Well we finally left Tweed Heads and made our first stop at Lismore; we wanted to catch up with Robert, Kerry & Luke. We met up again with the rest of the family at a great barby held at Robert & Kerry’s place (thanks to you all for the hospitality & risotto pie recipe).
The Roadrunner Caravan Park has not changed much; the price is now $22 a night or $132 for the week. The 9 tourist sites are very nice and the view form all of these sites is as you see it below; the permanent sites are still pretty rough but all in all the park is the pick of the lot. This is a great place to stay for a period if you want to do the Nimbin, Bangalow and National Park trips. The park does not allow dogs.
BEXHILL
Bexhill is approximately 15km east of Lismore as you head toward Bangalow; there is an outdoor cathedral which overlooks valleys to the east.
The seating is by way of what can only be described as horizontal telegraph post sections; the views from here are spectacular and is a must see if in the area.
The sign above is as you first walk toward the cathedral; have a close look at who the caretaker is which is shown on the last line. Also at the site is a visitors book that can be signed and a secure box for donations.
SAWTELL
This place is a must see if you are heading down the coast; the town is situated about 12km south of Coffs Harbour and is a coastal township.
We stayed at the Sawtell Beach Caravan Park which is about a 10min stroll to the surf; the park does have its own private access to one part of the beach but the track was a little steep. The park is situated within a 5 minute walk and is next to the bowls club. This would be the pick of the 2 parks in Sawtell; very good amenities and they are cleaned at the times stated.
The park does not have it’s own pool but next door is the swimming centre; the cost for entry is $3.50 per person but the park will reimburse one admission per day per adult so not a bad deal. Although this is a top tourist and usually you only get discount with a membership card we secured a week here for $185 which is a one night free deal (always worth asking), maybe because it is off peak. The down side is there is only 5 slab sites, the others are all grass (so to speak) and are in some places difficult to level off unless you have ramps. This is a No pets park.
Our site is shown above; we managed to get a slab as the mass exodus had just taken place with all the NSW schools heading back.
The above is taken from the Sawtell lookout; the shot is looking north towards Coffs Harbour.
The above is from the same lookout; the view is to the south and shows the Sawtell township. The area has a population of approximately 15000; the township is very village like and has some boutique type shops and cafes; the pub and the RSL reside in the same street. On leaving Sawtell for the suburb of Toormina (4km away) you come to a Centro shopping centre with the usual Kmart, Coles, Woolies etc. It seems like you move from a small country village to a major suburb in a matter of minutes.
The birds above are a from a pair that nest in the same spot in the Sawtell main street every time; the day before this picture was taken 4 babies lived here; the day of the picture we were told one had flown the nest. Two days after the picture all of the babies had taken to the skies (or been eaten by a pussy cat); we prefer the “taken to the skies” story.
On walking the Sawtell beach at the end you come to a timber stairway which leads up to a paved walking track; the track leads to the other side of the lookout to a small inlet. Quite a number of people walk this to swim on the incoming tide; The walk takes about 1.5hrs from the surf beach to the other side and back, some of it is quite steep but is very good exercise and well worth the trip.
Above is a picture of the main divided street of the Sawtell township; very picturesque.
We did do an overnight stop at South West Rocks which as you can see by the above shot is right on the beach; the park is called Horseshoe Bay Beach Park. We did want to stay and did book a full week but they messed up the booking; it is a long story but in the end we headed of the next day to Port Macquarie.
This would have to be the pick of the parks in South West Rocks purely for the location; the park is terraced and bigger caravans & 5th wheelers can accommodate on the upper level (where we were; the picture is from our site). The amenities are average and most of the sites are grass with a few slabs; price is $32p/n or $189 for the week, the park is council owned and is pet friendly.
Be aware if you are going to this park that it is best to get confirmation of your booking; only 27 of the 67 sites have sullage so unless you specify you want sullage for a large van (or motor home) you may end up on a site having to empty a bucket positioned under your drainage point.
We would stay here again if we are down this way for a week or so but would be more aware of the blasé nature of the park management and staff.
We are currently in Port Macquarie and leaving for Forster on Wednesday 4th November for more sun and sand (lucky me). From there we are then to Hawks Nest (more bloody sand); we will catch the ferry over for a day at Nelson Bay. On leaving here we will pick up the New England Highway heading for Singleton.
We will post up again in a few weeks time; until then hope you all stay well.
Love & regards – David & Linda – The DavLin Rig
