The Moulamein of the North

Alas, today we leave Mullaway.  A lovely spot and I could quite see myself living happily there.  Noting the weather of the first 4 days, I don’t think I could be accused of having any rose-coloured glasses (although perhaps the summer humidity might be an issue?).

After a stroll round the headland we piled into the car and headed off at pretty close to our target time of 10:30.  We rolled gently up the Pacific Highway (going over the Dirty Creek Range ascending to the dizzy heights of 110m AMSL: surprisingly neither of us got altitude sickness – this must be a residual training effect from our trip to Cusco)!

The first town we got to was Grafton.  This looked far less up-market than Coffs Harbour or Woolgoolga.  Then I realised we were in South Grafton and I wondered whether calling anything ‘South’ gave it an inferiority complex leading to social deprivation and low self-esteem?  Frances offered South Bruce as a counter argument and I realised that South Canberra is generally not too bad (at least compared to Gungahlin or Tuggeranong).  Whatever, the tone of Grafton lifted somewhat once over the Clarence. 

I got some fuel (just over 30mpg) at the Shell servo – bad idea as the Woolies one had E10 3c/l cheaper – and then Frances did some shopping for essentials such as potato chips and licorice.

We rolled out of town noting a parked truck painted as being owned by “Craig Pigg – livestock carrier”.  From Grafton it was 100km along the Summerland Way to the next real town, Kyogle.  This was a great drive through nicely vegetated country (even where cleared a fair bit of timber was left, presumably as shade trees for the stock).  The birding excitement of the day occurred along here with a pair of Wedge-tailed Eagles soaring over a clearing. 

Less exciting, but IMHO still interesting was the number of Cattle Egrets accompanying every bunch of – wait for it – cattle.   

We agreed it was a good job they weren’t oxen or we might have had the first Australian sighting of Oxpeckers!

After Kyogle, where we just missed the Saturday market, but had to follow some dweet on a tractor through town at 30kph, we swung on to the Murwillumbah/Nimbin road. 

Blast from the past parenthesis.  The last time I drove along here – possibly in 1988 – the start of the road was accompanied by a wrecked car, with a sign saying “This is the 75^th car to roll on this road since …”.   As on that occasion darkness was falling and I had driven a fair bit already I wondered what was coming.  Corrugated dirt, with many unsigned sharp corners and steep hills is what was coming.  I think this is the only time I have done handbrake turns from fear!  We made it.

This time it was daylight and the scenery was spectacular as we traversed the Tweed and Nightcap ranges. 

As we went along it was interesting that we passed at least 4 turn-offs marked to Nimbin.  When we go to Adelaide across the Hay Plain the same situation arises with Moulamein although it is usually 90km off the Sturt Highway rather than 13km as posted to flower-power central.  The only problem with the drive was a dweet (a different dweet, not the tractor-pilot) driving a Hyundai with Queensland plates – who did 60kph most of the time but sped up to 80 where it was possible to overtake.  I eventually got past this person and then followed one of the packs of bikers (not wearing colours) on this interesting road into Murwillumbah.

After a few misdirections in the town, we headed out to Tomewin and ascended the cliff to our friend’s place.  Hooly Dooly!  It has the most spectacular view over the Tweed Valley to Mount Warning,

is a brilliantly designed place and is generally wonderful.  I noticed some old carpet she has laid to suppress weeds and recalled our friend saying that pythons lived under there.  So I lifted the edge of the carpet to find Cane Toads!  In fact they were rather large Cane Toads!

The property is called ‘Wynne’ after the Wynne Prize for painting.  This reflects the winning painting for 1921, “Valley of the Tweed” by Elioth Gruner, being painted at a look-out across the road from the property.

After dark there was a fireworks show somewhere up the valley.  Que?  Cracker night is on the Queens Birthday long weekend, which was last weekend.  I know we are close to Queensland but I would have thought the folk would have known the date if not the time!