NEW SOUTH WALES

NOTE all words in ITALICS were written on the trip

 

UPDATE 15/9/2008 We have now left the “first state” and Oz Stayed in the Holiday Inn Sydney Airport on the last night, sad to leave but also keen to return and see folk back in the UK. A superb holiday!!!Spent last 5 nights in Sydney party-ing Stayed 4 nights at Narabeen. Had a gr8 last day in central Sydney (11/9) Walked the beach and dunes of Narabeen for a last paddle (12/9) and watched the beach volleyball in Manly (13/9). 29c Hot, Hot, Hot! Previously - camped in Diamond Beach for 2 nights...you could hear the waves! Just down the road from Forster-Tuncurry. Camped again at our favourite campsite Darlington Beach above Coffs Harbour for 3 days. V sunny for 2 days, got sunburnt. the day b4 weather was BAD. rain and floods galore on 5/9 similar to UK Camped in Armidale after an “interesting” day Koala spotting NOT! Camped in Gunnedah, Koala capital of the world, New England, NSW Camped in Dubbo o/night Before that in Bourke (you don’t know Oz until you have been to Back o’Bourke) Went on a 4WD tour of Lightening Ridge, one of the weirdest places we have ever been, nomad/hippies/miners and then did some successful fossicking in the afternoon. Rained hard all day temp dropped from 33c to 16c overnight! Crossed back over into NSW (from Queensland) for the 4th and final time near Hebel, Outback QLD. Camped at Lightening Ridge, home of the Black Opal for 2 nights

UPDATE 24/7/2008 Now left NSW for the 3rd time, having moved up to the Gold Coast in Queensland, but we WILL BE BACK!!! Camped in Tweed Heads, 1k from Coolangatta in QLD Travelled here via Lennox Head, Byron Bay, Brunswick Heads, Hastings Point,Pottsville Kingscliff. Camped in Ballina. Drove there via Grafton, Casino & Lismore. Spent 4 days at Lake Darlington Beach campsite, 25 mins above Coffs Harbour, sub tropical luxury (2 pools & 2 hot tubs)! Beach / Pool or Pool/ Beach...decisions/ decisions! Our friendly roo couple and Joey visited our campervan 3 nights running Came here from Nambucca Heads. The weather is so good and the beaches so nice we are lingering in this area. Its a hard life but someone has gotta do it. Travelled to Nambucca Heads via TR 12 & 14 from South West Rocks where we stayed for 2 days. Temps again 23c Previously spent time on Crescent Head beach.

UPDATE 15/7/2008 Current - camping in South West Rocks for 2 days. It was very hot 2day, 23c and we spent a lot of it on the beach. Travelled here on tourist route 12 from Kempsey. Previously - Drove up from Port Macquarie to Kempsey after gr8 day at Billabong Wildlife park (see the piccies) and lunch in pancake house in Town Camped in Port Macquarie (PM) for 2 days, we love the place. "Life's a beach then you die" PM has 11 beaches, we saw 3 oh and temps of 22c and sun help! Also saw the Koala hospital. Take a look at The Koala Hospital website to get an idea, read some copies of Gum Tips.... Drove to PM having visited Port Stephens area where we camped at Anna bay o/night. Immense sanddunes (highest & longest in Southern hemisphere. Stretch to Newcastle. Visited the wonderful Palm beach then drove up Pacifc Hwy (Nat1) past Lake Macquarie and the Entrances area (sea lakes) Camped at Narabeen lakes, Sydney North Shore Visited Annie old school and house and place of work Snow in OZ 4 Us 9/7/2008 on way back from Jenolan Caves, bad news! Camped at Lithgow. Saw Blue Mts at Blackheath from Evans & Govetts lookouts (ace) and the overwhelming Jenolan Caves Staying in Katoomba having seen the Wonderful Blue Mts and Botany Bay . Sneaked a 2nd view of BMts on morning of 9/7 as v sunny. Beforehand we stayed overnight in a motel (luxury) in the Sutherland/ Cronulla suburbs of south Sydney as no campsites and late! Travelled all the way up the new Grand Pacific Drive (NSW answer to Vic's GOR, maybe!) from Shoalhaven Heads to the Royal Nat Park via Kiama, Shellharbour, Wollongong and Sea Cliff Bridge to mention a few sights. Stayed at Shoalhaven TT site. Travelled from Batemans Bay thru Basin view, St Georges basin, Sanctuary Point, Jervis Bay Nat Park V sunny 20c+, best day weatherwise for a while From Tathra to Batemans Bay, where we stayed. Met 2 very nice ladies whilst we watched the Dolphins off Tathra Head, chatted for an hour. Sunny & warm, 18c Returned to NSW for the 3rd time on 4/7 from Victoria Drove thru Eden, the Sapphire Coast Hwy into Tathra where we camped on the beach front. V sunny day

