Along the NSW coast

Despite all the preparations, leaving home is never easy... We switched on the fridge in the caravan 2 days earlier, to cool it down before we load it - but on Sunday morning it was warmer than before. After a bit of searching on the internet, we found the likely cause of the problem: the van was parked on a slope and apparently the fridge only works on level ground. It would have been nice if someone told us. First lesson learned...


It was almost 10 am on Sunday 15 Apr by the time we finished packing and left Engadine. We had an easy and uneventful ride out of Sydney and up North on the M3 freeway. By midday we were up above Raymond Terrace where we had lunch break at a nice rest area. And the fridge was working! what a relief... The weather was nice and sunny, the traffic not too bad.


We spent the first night at Seal Rocks caravan park. We had a nice walk along the beach and the "centre" before dinner, it was overcast but still nice and warm. I planned to have a plunge in the sea in the morning and to take some photos...


Then it started to rain during the night, and continued all day Monday with a few short breaks... We packed and hitched up the van in pouring rain, which is not much fun, but we have practiced it a few more times since... 


Not much to say about Monday. Driving in the rain for about 6 hours, lots of roadworks, but no major delays. Lunch break at Kempsey in a nice park, fortunately just during a break in the rain as well. By evening we reached Emerald Beach and spent the night in a nice caravan park. In the morning the rain stopped, and we hade a nice walk along the beach and headland, meeting the local fauna - lots of Eastern grey kangaroos, birds, and a few leeches on our feet...

Morning exercise at Emerald Beach
Reggeli torna kenguruéknál

Tuesday was less rainy, partly because we left the coast and headed inland to Nimbin, a "hippi" town from the 1970s. Interesting experience. The hippis are still there, they grew old but there is a younger generation as well. We spent the afternoon walking around town, doing some shopping, visiting a few art galleries and watching a range of colourful characters. 

In the Hemp Embassy, Nimbin
A marijuana legalizálásáért harcolnak Nimbin-ben

Today - Wednesday 18 Apr - we came down to the coast again, to Ballina and headed to Byron Bay, sometimes in frightfully heavy rain. By the time we got there, the rain has almost stopped, so we did the same, got out and walked around the centre and the beach. We had lunch at a beach-side restaurant, then cafe in an other. After lunch we continued towards Tweed Heads, and stopped at a free camping site along the old Pacific Highway, Stott Island nature reserve beside the Tweed river. It is a nice place, although a bit muddy now after so much rain. It will do for one night. 


Then tomorrow we bid farewell to NSW and continue up to Queensland.