Yamba to Bingara

Stamper battery at the old gold mne

Done and dusted and first to leave the Caravan park at Yamba by 7:30am.

We drove to Grafton and problems emerged with the fuel gauge that remained unresolved throughout the day. Ignored it. Climbed the big hill to the top of Gibraltar Range without any problem. Stuck to 2000 revs and the Forester pulled the Avan up the hill with no problems at all. Had a cuppa at Gibraltar Range NP.

On to Glen Innes and then Inverell for lunch, where we discovered that we had inadvertently spewed awning poles across the road when the pin dropped out of hinge which formed a small trap door on the back bumper and retained the poles. One of the poles is such a specific height that it is unlikely I can replace it anywhere except Avan service centre at Morisset. With the 12 volt water pump packing it in on top of the mains pressure water problem, our fate is now sealed for a trip to Morisset on the way to Broken Hill. Damn!

Stopped in at the Myall Creek Massacre Memorial between Delungra and Bingara. It was Sue's first visit. Very moving.

Arrived at 3:00pm at the Council run caravan park in Bingara and located ourselves along the fence line at the back of the park. Managed to readily identify several other things about the Avan that need fixing so the detour to Morissett will be worthwhile. Went for a short but uninformed car tour of the town and were surprised by what we found. Sightseeing in the morning and then off to Warialda early tomorrow evening as I deliver a Black Dog Institute program.

TODAY'S PHOTOS

Only after that do we reluctantly go back to Morisset! Busily re-planning our trip. Joys of being on the road.

The Gwydir River was lovely in the golden glow of the dying day.

Yamba 2014 - Day One

The road beckoned ... screamed, actually. After months of watching nervous energy and the decision making of my son and his now new bride, two days after the wedding of the century, we answered it's call.

We didn't answer it quickly though. There were suits to return, items to pick up from scattered locations about out town and the last of our guests to farewell and there was ... as Dylan once put it ... one more cup of coffee for the road. Somewhere after mid morning, that suggested a fast approaching lunch, we left the city limits for Yamba on the NSW North Coast.

Our track was the more convention one, given that we are now towing the Avan Cruiser on it first excursion longer than a few days. North to Armidale and Glen Innes and the eats to Gratfon and Yamba.

The external temperature which had only just been in double figures when we left Tamworth, dropped suddenly as we crested the Moonbi Hills and started out plot along the Northern Tablelands and by the time we reached. Guyra for a late lunch, it was sleeting and 2C. The Caltex Roadhouse on the northern outskirts of town served up a roast lamb lunch and a bottomless mug of tea that hit the spot nicely but sooner, rather than later, we had to make a break for the car and the weather was foul.

After our turn to the east at Glen Innes through scenery which is always at its starkest on days like these, we had settled into the rhythm of the drive and I was noticing a sway in the trailer which hadn't been present on our shorter trips. It didn't take long to realise that mounting of the push bikes on the van's trailing bumper and the extra weight of a full pack of clothes and food, had changed the weight distribution and towing characteristics. Anti-sway bars will be necessary after this trip.

We had a brief stop at Gibraltar Range NP information kiosk and picnic area so Sue could stretch her back. It wasn't sleeting but it was still cold.

Down the mountain and onto the coastal plain under very light traffic conditions and on to Yamba. Arriving an hour after dark - something I am quick to criticise in others - we quickly and quietly set up like a well drilled team.

No traditional first night seafood as everything was shut!

The weather promises warmth and clear skies and we intend to hold it to its promise. Better still, we'll be meeting up with old friends, Markus and Virginia Richardson from Melbourne who are on their way home after completing the Big Loop. Rich stories to share.

Yamba 2013 - Day 1

Fish & chips for dinner

At times, Sue's incapacity can be awkward. Walking around with a time bomb ready to detonate between L4 and L5 is no easy task. Once carefree and willing to try anything, she lives with the danger of picking up shoes. Not a person easily given to limitation, any constriction is an irritant. Add a heavy cold and rain and her favourite place - yes, even more favoured than a certain European destination - and you have a frustrated wild child, fighting pointlessly with valour toward no end.

Then there's the little piece-picker-upper that is me.

Journeys represent significant workloads when your partner in time can't do much but sit there and look cute. You pack it all up, turn it all off, lock it all down ... drive for six hours with long breaks to allow for rest and recovery ... and then you do the reverse at the other end ... only to discover its raining and you have now caught the edges of the cold she has been snotting, coughing and wheezing up all week ...

... but it's not home, the ocean is out there through the fog somewhere and if you have a second, runaway home, this is it.

We were later than desired leaving Tamworth for a variety of technical reasons and weren't disappearing up the Cockburn River Valley towards Moonbi until most of the morning was spent. The rain which had arrived during the previous evening latched a towing rope to the Forester and tagged along with us for most the journey. A long stop at the roadhouse at Guyra for lunch and frivolous chatting was our first stop. We left well fed and laughing.

Everywhere on the tablelands was wet and cold and miserable. Sue had talked about work for most of the moments of the first leg of the journey to Guyra, so I set the iPod to classic rock and drowned out the background hum, eventually beating difficult personalities, inadequacies in the funding system and the heartbreak of children no one cares for ... etc ... into submission under a 4/4 beat. Deep Purple and Grand Funk Railroad finally put our holiday on the road.

The fog thickened as we headed north west and a departure point from the tablelands at Gibraltar Range NP. In late afternoon light muted by constant rain and fog, the giant ferns took on a deep green glow as the most obvious vanguards of might have been an advancing nature. The road seemed narrower today. Over the leap and down the mountain pass, the road sides closed in dramatically, with two landslides reducing us to a single lane and turn-taking with approaching mountain climbers. On the eastern side of the range, the cloud thinned to sunshine and the fog was frightened away by the warmer coastal air.

Our pace quickened as we met and travelled with the Mann River. Its odd topography makes it appear to be flowing uphill. Its other unusual trait, is being the same river you drive beside when you make the descent of the tablelands along the Old Grafton Road.

The rest of the trip was quick but we sill arrived after sunset. Having rented the same flat for nine years, there's always a comfort in opening the door.

The evening was spent in the company of family in the unit owned by Sue's brother Lance. It's always good to catch up by being in the same room. Despite smart phone, emails and social media keeping us "closer" than in the dark ages of my early adulthood, sitting across the table from an anecdote still rates as the superior experience. For Sue and I, spending some time with nephew John and niece Flick, was the most treasured of these few hours. Strong and independent and both studying law, their sharp minds and courageous spirit is a recommendation for the mother they lost in brutal suddenness only two months ago. As the crazy uncle, I play no favourites but I really enjoy their company. A light shines from both of them.

Bed ... rain ... the sound of an ocean angry that it's not permitted to sparkle ... and a warm doona.