UPDATE 9/6/2008 Left NSW for the 2nd time Drove from a very wet Outback NSW down the Silver City Highway across the border into Victoria & Mildura via Wentworth. before that we visited Silverton Ghost town (scene of Mad Max) and Broken Hill. Rained all day so went to see the new Indy movie! Arrived in NSW on 7/6 from Peterborough, SA via the rather desolate Barrier Highway, Emu count 4, Wild Goat count and Road Trains huge! Camped in Broken Hill for 2 days

UPDATE 12/4/2008 Left NSW for 1st time Sydney: Gr8 days - Visited Victoria gallerys, China town & Gardens, Rozelle Bay and Paddy's market Taronga Zoo & saw Swan Lake ballet @ Opera House Plus visited Watson bay, Manly & Paramatta river via Sydney Ferries. Monorail (all stops), Endeavour and the Maritime Museum, Darling harbour & Imax Also spent the day doing the tourist stuff, open topped bus round city centre, plus to Bondi, Rose Bay and Double P(B)ay, ace weather Arrived Sydney 5/4/2008. Going to see Swan Lake ballet @ Opera House 10/4 Arrive 5/4 staying in Travelodge Wentworth, just down from Hyde Park for 7 days

We visited the Opera House and saw swan lake, Palm beach we loved, Port Macquarie & the Koala hospital, Lightening Ridge quirky bottle houses and opal. See our 1995 trip here and we just had to go back for our 4th , but hopefully not final time in 2013. It wasn't we also returned in 2017.

Summary: NSW 46 days , Stay 1 Day 163-170, 5/4-12/4/2008,Stay 2 Day 226-228, 7-9/6/2008, Stay 3 Day 253-273,4/7-24/7/2008,Final Stay Day 310-326,30/8-15/9/2008

 

ALSO THE 1st 6 Slidesshow reference this detail

 

New South Wales – Australia 3 visits, 46 days in total Part1 of 6, during the period 5 Apr-15 Sep 2017

From our travels, gap year, New South Wales – Australia 3 visits, 46 days in total, during the period 5 Apr-15 Sep 2017, in 6 parts reconstructed Nov2020, including 297 images being a summary of the much larger collection, covering plus a whole lot more the following,Darlington beach, arrawarra, Sydney, corindi beach, gunnedah, luna park, opera house, harbour bridge, ferrys, manly, watsons bay, doyles, scotia, broken hill, Ballarat, bendigo,brewarrina, bush melons, turtles, Byron bay, cadmans cottage, camel rocks, sandunes, port stephens, diamond beach, big 4 campsites, motorhome travels,charlotte arch, jenolean caves, lightening ridge, opals, circular quay, Chinese gardens, harbourside, coffs harbour, big banana, naff ozzie icons, crocodile Dundee, outback, botany bay, darling river, bourke, pandanas, beaches to die for, tropical birds, classy ads, dingoes, ice cube restaurant,emus, billabong park, port Macquarie, woolongong, Pittwater bay,Flynn beach, pelicans,roos, lennox point, fishing, galahs, fredo’s pies, Kempsey,fruit bats, botanical gardens, gilbert st, manly, where annie lived, Gosford, govetts leap, bridal veil falls, grose river, govetts creek, the Liverpool plain, hastings point, hat head, Nambucca head, national parks, hebel, wurrumbungle NP, snakes, jubilee caves, caves house, floods, Bellinger river, imperial cave, black head lagoon, narabeen, wattle, hyams beach, squeaky sand, mrs macquaries chair, mystery bay, seacliff bridge,surfing, south west rocks, kiama, blowholes, kookaburra, ku-ring-ai chase, leura,lifeguards, bore holes, hot sulphur springs, nyngan, cobb and co, bellambi beach, Lithgow, trangie, mad max, silverton, beach volleyball,Mitchell highway,myall lakes, joeys, monorail, norah heads,north haven, camp cove, pitch d6 darlington, bbqs,cresent head,tuggerah lakes, crocs maybe?,palm beach, woy woy,possums, whitegum lookout, quoll, banksia, tahra, wapango creek, sea food platter, shark nets, shell harbour, Sherman, Sherrard falls, dorrigo, split rock, st George, sturt, tamworth, country music, terigal, ocean drive, the orphan, blue mountains, katoomba,smoky cape lighthouse, dubbo, thunderbolt kid, urella, tilba, sapphire coast,top tourist campsites, trial bay, bondi beach, reids point, lookouts galore, copacobanna beach, wicked vans, woolgoolga