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.
- Rylstone Main Street.
- Scenery.
- Lunch at Rylstone
- A step back in time.
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.
- Sunset over Burning Mountain Reserve.
- Relaxing by the fire
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.
- Leanne finds Fool’s gold near Uralla at Rocky Creek
- Rocky Creek Fossicking Reserve
- Movie stars at Ebor Falls.
- Ebor Falls on the Waterfall Way.
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.
- Our wet campsite at Riverside Caravan Park.
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.
- Maclean. All the poles had Scottish names on them.
- Murray in the Lads toilet block.
- Post office at Maclean
- Street art in Maclean
- Lookout Maclean
- Queen on her recliner.
- Our first selfie.
- The town of Maclean again.
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.
Great post Leanne! Loved the selfie! And I’ve been to Ebor Falls! Some really great photos there! Keep them coming!!
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Hi there, Sounds like you are enjoying the trip so far, meeting lots of people and seeing new places. We usually stop at Maclean on our way to visit Craig & Marie at Evans Head, it is a very nice little town. Love to you both J&J
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