A Million Miles From Here: The road to Sydney.

As we had just over a week to get to Sydney we decided that we would do some more of our “little” detours and so turned off Highway 1 and headed inland along the Waterfall highway (H78). This 124 km road climbed steeply back into the tableland mountain region that had run for nearly 2000 km from Cape Tribulation. The road was steep and winding and as before the weather was bad with low cloud and constant rain - we were having Cape Tribulation deja vu. We headed out to another free overnight stop in the very small mountain town of Ebor. It took us a few minutes to find the campsite even though the town only comprised of about 3 houses and one hotel (pub) and it was probably the worst place we had stayed in all of Australia. The campsite (probably fairer to say free rest stop) was essentially a piece of waste land next to a sports field. The ground was extremely wet due to the copious amounts of rain and we were running the risk of getting the van stuck, so we headed for a random block of concrete much like a parking bay that was slap bang in the middle. It was extremely strange and there were no other bays apart from this one. Thankfully, we were the only ones there so parked the van on it for the night. After half an hour not seeing another soul go past it felt like we had entered the set for some horrendous horror movie and that in fact this single parking bay was a trap set by the hicksville locals to lure their next victims.

Next morning we woke with relief after a quite nights sleep and headed towards Armidale planning to stop on the way at several of the waterfalls which was the whole reason for making the detour. However after the second stop and second failed attempt to see anything due to the low cloud we gave up on the idea and just drove into town.

With the weather on the coast bad and the weather in the mountains bad we needed to work out what to do as driving around the country randomly was not working for us. So with no information to help us make the decision we decided to return to the coast and with a little luck some sun. We re-supplied the van in Armidale, had some lunch and then turned the van easterly again. As we left Armidale the weather started to clear and at last the sun came out, so we tried one last time to see a waterfall and stopped at Aspley Falls. We finally got to see a beautiful waterfall dropping into a deep canyon.

We then drove the 200 km back to the coast in beautiful sunshine and down a stunning road that wrapped its way around the mountains as we descended. We headed for Port Macquarie, a small coastal town again famous for its surf. We found a campsite a few kilometres out of town and next to a very nice pub and a short walk to a secluded bay. The weather had finally turned spring like and the sun was out and it was hot. Now with only 200 km to Sydney and still some 6 days to go we decided to stay for a few days and hope that the sun stayed out. We walked the coastal path back into town visiting secluded bays and beautiful sandy beaches and ate fish and chips on the beach, so with no jobs that needed doing we actually chilled out and enjoyed the weather for a change (everybody say aaahhhh). Whilst we rested we had a look at the Lonely Planet guide and came up with a plan for the final few days before Sydney.

From Port Macquarie we drove nearly 250 km to Cessnock, the centre of the Hunter wine valley. We arrived mid afternoon and spent the rest of the day visiting three wineries and tasting the many varieties of wine they had on offer. Actually when I say we I mean Emma as I was the designated driver. I finally dragged her out of a closing cellar door at 17:00 clutching a cheeky little chardonnay begging to visit just one more.

The next day we headed into the mountains again via Highway 69, 240 km of mountain road which twisted its way up through the tableland region and into the Blue Mountains. We headed straight for a local tourist attraction the Jenolan Caves. The decent to the cave complex was a test of man and machine as the road was narrow and had been cut out of the cliff face as it descended some 500 m into the valley. As the road reached the bottom it went through a small natural tunnel through the rock to a isolated valley with a large Victorian hotel plonked in the middle.

The Jenolan Caves are a network of some 12 very large caves that were discovered in the 1800’s and soon after opened up to inquisitive Victorian holiday makers. The hotel was built because back then it would have taken some days travelling through the Blue Mountains by horse to get there. We managed to get on one of the last cave tours running that day and clambered through the Chiefly cave which also had been the first cave in the world to be lit by electricity. The cave had the usual rock formations but because of the fresh breeze that had been passing through this particular cave the formations looked like they had been plastered over and it was very different to the other caves we had visited on our trip.

The next day we made our way to our final campsite in Australia at Katoomba, just 150 km west of Sydney. Katoomba is the gateway to the Blue Mountains and sits on the escarpment overlooking the mountain range and the impressive valleys. So why is it called the Blue Mountains? Well, many of the trees that fill the valley are Eucalyptus trees and in a cretain light the leaves look blue giving the whole valley a blue hue. We spent a fantastic 2 days here walking the trails in and out of the valley and enjoying the incredible scenery.

We also took a ride on the scenic railway which is an old mining railway and reputed to be the steepest train line in the world. It was that steep that the seats in the carriage on the flat are reclined so much you feel like you are lying down only to find yourself completely upright once it hits the slope. It took us nearly an hour and half to walk down and just 5 minutes to get back to the top using the railway. After a torturous climb on a walk just the day before our legs were much relieved!