We set off from Blayney on Sunday morning. It was cold and frosty but became a beautiful day. Our route went across via Bathurst, Sofala, Kandos and Rylstone, where we decided to stop for lunch. The main street here was very busy as it was the long weekend. There was a pub on almost every corner and a local musician playing in the beer garden of one. It was a pretty little town with a lot of character. Lunch was at a stop just outside and overlooking Rylstone.

From here we headed of through the Rylstone Gorge to Bylong, which Murray thought was motorbike heaven. Our next pit stop was with about twenty or so bikers and of course Murray couldn’t help but admire their bikes, wishing he was with them, I’m sure.

Through the back roads to Scone we went past huge open cut coal mines. Scone is the equine capital of the south and as we passed through there was huge polo day on. Horse floats were everywhere.

Burning Mountain Reserve was our free camp Sunday night and it was a beautiful spot with some interesting characters staying there. We had a fire and a drink but an early night.

Monday we set off for Iluka. We had many stops to sightsee this day. Rocky Creek Fossicking area for lunch, just outside Uralla, was a nice spot by the river and we found plenty of fool’s gold. Afternoon tea was at Ebor Falls on the Waterfall Way between Armidale to Dorrigo. It was a beautiful spot. The trip between Ebor and Grafton had 65km of mountain ranges which sent us around the bends, literally. We enjoyed it but it made progress slow. The countryside was beautiful. We actually set our goal a bit high this day as we found out. The distance we travelled was a bit further than we anticipated and we ended up arriving in the dark, tired, and the surrounds were unfamiliar, all this made setting up interesting.

Today, Tuesday, has been very wet in Iluka. Planned to catch the ferry across the Clarence River to Yamba, missed the ferry so decided to drive there. After walking the streets looking for a nice place for lunch, we ended up in a lovely little cafe, where it was warm, and enjoyed our lunch. There were plenty of walking tracks all over the town, so we enjoyed walking around for about three hours for which the rain held off.

On the journey home we detoured through Maclean, a Scottish town on the Clarence River where we had a walk around town and went to the lookout.

On returning to Iluka we took a walk along the River but as soon as we started so did the rain. The camp kitchen has become our best friend, it’s great to eat somewhere dry and a bit warmer.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, our journey is to Murwillumbah. Decided to stay a few nights there to have a break, enjoy the surrounds, set up our camper properly, catch up with my brother and family and see my cousins and their families in Robina.