The journey home

We left the chalet at about 11am, and headed back south, through Ballina, Coffs Harbour, past Port Macquarie, to Taree, where we spent the night. We ate in the local pub and found ourselves a room for the night. The following morning we headed out to Old Bar, where Elissa's aunt used to live. There were mud flats and beaches along there that would have been perfect for camping, and I think we'll be stopping there on the way up the coast in December. I wandered across the mudflat, as the water only got to knee level. It was beautifully clear and full of fish and shellfish.

On the drive to Saltwater, just up the coast, we saw a bird of prey perched on an old dead tree. We're still not sure what it is, but it's very pretty. I'm still amazed at the creatures you can see in the wild in Australia - Ben's chasing a kangaroo and spilling his wine, the koala in the tree by the Great Ocean Road, possums on the phone wires in Melbourne, thousands of fruit bats all over Sydney every evening. I can't wait to see what else there is in NT, Tasmania, WA and Queensland.

We hung out on the beach for lunch at Seals Rocks. There was beautiful clear water and a whole bay without any people. A gentle breeze on the hill we sat on over the bay provided good lift for the seagulls who thought they might be able to share our lunch. I made it as clear as possible that they weren't that lucky.

Then we drove down to Hawks Nest to pop in and see Elissa's parents. They provided much-needed coffee, and we headed back into Sydney, exhausted but content, and with lots of happy memories from an excellent long weekend.