Post-Easter up along the NSW coast

Easter at Coffs Harbour was relentlessly wet. Thank goodness the bridge players at Coffs are a non-observant lot and there was bridge on the whole weekend. We played three times and on the one day it was relatively fine we walked along almost the whole length of Boambee Beach. It would have been nice to have enjoyed Coffs in sunshine but it was not to be. We were made very welcome by Andrew's mother and sisters and experienced being in a house again.

Now the weather has fined up a bit and we were able to enjoy a couple of swims at Minnie Water in the Yarigar National Park. Many post Easter campers were there. We are heading up towards Byron Bay and we hope the weather continues to hold up.

We have no new photos to post.

Visual arts at Nambucca Heads

This is a photo of what is called Graffitti Gallery on the sea-wall at Nambucca Heads. People from all over the world come and paint the various rocks comprising the retaining wall. I did not pick a very good example but some of these daubings are very good.

As you can see, we finally had some blue sky. However, as i write this at Valla Beach it is already clouding over.

I have to put a plug in here for Telstra and wireless broadband. It is serving us marvellously well, allowing us to keep in touch with those nearest and dearest. What will happen out bush remains to be seen.........

The second photo shows a solid wall of mosaics in the middle of the town around the police station. A little kitsch but somehow quite attractive.

For our followers' interest

We are not sure our viewers and followers realise, because we have just experienced this feature of our own blog, that if you click on any of the photos it is enlarged and fills the whole screen. Our photos look better than anticipated. Just hope you all agree.

Point Plomer continued and Crescent Head

These two photos are taken at different points along our journey, not so far from each other.

The first photo is the campground at Point Plomer viewed from the long stretch of the beach. Priscilla and Max can be seen on the left hand side of the photo.

We spent two lovely days there and enjoyed it very much although the weather was not very kind. But we did manage a swim and some sunshine. The campground is quite deservedly popular and was fast filling up with Easter coming up. We left ahead of the throngs and continued on, backtracking to Crescent Head (see next photo). Both Crescent Head and Point Plomer are well known surfing beaches. We are now free camping and enjoying magnificent views of Crescent Head beach.

Point Plomer stay

The view above is the view of the beach we see from our lounge and bedroom room in Priscilla at the Point Plomer campground. Point Plomer, just west of Kempsey and south of Crescent Head was recommended to us by some other grey nomads and it has, in my opinion, lived up to expectations. Andrew preferred Diamond Head but for me, the sight and sound of the sea right outside my bedroom is the ultimate pleasure.

All we need now is some good weather. The weather has been atrocious with rain and mud the order of the day. Point Plomer is one of 4 campgrounds south of Crescent Head and the one furtherest away. We had to drive through 17 kms of wet, potholed dirt road, made all the worst by the recent rains. The campground is one of the NSW national parks run ones and apart from toilets and non-drinking water, no earthly comforts are provided. At this one there are cold showers and at some others there is a good gas barbecue of which we availed ourselves. The cost is generally $10 per person which is not in my view all that cheap considering how little is being provided. But the grounds are well kept and the toilets clean. The gas barbecues too are kept in good condition.

As we are reasonably self sufficient with little need of power due to our four batteries and solar panels, we try to free camp as much as possible. I find there is something quite alluring in staying somewhere in the middle of nowhere and after a nice dinner, watching an episode or two of the West Wing on our DVD player. Some people call this "glamping". I like glamoing I have to say.

At Diamond Head campground

These photos were taken at our latest camping stop at Diamond Head in the Crowdy Bay National Park south of Port Macquarie. The shot of the beach is supposed to encompass the campground to the left where Priscilla can just be seen through the bushes fairly close to tbe beach. We took the 4.2km loop walk and saw many dolphins in the water which the next photo demonstrates. Kylie Tennant loved this area and one of the beaches is named after her.

Watch the dolphins to the top right of the rock.