Day 37:- 29.4.08...Raymond Terrace to South West Rocks

Brrrrrrrrr!!!!!………. It’s a cold one this morning. A cool change has blown in over night and although it’s sunny there is a very cool breeze pushing away any heat that the sun is generating. We got moving early this morning.
The c.park (Bellhaven) is quite pleasant looking, with plenty of trees and grassed areas, but the place stinks!!!
I think the septics need to be pumped coz they are really on the nose. The sooner out the better eh.
At 10.15 we fire the Millennium Pajero up and we are ready to fly. The “Chariot of Love” is still attached from yesterday’s trip from Sydney, so it’s all systems go.
Straight out on to the Pacific Highway heading for…… we’re not sure.
Let’s just see where the road takes us.
First stop after about 50 minutes is Buledulah, a little hamlet about 70 k’s up the highway, for some morning tea, (coffee & hot chocs).
After this we take the coast road which once again is spectacular and picturesque in places and head for Forster / Tuncurry via Pacific Palms and the Myall Lakes National Park. Pacific Palms looks absolutely beautiful and very tempting, but we push on.
Lunch is at Forster/ Tuncurry which is about 25 k’s further on and is the home of the Australian Ironman Triathlon Race. Nothing much to report here. A bit too commercialised for my liking with 8/9 storey flats next to the lakes and the beachfront and a population that appears to consist of Lawn bowls playing retirees. The twin towns are actually quite large, but because the place is primarily set up for holidaymakers, it looks deserted in the non-holiday season.
We all have lunch in a local park next to the bridge that joins the 2 towns and the girls (all 4 of them), burn off some energy on some play equipment whilst Andrea and I decide where we are going to head for the evening. I manage to talk Andrea into pushing on to South West Rocks, which we have heard is a beautiful beach town about 100 k’s south of Coff’s Harbour.
We pass through many smallish towns on the way including Taree and experience a few hold-ups along the way due to the road improvement works that are occurring on along various stretches of the infamous Pacific Highway. At the largish town of Kempsey, on the Macleay River we turn off and head once again for the coast and our destination which is about 35 km’s to the north-east. At approx 5.00 p.m, we arrive at the Arakoon Conservation Area camp ground just as the sun is sinking towards the horizon. We have managed to travel about 320 k’s for the day, which is our record!!!
By 7.30 pm that evening we have set up, fed the kids and ourselves and the younger girls are in bed, asleep.
Not a bad effort. We sleep soundly knowing that in the morning when we awake we have at least 3 days to spend at this beautiful place.