Apsley Falls to Brooms Head to Home

Fri 15 Mar

Apsley Falls Campsite

Breaking camp this morning we set off to Apsley Fall NP located about 18 klm out of Walcha – pronounced Walcha.  Being Friday we planned to arrive early, about 1pm, to hopefully get a good campsite before those pesky weekend campers arrive.  As it turned out we could have arrived at 6pm as there was no one here.  A couple in a van arrived late afternoon and that was it.  We had the pick of the sites and chose one right on the edge of Apsley Gorge.  The walls of the gorge are lit up each afternoon by the western sun and can be seen from our chairs under the awning.

For those following us from home, the campground is beautifully maintained.  The fire pits are cleaned out, there is no rubbish, each site has its own table and chair and fireplace positioned over pavers, firewood is provided, wash water and great flush toilets and all this for $10 per night for two adults.

Mid-afternoon we went for a walk along the top of the Gorge and to the lookouts and waterfall.  Again the recent rains have provided a lot of water for the falls and they can be heard cascading into the gorge from our campsite.

Apsley Gorge

For my children: Ryan and Amy - we are camped in exactly the same campsite we were in when we were here with Grandad and Felicity about 13 years ago. It was the trip we did with them to the Warrumbungles.

The couple camped with us had trouble with their hot water system tonight and after coming to ask for help we worked out that neither of us could get it going.  Seeing them the next morning John said he saw the red light on when he woke up (which wasn't working last night) and gave it a go and happy days - hot water!

Apsley Lower Falls

Sat 16 Mar – today we did the two hour Oxley walk which goes over a swing bridge to the other side of the gorge.  Again the day was beautiful with initial heavy fog blanketing the campground and gorge until 9.30am then clearing to unveil a clear blue sky.  The walk took us to four lookouts where recent landslips could be seen as well as the four separate waterfalls that flow through this part of the gorge.

Arriving back to camp we were now the only ones here so we decided to go into Walcha to find a friend.  

Lunch was at a lovely little pub.  Julie ordered two coffees and her lunch and forgot about me.  After shoving the last of her meal into her mouth she said through dripping sauce that she may not have ordered my lunch.  A review of the sales docket confirmed her nurturing nature and in I went to order my lunch.  For the record it has been the best steak sandwich so for on the trip.  This could be because I was starving hungry by the time I started eating it.   

Back at camp, it looked like we might have the place to ourselves tonight, but as I write this at 4.30pm, two other campers have driven in.  This will give us a better night’s sleep having others around – being all by ourselves can be a bit eerie at night.

Sun 17 Mar – we woke to a perfect day, clear skies and a light breeze.  A small family of wallabies kept us company while we had breakfast.  After tidying up we drove downhill towards Wauchope, pronounced Wauchope as opposed to Wauchope as many people call it, to Tia and Tiara Falls.  Here there are nice walks either side of the gorge with lookouts over the waterfall and down along the gorge.  We did both walks and did not see a sole the whole time -everyone must be in Wauchope. Returning back to camp we spent the afternoon relaxing. 

Tia Falls

Tiara Gorge

This butterfly enjoyed the view too

Termite mound

Thanks to the firewood provided, each night we have had a campfire and spend 3-4 hours staring into the “Campers TV” until the sun goes down and the cool of the evening descends.  

The car and van are going really well and we now have a good understanding about how everything works including our water and solar power needs.  The next thing to get is a small 240v inverter to allow us to charge the camera batteries off 12 volts.  We spend so much time without 240v our camera batteries run out before we can charge them.  Packing up and setting up is now quite quick as we have everything repacked into the most convenient locations for this exercise.

Leaving Apsley Falls Campground

Mon 18 Mar - Apsley Fall to South West Rocks

Having been bush camping for over a week, it's time for a caravan park. Julie is keen to get some sea air so we headed down the Great Dividing Range towards Port Macquarie then turned north to South West Rocks and the Trial Bay Caravan Park. This van park is very pretty with many eastern grey kangaroos feeding around us and thousands of birds in the trees above. 

Horseshoe Bay - South West Rocks

Historic Trail Bay Jail

Solitary Confinement

Trial Bay Jail Prison Cells

South West Rocks beach walk

 

We stayed here four nights, spending the days exploring the region. The historic Trial Bay Jail, the lighthouse and beach walks were the highlights. We took to walking the 45 minutes from our camp each morning, along the beach into South West Rocks for morning coffee overlooking Horseshoe Bay. With light winds and smooth seas the whole area was a picture. 

Smokey Bay Lighthouse headland

Now that we are along the coast, we have rain each night - this seems to be a symptom of being at the beach. 


Fri 22 Mar - Trial Bay to Broom's Head

After four nights at Trial Bay (named after the shipwreck of the Trial) we broke camp and headed to Brooms Head Caravan Park to an unpowered campsite right on the water’s edge. 

Broom's Head Caravan Park - our campsite

Our campground from headland

Walk to the 'back beach' looking towards Sandon River in the distance.

Walk along the front beach.

Headland walk

We do have tap water so our power source is solar which, as I have said before, works a treat. The solar easily runs the fridge, TV, lights and keeps all our batteries charged. To our great surprise and pleasure, the park is less than half full and is in great shape in readiness for Easter next weekend.

Our days were spent walking the beaches in front of us and up to the headland that overlooks the van park to the 'back beach' that leads to Sandon River 8.5 klm to the south - a camp spot we had in the first week of this trip.

We stayed here three nights and had the full array of weather.  On the afternoon we arrived we had 35 knot winds blowing right off the sea into the back of the van.  There was no way the awning could have been put up as it would have ended up in Wauchope.  The next day was beautiful with light winds and clear skies, while the final day was settled and hot during the day leading to a wild storm late afternoon.

Brooms Head Caravan park is excellent - just like the van parks of old with no jumping castles, water slides - just a beach, a large rock pool, great surf and good fishing.  Lots of locals come here over the weekend to have a swim and a picnic with their kids - just great.

Mon 25 Mar - Broom's Head to home

Today we packed up and set off for home at about 9am.  The three hour trip home was great except for lots of roadworks trying to be finished before Easter.  I don't really mind the roadworks as they slow the traffic down making for a safer trip.  We dropped our van off into storage and settled back in to the apartment.

Our seven week trip was great with little changes needed to our setup.  On balance we will take more out of the car and van than we will add for our next, much longer, trip starting at the end of April.

Bye for now

Jeff 'n Julie