Thurs, 12th Oct, 2023 Wingham Riverside Reserve Rest Area, Wingham to New Italy Rest Area, Pacific Motorway, NSW

Good night sleep - didn’t hear the flying foxes at all. Lots of lovely birds calling this morning. Bit cool though, 13 degrees min so we didn’t get up till it was 17 degrees. Had to dry off the condensation on the aluminium and there is a heavy dew outside. 

Happy Anniversary Cairns - 100 years ago Cairns was proclaimed as a City in 1923. It was proclaimed as a town in 1903.

Packed up and drove down to the boat ramp. All calm on Manning River this morning.

Back through Wingham where we spotted a plane in the park. Stopped for a photo as it was a air force one and sent it to David. It is a Vampire Jet, erected here in 1971 to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of Royal Australian Air Force

The park was the site of a AFL match in 1907 that led to the formation of the League.

Cute little knitted flowers in the garden bed too.

Saw a Coles down the road so went and got a few groceries.

Back to Taree and across the narrow bridge again over the Manning River.

Back to the Pacific Motorway or Highway - it keeps changing and continued northward. Over the Manning River again then a short way along we crossed it again. I Googled it and found out it is a double delta river system with two openings to the sea. The only one in the Southern Hemisphere. The mouth is at Harrington (north) with the second one at Old Bar (south).

Through more grazing land. Stopped for a cuppa at a Motorway Rest Area - more no camping signs. I looked that up too and it appears they stopped the overnight stops because people were overstaying and leaving a mess. A few ruin it for the many.

Got back in the truck and started it, then we laughed when ‘Girlie’ said ‘you are over the speed limit’ - had a little brain melt down the poor girl!

Back on the motorway and continued north. Passed the turn off to Port Macquarie. Over a very wide Hastings River - with exposed escarpment visible in the distance.

Concrete motorway is great - no bouncing and no potholes but we aren’t winning again the head wind. Should be pushing us along but now its changed to a northerly!

Lunch at a rest area. Continued on battling the strong headwind. Across the Nambucca River. Still grazing country but with more hills. Now we are on the M1 Pacific Motorway again according to the sign as we pass the turn off into Nambucca Heads. Changes back to the A1 as we near Coffs Harbour - bit confusing! Through a huge roundabout and into Coffs Harbour.

Lovely Jacarandas in bloom - they were introduced to Australia. Must admit having Google access on my phone certainly is handy.

The highway goes beside the main hospital with the emergency helicopter on the roof.

Through more street lights then the roadworks begin for the new bypass which is to be completed by 2027 - nightmare for the locals and travellers until then.

As we got up a hill I spotted this windmill which used to be part of a restaurant.

Lots of places named Banana something, also a Banana Fun Park. Google told me that Bananas were introduced here from Fiji in 1881 and it soon became a thriving industry though nowadays it is more blueberries.

Found the end of the roadwork then a glimpse of the Pacific Ocean which is very choppy from the strong wind.

Pulled into a rest stop for the toilet and to use the dump point. Steve had noticed diesel smells when we have pulled up and now he has noticed that it is actually us losing diesel. We had driving over to the dump point leaving droplets behind so he parked up and got the bonnet up quickly to find out what the problem was. After crawling underneath he found it was a snap connection on the injector pump that has come loose so under pressure the fuel is squirting out. He tightened it then cleaned off the diesel - lucky he carries a lot of mechanical things with him. I do what I do best - make the coffee!

We continued on into the wind so definitely bad fuel economy with wind and leaking diesel. Near McLean we noticed sugar cane fields. M1 bypasses McLean then we go up and over the Clarence River on a big bridge. Wide river.

The sugar mill is on the other side.

The sugar cane continues on the other side.

Another crossing of the Clarence River with the old Pacific Highway bridge beside us.

Continued on the M1 then back onto the A1. Took the turn off to New Italy which has a rest area behind the museum. It is free but they ask for a donation. As there are not other cheap overnight stops I am happy to pay a little to keep it open. It is the car park and we chose a spot in the corner on a bit of grass so Steve and make sure we aren’t still dropping diesel. He was happy to report that it was all good now.

I went for a wander to check out the Museum area. It is run by volunteers telling the story of the Italians that had a nightmare trip to a dream place to find out it wasn’t then they were rescued and came here and made a wonderful place to live and raise their families. Will have to come back again when it is open for a better look. The murals tell the story.

The gift shop has been built in the style of the original Antoniolli’s Wine Shop, Osteria Veneta. It even has grape vines hanging off it.

The Pioneer sculpture and memorial out the front with the flags. Nothing remains of the original homes but the pride, courage and strength of the Italian people lives on.

I peered in the windows of the next building - looks like a better display.

Back to Steve who is ready for a drink! Chatted with the other campers then inside for dinner. Reasonably quiet here - can just here the highway noise.