Coffs Harbour, 22nd - 23rd July

From the low point of the Challis Lodge in Sydney (motto: "They lied"), there's really only one way to go. The Ocean Parade Motel in Coffs is superb. $55 a night, for a wonderfully large and comfortable room, in a modern motel block, with on-site parking, a covered BBQ area, extremely friendly and helpful proprietors, and a parade of restaurants 5 minutes down the road. The contrast is almost too much; we feel rather like we've died and gone to Heaven. Even if that is the case, the Bush Turkey restaurant fulfills our more corporeal needs, as does the bottle shop next door. Out of a parade of maybe a dozen restaurants, the Bush Turkey is the one we settle on; it seems as good a choice as any. Food good, wine good, beer good. One or two of the more elaborate dishes seem a bit overworked by comparison with the plainer meals. But that's not a severe criticism of a good value and enjoyable meal.

The 600 k or so that we've put between us and Sydney have made quite a difference to the climate, and we can sit out on the balcony with a bottle of wine quite comfortably. So we do...

Friday 23rd. We're a little shaky at breakfast; I'm hung over, the rest of the crew are still jetlagged. Idly, we pick up a leaflet advertising whale-watching, and wonder. Our host spends a couple of minutes on the phone negotiating a good price, and by 8.30 we're climbing on board the Pacific Explorer. And we see whales! Actual bloody great big whales! For $35 each, it's remarkably good value. Those of us who spend more time staring at the bottom of a bucket, and wondering when it will all stop, may well disagree. One man (who resembles a cetacean of some kind himself) lies down, as the boat leaves the quay, and never stirs for the next 4 hours.

Later, back on dry land we visit Coffs Harbour Botanic Gardens. Hell, it's my 3rd botanic gardens in 5 days. But it's really rather wonderful, laid out with various trails to follow, complete with Mangrove Boardwalk (which I can't fail but associate with some kind of hip dance), and a great selection of plants and trees from around the world. Free admission, too. We decide, Coffs Harbour being an equitable sort of place, to stay another night, rather than move on.

Seized with bold visions, when in Rome, and all that, we decide to have a BBQ. Hmmm. Well, all the kit is there, but we're not exactly dab hands, we buy cheap meat and cheap sausages, and we're a bit short of lighting around the BBQ. So it's not the best meal we ever ate...

Stumbling round my room later, I tread on my one remaining pen. Bugger. Ach well, it still writes.

Click thumbnails to view large images in a new window.
All images are © Robin Somes 2004 - .
If you would like to use an image, please contact me.

Leaving Coffs Harbour	Leaving Coffs Harbour	Leaving Coffs Harbour	Leaving Coffs Harbour	Leaving Coffs Harbour
Leaving Coffs Harbour	Humpback whales, Coffs Harbour	Humpback whales, Coffs Harbour	Humpback whales, Coffs Harbour	Humpback whales, Coffs Harbour
Humpback whales, Coffs Harbour	Humpback whales, Coffs Harbour	Humpback whales, Coffs Harbour	Coffs Harbour	Humpback whales, Coffs Harbour
Humpback whales, Coffs Harbour	Humpback whales, Coffs Harbour	Humpback whales, Coffs Harbour	Coffs Harbour	Humpback whale, Coffs Harbour
Humpback whales, Coffs Harbour	Beach, Coffs Harbour	Beach, Coffs Harbour	Botanic Gardens, Coffs Harbour	Banana, Botanic Gardens
Mangrove, Botanic Gardens	Mangrove, Botanic Gardens	Stag's-horn, Botanic Gardens	Botanic Gardens	Botanic Gardens
Rainbow lorikeets, Botanic Gardens	Rainbow lorikeets, Botanic Gardens	Rainbow lorikeets, Botanic Gardens	Protea, Botanic Gardens	Protea, Botanic Gardens