Crossing the border to New South Wales (NSW) at Tweed Heads, was sheer delight. I have a real soft spot for NSW. It was home for me as a teenager, I started my nursing in Sydney and my eldest son was born at Wollongong Hospital.

Our route was along the Pacific Hwy and Dunoon Road, through Mullumbimby, Dunoon to Lismore. We choose Lismore because it was central to the places we wanted to go. The caravan park was The Roadrunner about 10 minutes from the city centre. Our spot was great, close to the amenities – however, I was not keen on the amenities block. We had a key to open the gate which led to the bathrooms, no one uses keys for amenities blocks these days – the building was old and dark. The park was cheap only $39 per night – guess sometimes this is a red flag however, for us it was great, quiet and clean. There were some local residents who have lived there since the last floods.

Ballina – Bundjalung Nation – Nyangbul people

I was last in Ballina 7 years ago and it had not changed much, although I did not see the Big Prawn, this was new for me – it seemed a little quiet and it was sad to see some empty shops. The Richmond River is the main river which enters the Pacific Ocean- we had lunch near the beach and the coffee was great – I watched as the honey eaters were playing up in the gum tree. I also went for a short walk on the beach; however, it was a bit windy – there were no shells.

Byron Bay – Bundjalung Country

Leaving Lismore along the Bangalow Road, past Bexhill, our next small town was Clunes. This town had a host of small churches (couldn’t get Me C to stop) and some charming crafty shops. We did stop at the General Store to buy some flowers and some delish banana bread. Our drive to Byron Bay was an amazing drive, winding roads, through some spectacular luscious green almost rainforest. I noticed showcase letterboxes such as brightly coloured dogs, cats, cows, microwaves, old fridges. People were very creative when it came to their letterboxes – it did make for an interesting drive. The driving time along this scenic route was about 50 mins, that accounts for getting lost. The journey back was much quicker along the main drag – maybe 40 mins.

The beaches at Bryon Bay were stunning and beautiful to swim in. Byron Bay seems an upmarket kind of place with lots of new age shops, alternative lifestyles, holistic wellness retreats (that did seem very expensive), many clothing stores and an array of eateries. We had dinner down a lane way that turned into an outdoor food market – I had fish and chips and Mr C had octopus salad, needless to say we shared.

Kingscliff is another beautiful part of the world – my friend Helen graciously showed us around her neck of the woods. What a wonderful place she lives in. The beach is pristine and where the river exits makes for a great place for the kids to swim. There is an array of eateries across from the beach. Together with boutique shops to appease any shopper, I steered clear as I didn’t want to be tempted to buy anything.

Both of us being midwives, she showed me the new Tweed Valley Hospital soon to be opened, it looked impressive from the outside. Here’s hoping it is everything they hope it would be.

There are so many beautiful beaches and quaint towns in this area: Cabarita Beach, Chinderah, Pottsville, Cudgen, Murwillumbah and Fingal. I can’t remember all the places we went only it was all very pretty. We saw some of the most expensive houses on millionaire’s row…. a little too big for my liking. We had a fabulous day.

The Tweed River is a mighty river, it’s so beautiful however, the danger of flooding is ever present – it’s amazing to see houses still being built near the river knowing that a flood is possible – I don’t think I would risk it and if I did, I would build on stilts. Lunch was at the Historic Tumbulgum Tavern, it was a perfect day. I think it’s always good to see a town by a local person, they know the place and its history – thanks Helen, very grateful.

Lismore – Bundjalung Nation

I didn’t know what to expect from Lismore, I just remember they had bad floods last year, most of the CBD was flooded. The Lismore visitors centre was closed still under repair from the floods, so this put us on a back foot. There was still evidence of a city recovering from the flood. Most of the time we were in Lismore it rained.

We kept seeing signs everywhere for Koala’s -“lookout Koala’s are here, drive safely” Koala’s cross here” – certainly not when we were around – did not see one Koala in the wild, despite all these signs. We went to the Friends of the Koala’s that is in the grounds of the University – this is where I purchased a friend for Fat Cat, Kez the Koala, it was a donation to the Koala hospital which looks after the sick Koala’s of the area.

We went to the local shopping centre for our usual supplies, Lismore had all the shops any large city has plus a Cathedral. There were many old beautiful buildings around the city.

One day on our return from Byron Bay, the havens opened up and the rain just came down – it was pouring, so heavy. At one stage I said to Mr C, “I can’t see the road in front of me, I am going to pull over” and so I did, we waited about half an hour and then I continued back to the caravan. It was scary. When we returned to the caravan, people at the site had put our chairs under the caravan and put our awning away for us – what a kind gesture.

It’s been an interesting time in Lismore, we had the most rain ever. camping /caravaning when it rains is horrible, not only are you confined to inside, but you have to close the vents – I felt claustrophobic. it was awful. I was disappointed not to see a koala, given all the signs around Lismore. We loved Byron Bay and Kingscliff. We are travelling well, no major arguments – all is well in our world. If it rains too much more, I’m coming home sooner.

Next stop is Nambucca Heads – see you at the next blog.