Grafton, New South Wales - Jacarandas Unlimited...

Breakfast of muesli and toast and off we go by 8.45.

400 plus ks to go today and we want to be settled early so we make some time today, a couple of stops just to make sure that the beaches are still there, [they are].

Lunch was cold chicken sandwiches in a picnic shelter on the beach with a gale blowing. I mentioned two days ago that we have not had rain, well the wind was blowing in a storm from the Pacific. It only lasted a half hour and was a pleasant distraction.

The whole strip for the last 600 ks has been a lush belt of grass and field crops, sugar, pineapple etc. A very pleasant place to farm. Rod says that it can get a bit humid up here and it is difficult to get a picture in such a short time. However from the number of established beef farms and small holdings I would say it is a place where families have been here for years and passed the farms down over those years. This land is so unlike the north that we drove through. People could have a good life here.

We stopped in a town called Grafton, known for its Jacaranda trees. They are absolutely glorious, bursting in bloom with that delicate blue/purple before losing their blossoms and leafing out, like our apple trees. I did not want to dilute the image of this wonderful town with more earthly photos.










We are hunkered down in South West Rocks, 200 ks south of Grafton for two nights on the top floor of a three bedroom apartment that sleeps eight. From where I write I can see the Pacific Ocean and the bay, with 'almost mountains' covered in green with a low cloud hovering over them as the end of the storm passes. A neat ending to a long day.

Rod is having a nap after the days driving, Fellette and Lyn are playing scrabble and I am celebrating the fact that for some reason, I have free access to the internet here!

It was another interesting day for us in Australia.