scare the living daylights out of them.

After about an hour of swimming and sand castle making on the foreshore we decided it was time for lunch and headed to Central Station for a well earned bite to eat. 

After lunch we explored the old logging camp climbing up into the 1835 cat bulldozer.  Amazingly logging didn’t stop on Fraser Island until 1992.  At Central Station we also followed the boardwalk along Woobabling Creek, stopping half way along to climb down off the walkway by scaling a tree down to the cystal clear waters below…it was even more fun getting back up the tree and made for a great video blog.

We completed the walk and headed back to the car for the last 16km of forest tracks back to Kingfisher Bay and the end of our adventure. Arriving there around 4:00pm we made the most of the facilities, blowing up the tyres and giving Bessie a welcome wash with the fireman hose style car wash.  It was great for washing off three days of adventure in the sand.  Whilst I was doing the hard work the girls were busy checking our the shops and Jessy found the castle bucket I had promised her…I must admit it is a pretty special bucket.

By the time I had finished washing the car it was time to board the ferry and leave Fraser Island for River Heads.  Our 3 day adventure has been a wonderful adventure of non stop action , we have crammed so much into 3 days and had an unbelievable experience.  We have cruised beaches, swam in beautiful fresh water lakes, drifted down cold creeks on our bellies, refreshed ourselves with a cold ale here and there, delighted in remarkable sunsets, romantacised over ancient sea wrecks, soaked up the amazing history of the place and witnessed some majestic ancient rain forests on a sand island. The 4wding has been spectacular and each experience we have shared has been priceless.  We are truly a fortunate family living their dreams and life as they please with the freedom everyone should be able to enjoy and experience…we are indeed enormously fortunate, free and blessed for every special day we are on our amazing adventure around australia…you little beauty!!!!

Bushman Bud…Enjoying Australia