Harrington to Ballina

February 19 to February 26

Crowdy Head

Sunday was a relaxing beach day at Crowdy Head. We have been asked many times if we have found a better place to live than the Sunshine Coast on our travels. We have certainly found some fantastic places at just the right time of the year, but none that would match South East Queensland year round. However the Mid North Coast of NSW would be a close second, and Crowdy Head leads the pack.

Around 3pm the storms rolled in again, so we packed up and drove 25km to Coopernook Hotel, where you can stay overnight in their grassed car park. We treated ourselves to a pizza from the pub for dinner, after the storms cleared.

Monday we drove a short distance up the highway to Laurieton, at the southern end of the coastal townships that link to Port Macquarie. The shire here have a very flexible attitude to overnight stopping for self-contained vehicles, and fortunately this hasn’t changed. After some shopping we drove around the river to Dunbogan and Pilot Beach, at the mouth of the Camden Haven River. We did some beach walking and I had a fish off the rocks, with no success. We stayed here overnight.

Pilot Beach

Tuesday we did more walking along the river and beach and exploring around Laurieton. In the afternoon we drove north to Frederickton, near Kempsey. The golf club encourages RV’s to stay overnight in their car park. It is a quiet, picturesque place and handy to the highway.

Wednesday we spent the day at Crescent Head, east of Kempsey. A well-known surf break (dead flat on this visit) and another favourite NSW spot of ours. Wednesday night we were back at the Frederickton Golf Club.

Thursday we continued our northward travels, heading into Urunga for the day. A slightly busier beach town with a very long river boardwalk to the ocean outlet (see photo).

Frederickton Golf Club Overnight Stop

In the afternoon we continued north to get around Coffs Harbour. For some reason the highway upgrades haven’t bypassed Coffs, and the painful drive through all the traffic lights continues. We stopped just north of Coffs at Sandy Beach, another “secret spot” one of the residents recommended many years ago. We are normally on our own, but two other motorhomes were already there when we arrived. A terrific spot right at the beach, the sound of surf to send you to sleep.

Friday we enjoyed a morning beach walk before continuing north. There is a lot of roadworks and delays as they replace pretty much all the Pacific Highway north of Port Macquarie. Thankfully we were in no rush and only travelling a hundred odd kilometres each step, but it does double your travel time.

Urunga Broadwalk

We had lunch at Harwood, a pretty river town west of Yamba, before visiting New Italy. We have driven past New Italy heaps of times without stopping, so this time we did. New Italy was settled in the late 1800’s after Australia’s first refugees arrived from Italy. After a lengthy “assimilation” program, they chose to settle in this region, and a museum and garden area has been established to celebrate the history of the area and its pioneers. It was surprisingly interesting and very well researched. 

Broadwater Rest Stop by the Richmond River

We drove a short distance north to Broadwater, where a rare, off the highway, quiet overnight rest area exists on the road to Coraki, in Northern NSW. Due to the crazy number of “Hippy Van” backpackers in this region, most of the local councils have restricted the options for free overnight parking.

Saturday we arrived in Ballina and checked in to the Shaws Bay Caravan Park. We have holidayed at Ballina dozens of times over the past 30 years.

We will be home on the Sunshine Coast in a week, in the mean time we will enjoy catching up with some friends and family between here and home.