Day 92 Thursday 10/9/20 Darlington Beach, wet lorikeets huddle under our table, 25mm 17 degrees It rains all night, plop, plop, plop. During breakfast the TV suddenly goes off. No it’s not a drop in signal, the espresso machine is off too, damn! The lights of course are still on but they run on the 12 volt system. We check fuses, the park power box, then our lead. The power lead is burnt out and so too is our van power point. We call a caravan electrical guy in Coffs Harbour but he is not licensed for this problem. They … Continue reading Banned on the Run, Day 92 – A bit of a shock

Day 91 Wednesday 9/9/20 Darlington Beach, sunny 24 A warm morning. A roo and her Joey are outside the kitchen window. We sit about. Enjoying the sun and the park and photographing flowers. We watch the plovers as the chick … Continue reading Banned on the Run, Day 91 – A more bushy experience

Day 90 Tuesday 8/9/20 Darlington Beach, patchy cloud 22 A rather lazy day. Woody shops early and I lie in trying to finish a good book. El Prado drives us up to Red Rock. We have an ice cream in … Continue reading Banned on the Run, Day 90 – Feeling guilty

Day 89 Monday 7/9/20 Darlington Beach, cool 21 There was a little rain overnight but we didn’t hear it, I must have slept heavily and Woody certainly wouldn’t have heard a thing. The sun is trying to break through again. … Continue reading Banned on the Run, Day 89 – RTFM!

Day 88 Sunday 6/9/20 Darlington Beach A warm soggy morning. Our plover family have a success! A little bundle of fluff pops out from under Mum or Dad as The Prado’s watch on. We spend the afternoon watching the chick find its legs and stagger about as a young Joey hops in ever widening circles honing his bounding skills. And the sex of the chick? Heaven knows we still haven’t worked out which parent is which! If only Toothless was here, he loves birds so much… he’d be stomping about shouting “Vermin, bloody vermin.” Backed by Melbourne University projections the … Continue reading Banned on the Run, Day 88 – It’s a ?

Day 87 Saturday 5/9/20 Darlington Beach, thunderstorms VeeWee is slowly heading south. Double or Nuthin’ and Shirley Temple have found another paradise on a farm stay near Ingham and R&T are still fattening up that turkey in Hervey Bay. We wait in anticipation of what we’ll be going home to – the Victorian Premier will be announcing his plans tomorrow – either an extension of Stage 4 or an easing. We have another delightful morning. Do these locals know how good their climate is? As I write this a kangaroo sprawls on the lawn just a few metres away. I’m … Continue reading Banned on the Run, Day 87 – Watching & waiting

Sep 2020, Darlington Beach, NSW Elle is complaining that they’re being woken at 4:00am by kookaburras and again at 6:00 by ducks. We’ve now learnt that male Pacific Black Ducks have a blacker head than females, thanks Google. We’re still waiting for the plovers to hatch, staying another week will mean that we may see some action in that department. We scan the sea at Woolgoolga (Woopi) for whales then have lunch at the Seaview Tavern. Doesn’t everyone check for whales before eating in a pub? The Buddha Bowl of roast veggies gets a 10/10 from me and a walk … Continue reading Banned on the Run, Days 85 & 86 – Looking & Cooking

Day 84 Wednesday 2/9/20 Darlington Beach, pleasant 21 We’ve decided that we’ll extend another week here as it is so relaxing. We’ll book the following week at Urunga, just south of Coffs before heading for home. Lockdown Stage 4 should be over by then. To our dismay Urunga is booked out but we manage to secure sites at Mylestom on the opposite side of the river. Kevin kangaroo is becoming a regular visitor at happy hour, no doubt hoping for a nibble. The Prado’s roast a piece of beef on the Weber. We eat under the awning, it’s a warm … Continue reading Banned on the Run, Day 84 – Making plans

Day 83 Tuesday 1/9/20 Darlington Beach Our motor home neighbour corners the boys and talks incessantly barely taking a breath, Woody is pleased that he can’t hear much of the conversation. The story goes that he bought the motor home for his wife’s birthday and he wants to spend two years doing the big lap. They’re only a few days from home and already she wants to return to her stressful job. I wonder why? We return to Earworx for another wax removal treatment and hear the good news that a GP visit will not be required. A wax film … Continue reading Banned on the Run, Day 83 – Not the big lap

Day 82 Monday 31/8/20 Darlington Beach, hot 30 With a quiet day ahead of us the boys decide that a trip up to Dorrigo would be in order. We hurriedly get ready and hit the road calling in to Urunga first as The Prado’s haven’t seen this little gem. The Bellinger Valley is shining in the sun. We’ve been here countless times now and it always captivates us. Big old European trees shade two storey wooden houses. There are paddocks of dairy cows and poddy calves and horses in grass up to their knees. Bellingen is bustling. There’s a whiff … Continue reading Banned on the Run, Day 82 – Let’s go to Dorrigo