• Rob and Pam T
  • Rob and Pam T

Tamworth and other Festivals

January 2018 - March 2019 Lue lisää
  • Taree, NSW

    29. maaliskuuta 2018, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    We stopped for a while in Taree at the side of the river. It was just in time to witness the annual Easter egg hunt. A thousand or so chocolate eggs scattered on the lawn. 200 children and off they go. In a few minutes all the eggs have been found and the unlucky ones or late comers given some extra eggs that were held back. Gotta feel for the parents that night.Lue lisää

  • Glenreagh Camping ground

    1. huhtikuuta 2018, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Every now and then we find another memorable camp. Here we had a nice area to set up camp, good amenities and a modest pricing. Tonight is a full moon, but more than that it is a blue or harvest moon. Nature put on a fantastic rising moon show and lit the night for us.

    When we left the next day we noticed a huge dog like sculpture. We think it is meant to be a dingo and probably designed to make the shop more noticeable.
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  • Glenreagh Rail Station remains.

    1. huhtikuuta 2018, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    This station must have been an important stop in days of steam. The massive water tank make one think of many engines picking water as they steam up and down the line. It looks like a long time ago since there were people at the station and even longer since the tank watered steam engines. The last steam engines would have been retired in the1970's.

    Diesel engines were introduced that only required a couple of drivers. As more people can own their own cars the trains become less used. Towns all along the rail lines dissappear unless they get reinvented for other activities. Now Glenreagh is a mere whisper of its glorious steam filled past.
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  • Clarence River Gorge

    7. huhtikuuta 2018, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    The Gorge is a great photo opportunity. A short but scenic boat ride up the river with a couple of adventure points. Willow tree falls is the end of the line. The boat does not have the required power for a vertical climb. Lots of photos and video at the right time of day for great memories. Sadly we did not have enough time to do the walk up to the main falls. We will have to add this place to the supplementary bucket list.Lue lisää

  • Maclean, NSW

    11. huhtikuuta 2018, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Maclean Bicentennial Memorial Cairn commemorates the Scottish settlers.

    Stones to build the cairn came from parts of Scotland and locally. The initial Bicentennial gift of a cairn was attractive to many towns in Australia with links to Scotland but the town of Maclean was the eventual recipient.

    Maclean had a large number of Scottish immigrants on free or assisted passage.

    http://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/landscap…
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  • Yamba, NSW

    12. huhtikuuta 2018, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    There is still a registered port at Yamba. Rarely used now since the supply ships for Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands moved their operations to Lake Macquarie. There are still quite a few cane farms with a couple of mills.

    This part of the world though is the centre of a huge prawn industry. A major portion of the catch heads off to Sydney.

    Other than that this is a bustling coastal holiday area with huge caravan and cabin parks and many holiday units.

    The sea here is dramatic. With not coastal reef to calm the wave action, the waves crash heavily on the rocky points. Behind the protective headlands in the inlets and bays there are many popular areas to enjoy.
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  • Yamba Headland, NSW

    12. huhtikuuta 2018, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    The ocean here puts on a great show of the power of the waves. Relentlessly crashing onto the rocks, one can stand and watch the show for ages. The more adventurous can stand on the flat rock surface and enjoy the spray showering when a ready big wave hits.

    The area is postcard perfect at this time of year for dramatic and colourful photography. Whether one enjoys the spectacle of the sea, scenic shoreline vistas or the watching of dolphins as they dine and play just off the beach, Yamba has something for everyone.

    The first photo is the lighthouse that warns ships of the treacherous coastline. A much older lighthouse is located further up the hill from the current lighthouse. If you look towards the building in the background you will see the old lighthouse just to the left.
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  • Alstonville Showgrounds

    14. huhtikuuta 2018, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    One of the places travellers can stop for the night is one of the many showgrounds. Here in Alstonville the ground d's are well cared for and the amenities unties clean.

    The cost to stay in most of these kind of places is generally a little cheaper than caravan parks. In many cases though there are no caravan parks in these towns so this is a way to encourage travellers and get a bit more happening in the town.

    The building to the right in the photo is apparently called the "Bullpit Bar". Some people just can't spell properly. I can imagine at showtime and when events are held here this would be a bustling place.
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  • Devine Hill, Brunswick Heads

    15. huhtikuuta 2018, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    This is a spot not to miss. The potholes on the road up the hill should definitely be missed. These are the grandaddy potholes. The kind you need to turn in your light to se out kind.

