We managed to dodge the rain around the state and squeeze in a 10 day caravan trip which took us to the North Coast of NSW then inland. We hadn't seen much of the Northern coastal areas so headed up as far as Port Macquarie and had a few days checking out several of the areas like Trial Bay, Smoky Cape and several others. There are some very picturesque areas up there but to be honest we have just as many stunning spots down here, although our climate is a little cooler.
It was interesting to see that even though much of the area up there is National Park they did allow vehicle access to many of the beaches. I also saw evidence of idiots who have driven along the top edge of the beach and have caused a lot of damage to the vegetation. I can see why they ban 4wding on much of the coast. These morons spoil it for the rest of us.
We then headed inland through Dorrigo and through to the Wollomombi National Park and spent a couple of days exploring the various waterfalls in the Wollomombi Gorge. It is an absolutely spectacular area, I would highly recommend a visit at some point in your travels. The NPWS camping area near the Wollomombi Falls is a fantastic setup. There are excellent clean toilets, fresh water on tap (they won't guarantee the quality as it is from a nearby spring but I reckon it was better than our council supply). The sites are very generous in size and all level. They have a paved area with a camp BBQ and fire pit. After Wollomombi we headed to the Warrumbungle National Park where we stayed for a couple of nights. I had been through the area about 50 years ago and it still took my breath away. No wonder it is listed as world heritage, it is unbelievable. If you haven't seen it then you must. We did a couple of walks and took a lot of photos. Every direction you look you will have a world class view.
We will definitely be making another trip to the Warrumbungles.
We then made a stopover at Gulgong (Henry Lawson and the 10 Dollar note) where we had been many years ago when our kids were only small. We had tried back then to tour the Pioneer Museum and although we had a good look around, decided then that it would be something we would enjoy more without a couple of toddlers in tow. Again, the Pioneer Museum at Gulgong is a must see.
From Gulgong we went on to a favourite area of ours and camped on the waters edge at the Abercrombie River. I left the car hooked up to the van as it was always a possibility that rain somewhere would catch up with us. We were lucky enough to have the entire area to ourselves. The river was flowing well and was still showing the signs of recent rain by the colour of the water. I put a stick in the edge of the water to keep an eye on the level and it actually dropped about 100mm overnight. We packed up and headed for home the following morning after enjoying a beautiful quiet night with a few beers and one last campfire.
Wollomombi Falls
Wollomombi National Park Campground
Warrumbungle Camp backdrop
The Warrumbungles
Warrumbungle NPWS Camp
The rest are on the Abercrombie