We are off to Mylestom today and Margie and Mum are heading back to Sydney. The weather has been fabulous the last 5 days and we have had a great time with all our visitors and our trip to the Hunter Valley. Mum and Margie have really enjoyed themselves I am sure of that.
Daylight saving finishes in New South Wales on Saturday night so sunrise is at a reasonable hour. We all headed up to the lookout over the beach this morning to watch it rise over the water. We have seen the beautiful colours the last few mornings on our walks but haven't actually watched the sun come up. It was magnificent. There was a bit of cloud to bring out the colours and we really enjoyed the amazing scene. We even saw some dolphins.
Mum and Margie got away about 8, and we were away about 8.30. Bruce had found a voucher in one of the books given to us by the caravan park office when we checked in, saying there was a free gift for the month of March if you had a loyalty card, which we did, as we had stayed at 3 caravan parks in the same group of parks. When he asked about it yesterday at the office, they didn't know what to say. Obviously no one had asked about it. Anyway they said to see them when we checked out, which Bruce did. We got a $20 Shell fuel card, so were happy about that.
Moorland is a couple of hours north of Hawk's Nest and just off the highway. It is also where you turn off to a place called Hannam Vale and where Bruce spent his primary school days. His Mum and Dad had a dairy farm there right at the base of the mountains. It was a beautiful farm and it wasn't till Bruce's Mum, Glor, developed Alzheimers that they sold it. They moved to Sydney when Bruce reached high school but kept the farm and spent the school holidays there. There are now quite a few hobby farms in Hannam Vale but still some dairy farms.
In Moorland there is a café and along the highway they advertise as having the best scones on the coast. We have never stopped to try them, but decided that today we would have morning tea there. The scones were beautiful, with home made jam and real cream, not the horrible airy fairy stuff out of a can. It is situated in an old bakery built in 1922 and there were tables under a pergola and also spread out through the garden. We are so pleased we stopped.
When it was built, bread was 5 pence and a meat pie was 3 pence.
We got caught in a bad traffic accident at Kunderbung and traffic was banked up for about 10-15 kms and it took us over an hour to get through it. A large removalist truck towing a big trailer flipped and lost the trailer which was still upright but damaged all along the side and pushed in. The main part of the truck was on its side and the windscreen smashed. It was a bit of a mess and there was only one lane open. Some poor person will miss out on their furniture. Hope it's insured. Not sure about the driver as no doubt he had been taken to hospital.
With the upgrade of the Pacific Highway, the roadside rest stops have been redone. They are now really big affairs with plenty of parking, shelters and toilets. We saw "No Camping" signs on them, but they would be noisy places to stop anyway, being right on the highway. There is a free camp at Johns River at the Blacksmith's Creek Inn and Tavern. It is listed in the Camps 7 book and also Wikicamps as Blacksmith's Creek Inn and not as Johns River so some may miss it. It is off the highway.
We drove into Buledelah to get fuel and drove past the free camp spot on the river we had seen on our way down. There must have been a dozen vans camped there, so obviously a popular spot.
Due to the accident, we didn't arrive in Mylestom till about 3.30. A lovely looking caravan park and very quiet.
By the time we finished setting up we couldn't bother cooking. There is a Bowls Club here that has an Asian Restaurant and a Pizza/Pasta Restaurant. We ordered a couple of pizzas and brought them back to the van to have. They were very nice. Apparently the Asian Restaurant has won lots of awards for years and the same chef/s have been there for about the last 15 years. We will try it before we head home.
Friday, 4 April
The caravan park is quite large but very quiet. There are quite a few permanents, which has been the case in the 3 caravan parks we have stayed at. They put the families together at the other end of the park. Everyone is very friendly and the park has a good vibe to it. The amenities are very clean which is always good.
After breakfast we went for a walk. Mylestom is on the coast south of Coffs Harbour and Sawtell, but north of Urunga. It is also at the mouth of the Bellinger River. We walked up to the Surf Club and watched the ocean for a little while. The beach is patrolled on a Sunday morning from 10 - 1, so don't get into difficulties at any other time. Mylestom is only a small place and wouldn't have the resources to man it all the time.
From the beach, we walked down to the river. There is a general store in Mylestom, which is also the petrol station, the Post Office, newsagent, bait shop and café. It has a lovely deck out the front and side overlooking the river so we will try it for morning or afternoon tea at some stage. We walked along the river so Bruce could look for a spot to fish from. Some beautiful scenery.
While we were walking back to the caravan park, we came across this mosaic on the front of a building in a park. We are assuming it is the same artist who did the ones at Scott's Head, which is not far south from Mylestom. Lovely work.
I did some sewing today while Bruce went fishing, but came home empty handed, so it was a lovely relaxing day. It was a sunny day, although a bit of cloud came over as the day went on. In the afternoon though the wind really picked up and it was blowing a gale. Rain is forecast for either tomorrow or the next day, but it is looking pretty black at the moment. We may get to test out our roof again. Bruce has put some tape over the hole, but we will see what happens.
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