Back to the beach

Day 17 - Sheba Dam to Nundle to Ellenborough Reserve

After a quick walk around Sheba Dam (there are two) and Steve quickly wetting a line (still no luck), we drove back down the hill to Nundle. 

Here we visited the Nundle Woollen Mill - an old style wool mill that still operates today (although it wasn't running for our visit).

It was lovely to see all the old fashioned wools and the many articles that can be made from it.  It's a rare thing these days, and after seeing the prices of garments in the shop, it is easy to see why 'real' wool is not so common these days.  Those merinos produce expensive wool!

Also in Nundle was a Gold Mine Museum, part of which was actually an old mine.  The area was established on gold mining in the mid 1800's and apparently when it was first discovered, lucky fossickers could find sizeable nuggest just sitting on top of the dirt.  It's not so obvious today but fossicking is still a popular pastime in the area.   We all enjoyed the museum which highlighted the equipment used by the miners to find gold.  As always, Mitch was fascinated by the gold guard and his gun...

Maggie and Stewie followed the rail line...

From Nundle we started towards Port Macquarie, stopping along the way at Apsley Falls (more heights to make me fill giddy)...

and Tia Falls and Gorge...

By then, it was getting late and the drive was starting to get a little more difficult.  It was a winding, steep, dark road through rainforest that was very slow going with the caravan.  There were also lots of cautions "Falling Rocks", "Kangaroos", "Unfenced Road" and Roadworks but we pushed on to reach Ellenborough Reserve (after our GPS sent us down a dead end) in pitch black.  After a record time set up, the kids were bundled into bed and we finally got to catch our breath.

Day 18  To Port Macquarie

On waking we discovered we were actually in a very picturesque spot beside the Hastings River and would like to have had time to explore it further, but not today.  We set off early for Port Macquarie to enjoy some sunshine at the beach (after being washed out at Lennox Head) and recharge a little.  The caravan park is right on the Town Beach and next to a skate park - perfect for little people...

...and not so little people!

Day 19

Another beautiful day at Port Macquarie. After homework etc we headed to the beach for a swim.  The surf was perfect for the kids and they finally got to have a good surf on their boards.

After lunch we ventured south to have a look at all the beaches.  The whole coastline was quite spectacular and we discovered some gorgeous spots that we'd happily come back to any day. Here's a couple...

One of our favourites was North Haven which straddles the surf and river and is a good fishing spot (for those that can catch fish!).  This is a view from the river back to the mountains around the small township...

Day 20

For our last day in Port Macquarie, we headed in a different direction to see Ellenborough Falls.  These are the second highest falls in the southern hemisphere (of course Queensland has the highest)...

We thought the trip to the falls would be a couple of hours round trip, but again didn't count on the winding, dirt road, up a mountain and full of potholes.  We've decided to factor all trip time calculations by x1.5 to see if we can get our timing right.  Everything seems to take a lot longer than we anticipate, which can have its issues when there are 3 little people who get hungry every 2 minutes.

Despite the time it took to get there, it was well worth it.  The sheer power of the waterfall was breathtaking.  Here's the view from the top...

...and a little further down (a bit of video going on here).

There was an option to walk to the bottom of the falls, the only catch being it is very steep and there are 641 steps.  It was a unanimous decision to take the walk, we couldn't come this far and miss doing that.  It meant all those leg muscles that have been getting a work out were called on again, each doing a silent groan.  But we took it on and there were no complaints...

Once at the bottom you could appreciate the full force of the water.  This is where the falls hit the bottom and there is a constant screen of water spray...

Everyone made it to the top again OK.  Stewie used 'rocket' buttons on the Buzz Lightyear shirt he was wearing to power him to the top.  He was amazing and I couldn't believe it when he ran the last little bit to meet his Dad (Mum was still straggling behind).

From Port Macquarie we are heading south.  More on that next time.  Please say hello in the comments section below, we love hearing from you all.

Sam