Day 20 Tuesday 30/6/20 Moonee Beach, sunny

We return to Coffs Harbour as Woody needs to find a firm cushion, the ever sinking settee foam is giving him back pain. I can understand why some vanners install proper recliner chairs, we’re not getting any younger. We had our settee re upholstered two years ago but it is sagging again.

Coffs is surrounded by steep banana, blueberry and avocado clad hills. We drive up to the highest peak Sealy Lookout. The view is spectacular. Acres of precarious hillside orchards give way to the city and the ocean is speckled with islands of the Solitary Group. Fabulous as it is the drive up and back down is just as good with the narrow road winding through orchards and colourful gardens. We stop to buy fruit on the way down. We choose a bag of 3 fat avocados and as the sign says we put our money in the pipe. Rattle, rattle go the coins as they tumble down the PVC pipe not into a sturdy locked metal box but off down the hill to the farmer’s house!

After lunch VeeWee and I walk a newly clipped Nic up to the headland. The vine and forest walk opens onto soft bouncy grassed headland. We can see whales spouting and breaching in the distance.

We book 2 more nights here but, soon we’ll need to move towards Queensland.

El Prado cooks a lamb roast on the Weber, VeeWee cooks veggies and Woody heats an Apple Crumble. A delicious al fresco roast dinner is followed by a chat with our new neighbours, folks from Parkes.

The nation waits with baited breath for the QLD premier to give her decision on whether the border to NSW will open. Victorian Covid cases are spiking after security guards allegedly fraternised with guests in hotel quarantine. Hotspots now cover a fifth of the city. South Australia have chosen to keep their Victorian border closed. Our mates who have been staying/waiting at Tweed Heads were told by the Information Centre that they could walk across the NSW/QLD border and even catch a train to Brisbane, they just can’t cross by car. Qld’s tourism is suffering. NSW caravan parks are busy with Victorians waiting patiently to head north.

And thus at 2pm the premier announces that the QLD border will open on July 10th to all but Victorians. Victorians will have to quarantine 2 weeks in a hotel at their own expense, unless they can prove that they’ve already been in NSW for 2 weeks. We ask the park office for written proof of our stay.

Accom: $36.00

Travelling Kms: 0