Australia cont… Yamba - South West Rocks - Crescent Head - Hunter Valley
Arriving at our next caravan park in Yamba felt like landing smack bang in a UK Butlins! Paradise for kids and a parents worst nightmare (well, these parents anyway!). Four pools, a crazy-golf course, a giant bounce pillow, a pump track, games rooms, and adults strolling around as if the drink in their hand is a permanent accessory - quite the contrast to Byron Bay, where it seemed like kombucha was the only thing on tap!
We had a great spot in the park, overlooking the Clarence River, with a jetty that Fin made his fishing base for the duration of our stay. We fully embraced the lively Butlins vibe, with the kids making friends with half the camp, exactly what we were hoping for for this part of the trip. With Australian schools kicking off their long summer holidays, the atmosphere was full of holiday spirit, everyone relaxing, having fun, and counting down to Christmas with friends and family.
After a few days of squeezing every drop of fun out of the camp facilities, we decided to head to the local beach. But thanks to a wrong turn, we ended up in the village of Angourie and discovered the Green and Blue Pools. These rock quarries transformed into 15-20 metre deep pools when an underground freshwater spring was accidentally discovered during their construction. It turned out to be a brilliant afternoon, the place was surrounded by trees and shade, perfect for lingering longer and it was a perfect change to the packed swimming pool at the caravan park. A bunch of adventurous teens were busy showing off their acrobatics, leaping from the natural walls about six metres high. Naturally, the whole Destecroix crew had to join in the fun, with even me getting some tips from the local daredevils and giving it a go. After watching the young whippersnappers, Dan thought it was the perfect time to see if his backflip skills were still intact. So, he joined the teenagers and nailed it like a pro. Fingers crossed he doesn't wake up tomorrow aching like a forty year old! Not to be outdone, Pops decided to give it a whirl too. Meanwhile, Floss had been showing them how it was done since she arrived. As we were leaving, we discovered one of the pools had even higher jumps - we promised Poppy we would return!
After five days of admiring the Clarence River from our campsite, we decided it was time to experience it firsthand before leaving Yamba. We hired a boat and had a fantastic afternoon on the water, blasting Christmas tunes and busting out dance moves - it felt totally surreal to be in Australia during this season! To top it all off, to our amazement, we had several dolphin pods playing tag with our boat throughout the afternoon - just so exciting and a first for us all. We felt so lucky.
Our last day in Yamba, and of course, we had to make a beeline back to the pools for Poppy to conquer the higher jumps! The second pool has two walls that tower between a terrifying 10-15 metres, and she was all in! Dan and Poppy marched up there, while the rest of us settled, feet firmly on the ground, ready to watch the show. They pulled it off - Dan from the highest wall, and Poppy from the slightly lower spot. She’s a daredevil and absolutely loves it, the little thrill-seeker! Satisfied, we were ready to head to our next adventure.
Rolling into South West Rocks, we've hit yet another paradise for kids! Our parking spot is right across from the "Treasure Island" waterpark, and the kids have vanished faster than you can say "cannonball"! This campsite is hopping with kangaroos too—two little families that look like mum, dad, their offspring, and a little Joey still in the pouch. We're loving watching them bounce around the park, causing delightful chaos at empty caravans—snagging snacks and flipping things over while the humans are away! We've definitely learned to stash our goodies and batten down the hatches here. It's so cute just being able to observe them over the several days we're here.
The beach at South West Rocks is beautiful. While we were there, we all had a go at snorkelling again. There wasn't much going on underwater at the main beach so, with our goldfish-like attention spans, we all headed in, apart from Dan and Poppy, who decided to explore around some rocks. Lo and behold, they ended up swimming with a stingray, which turned Poppy into the happiest human on the planet. And just when we thought it couldn't get any better, they started yelling from the water about a turtle. We all pelted out to join them and ended up bobbing along with the turtle before it bobbed its way back out to sea. This actually happened on Dan’s birthday making it a birthday we'll never forget!
We celebrated Dan’s birthday in the only way we know how at the moment - more jumping! These guys have caught the jumping fever and, after a quick Google search, discovered there is a popular leap right here in South West Rocks, from the bridge into the Back Creek at high tide. Cue the perfect birthday bash - we all took the plunge, once more with a gaggle of teenagers (we should really know better). Thankfully, we wrapped it up wiith some birthday cake and candles by the riverbank!
We also ventured into the historic Trial Bay Gaol, where we tried to absorb a bit of history while escaping the sizzling Australian sun for a bit!. We watched the information video and wandered around on our own self-guided tour, picking up tidbits from the museum and information boards, learning about its start as an experimental Public Works prison where inmates were put to work on the breakwater. We were all interested in the tales of the prisoners who once called it home, and learning how it was an innovative project for the time, with the prisoners learning trades and skills and earning a small salary. The prison is nestled in the Arakoon National Park and has incredible views from the watchtower. An interesting couple of hours.
After chatting with the campsite receptionist, we throw our itinerary out the window and skedaddle a couple of days earlier to Crescent Head. She tells us it's the quintessential Aussie beach village with a chill vibe perfect for catching waves. We roll in and immediately feel like we've slipped into our comfiest pajamas, reminding us of our favourite seaside village, Charmouth, back in the UK. We snag a spot at a caravan park nestled between the river and beach. After a quick set up, the kids are off, all four of them making new pals. Phew! We were starting to think that after nearly four months of just the six of us, they'd forget how to interact with anyone other than us!
It was the perfect recommendation for us, and we all absolutely love soaking up a couple of wonderfully relaxed days. Everyone is totally vibing - Pops is off with her two friends, swimming in the natural lazy river and searching for stingrays. Fin and Dan are happily fishing, we catch a beautiful sunrise, and the girls are hanging out with some other teens they've met, diving straight back into their typical teen antics of pushing boundaries and returning to the van late. It's all good though, especially when we are all getting into bed together at the end of the night and, after all, it is only 10pm! We are all loving watching all the surfers - especially the little Jack Russell. Wondering if there’s a surfboard big enough for our pack.. maybe we just need to skip straight to a barge! It's a shame to leave, but we have to make another stop on our way to Sydney for Christmas, or we'll face a very long five to six hour drive, which nobody wants. One last go at the skatepark before we leave, and Fin takes a big fall, knocking off half of his front tooth! All good things must come to a dramatic end!! Now, let the hunt for local dentists begin!!
Next stop: Hunter Valley, the wine wonderland! We planned to sip and swirl at some cellar doors, but time was not on our side. Before heading to Sydney, we took this opportunity to tackle the big task of sorting through our belongings. After a month of spilling out all over the campervan, we had a mission to work out what we could ship back to the UK and making sure everything fits into our own single backpacks once again. By putting the time in now, we'll be totally free to savour the excitement leading up to Christmas once we arrive in Sydney.
We discovered that Australia's largest Christmas lights display was just a fifteen minute drive away from the caravan park, so we eagerly booked tickets, desperately needing a sprinkle of Christmas spirit! It was hilarious - we hadn't even considered the difference in daylight. Back in the UK, you can start these festive events at 4.30/5pm and be enveloped in cosy darkness. But there we were, arriving at 7.30pm and it was still broad daylight! We were all in stitches. We admired the lights under the blazing sun, hopped on a few fairground rides, and loved the lights on the way out as we left at 10pm and it was finally dark. Definitely a memory to laugh about for years to come!
Hitting the road once more, we set off to our last stop - Sydney!