    Once at the lookout we were treated to some nice views with Cape Byron to the south. The park is a Lions park and dedicated to the Lions club charter president, J D Richardson. A short walk takes you to a small knoll with even better views.

    If you decide to have lunch here, make sure you are prepared for the magpies. They are a highly organised group of grifters out to aquire your food by any means they can.
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  • Hastings Point, NSW

    15. huhtikuuta 2018, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    This is a beautiful spot to visit but probably not on the last Sunday of Queensland school holidays and the first Sunday of NSW school holidays.

    We waited a while and eventually got a park so we could wander and enjoy. There were many swimmers and surfers. Such a good fine and pleasant day it is really no wonder. The roads may be gridlocked later though.Lue lisää

  • Cabarita Beach Surf Club.

    15. huhtikuuta 2018, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Nearing the end of the day touring the northern NSW beaches we stopped at the surf club for a gourmet steak burger and coffee. The upper veranda view was very easy to take as we enjoyed the meal.

    Walking down to the beach there were a couple of posters done by local schoolchildren warning people to be careful of endangered birds found on the beach. The beach stone curlew lays its eggs on the beach and hatches them there. Sadly it nests at time when people are very active on the beach. The other threatened bird on the beach in peak times is the pied oystercatcher. Both these birds have suffered habitat loss and feral cats and foxes.
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  • Moo Moore Cafe, Mooball, NSW

    15. huhtikuuta 2018, Australia ⋅ 🌙 25 °C

    Driving along the Tweed Valley highway from Murwillumbah towards Mullumbimby one will pass via Mooball. You know you are entering Mooball when you see the cow inspired power poles along the roadside. Here there is a roadhouse-cafe called the Moo Moo Cafe. Out the front is a monster motorbike.

    No doubt there is a story to go with this but we have no clue. It is a real 8 foot high machine powered by a car engine with a huge chain drive. It is large enough to carry a Brahman bull so I'm guessing it mighr be a Cow-a-Saki. I expect it was originally built and used for exhibition but that is only a guess. It most likely had a previous life elsewhere.

    Having already had a meal we did not visit the Cafe. Apparently the menu is motorbike inspired with delights such as a chicken chopper burger. Now on the future list.

    A little research has discovered that the Cafe was originally called the Mooball Cafe. It has been reinvented and includes an attached speed shop. The owner has several vintage vehicles on display.

    The 3 times oversize motorbike was meant to rival the other big attractions in the area like the big banana and the big prawn, but the owner very nearly landed a whopping fine. The bike is a replica of the YZR500 ridden by Wayne Rainey in 1993. It was used for promotion of the 1993 Grand Prix. After that it was purchased by a Ducati dealership. Eventually it went to a motorcycle museum where it deteriorated over time and needed extensive restoration.

    The owner of the Moo Moo Cafe bought it from the museum and spent hundreds of hours restoring it. He even repainted it and trimmed it as it was originally presented, just like the finish of the original bike. That however was sponsored by Marlboro. The name being on the bike constituted an advertising violation with the penalty being a $20,000 fine.

    The owner put his case that he bought it like that and that was its original trim and it was actually a unique piece of promotional history. In the end he had to remove the Marlboro decals and it is now as pictured. To add further insult, all of the photos used in Facebook and other media had to be removed and then replaced without the decals. Ironically, the Cafe does not even sell tobacco products.
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  • Borderline.

    16. huhtikuuta 2018, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    We left NSW behind us and ventured back into Qld. From here it was a short way to the log cabin camp that we would stay at for 3 nights. While we were here it rained a little so it was a day or two of rest with one night Taki G a drive down to Chechnya out the glow worms.

    Taking the crossing over the mountain at this point is a very steep climb. Times like this we are glad of our light van. The run down the Queensland side is not as steep.
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  • Glow Worms at Springbrook

    16. huhtikuuta 2018, Australia ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    Springbrook National Park is home to the largest colony of glow worms in Australia. These creatures are not really worms but the larval stage of a fly. The fly only lives for a couple of days but the larvae life for around 8-9 months.

    The glow attracts its prey of mosquitoes and sandflies into its sticky strands of web. We need more of these guys. Sadly they only survive in quite wet areas.
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