Day 28 Monday 5/6/2023 Tabulam to Murwillumbah, misty rain 8 – 22

The only sound last night was the river below. Driving back through the cows we find that the little town has come to life.

We’re chatting on the CB about the difference in the countryside from yesterday, from dry and dusty to green and damp, and what a feat it must have been to cross the range in earlier times. VeeWee mentions that the undies she washed yesterday are still damp. “We’re thrilled to hear that aren’t we Elle? And everyone else who is listening in on this channel!”

A gently winding drive through river valleys. Rolling farmlands, lantana with its pinks and yellows straggling on the roadsides, and high wooden houses with banana palms and shady mango trees. There are contented dairy cows in lush paddocks, huge clumps of tall bamboo. This land that so easily floods is the epitome of bucolic.

We pass through the bustling town of Casino, try putting that into Google Maps and it’ll send you off to gambling establishments in the cities!

Ti Tree plantations start appearing, rows and rows of time hedges that produce ti tree oil.

Lismore, an even larger town, still wears flood damage, a lot of it and it is a shock to see a house with damage high up on the 3rd floor. Although we’d planned on picking up the Pacific Highway, the GPS takes us on the ridge road to Bangalow through picture-perfect hills villages. Through thick rain forest, ordered nut orchards and homes set in desirable tropical gardens. If it wasn’t raining, we’d have ocean glimpses, though we can see a grey smudge.

We plan for a break in Bangalow but quick as a flash, we’re barreling off along another ridge road. By this stage, we’re all getting tired and cranky and Woody is questioning the parenthood of local drivers.

I finally manage to get the GPS to aim for Chinderah, even though we’re not going there, at least it will stop her from insisting that we head off up another winding mountain road. The M1 will do us nicely now, thank you. We pick up the Tweed Valley Way and follow the river with acres of sugar cane on our left towards Murwillumbah.

We’re grateful for having booked our sites at the Murwillumbah Showgrounds months ago as the place is booked out. Even in the misty rain, it looks inviting. Our site has possibly 3 caravan lengths behind us to the fence of a cane farm. Mt Warning caldera is among the largest of its type in the world and the feature is obvious here as an embracing arc of range to our south and west.

Elle has been having problems with her water hose and the tea hasn’t tasted as nice as it should. She realises that the hose that came with the motor home is a plain old garden hose and not a specially lined drinking water hose. The afternoon gets away from us and there are more warm showers. We have happy hour in Elle’s van and recap the day’s frustrating drive. VeeWee tells us that a manual fell out of an overhead shelf and hit her on the head. Elle tells us that she hopes that the contents of her overhead shelf don’t hit her on the head as she reaches over and retrieves El Prado’s ashes which she is intending to scatter at Mulambin Beach!

Dinner is a disaster. Who in their right mind would poach eggs in leftover sauce in an air fryer?!! Well, it was worth a try.

Accom: $30.00

Towing Kms: 173 winding kilometres

Mumulgum, Bingeebeebra, Parrots Nest