Day 69 Surfer's Paradise to Port Macquarie

One of the biggest joys of leaving the Gold Coast is that I probably don't have too much to write today.  We were able to sleep in until 0730, and were on the road by 0830, so we had a very efficient breakfast and pack up.

The drivers in Queensland are completely mental, and I have renewed faith in West Australians after some of the near misses we have had here.  You peanuts out there, it's called a caravan.  If you cut me off and I plow through you...YOU DIE!

So...all venting aside, we headed down the Pacific Hwy towards the border which flashed past us with no warning, hence no photos.  There is no stopping bay to take a picture or anything.  I can only deduce from this that Queenslander's and New South Welshmen are ashamed of each other.

Today was to be a very long and frustrating drive.  480km was the distance which would equate to around 5.5hours, except that we didn't arrive until just after 4pm. that is 7.5 hours on my calculator.


The only thing to see along the way is the BIG Banana in Coffs Harbour.  We used this as a strategic stopping point along the way.  Most of the attractions here were closed on the day, but we had a look around the gift shop, and for some insane reason, we climbed a mountain of stairs to the lookout.  As if my body wasn't rebelling enough already.

**SIGH**

Anyhow, the view was pretty cool from the top and we lingered briefly before tumbling down the stairs again in an avalanche of lactic pain and children.

The rest of the drive to Port Macquarie was fairly uneventful, and we arrived at the caravan park which is in the centre of town to find Gabby waiting for us.  We also had a surprise that our accommodation was free...apparently.

The kids have been super excited to get here, and were thrilled to see their aunt poking her cheeky grin through the window of the car.



It was lovely to be able to set up the caravan with no interruptions.  The kids and Gabby went to the playground, and Lisa and I flashed through set up, and were able to sit down with a well earned bevvy.  I was even able to pull the guitar out for a quick strum whilst we were waiting. 

Before it got dark we went for a brisk walk along the rock wall, to have a look at the sunset and the ocean. 










In an attempt to stop graffiti, the city council allowed the community to come down and paint the rocks.  The result is quite fascinating and each rock has a different theme all the way down the walk.

Rowan found this one which was his favourite.  Not a bad imagination to create this out of a raw rock. 

The darkness was closing in on us, and we could hear the rumbling of tummies. 


A quick stop at Gabby's house saw the kids showered in gifts from Grandma, including a beautiful hand made bracelet for Emma.  Grandma is very talented.  We were then able to drink in the spectacular night time scenery of Port Macquarie on our half hour tour looking for a suitable restaurant to get some dinner at :)

We ended up at the Port Macquarie bowls club.  It is a bit like sizzler with poker machines.  The kids were in heaven with endless desserts.  I was in heaven with Jack Daniels and Chicken Soup...YAY!