20260425 NSW Long Flat, Frederickton, Iluka, Mullumbimby to Home

25/04 We woke to drizzling rain so after we filled our bellies we left heading towards Port Macquarie along the Great Dividing Range, OMG talk about a winding slow descent, especially in a motor home and we had to endure 164km of it, but the ones I felt for were the poor buggers stuck behind us, especially the bikes, but lucky for them Des is considerate and always pulled over when he could. The road is known for extreme twists and steep sections so no wonder the bikes like it.

The scenery as we reach the bottom of the range, finally.

We enter the town of Long Flat, another one of those small towns you pass through on the Oxley Hwy, established in 1876. The town prides itself in a strong history of Rugby League, playing in 24 grand finals and winning 12 premierships since 1947. After reading about this Town I wished we would have stopped to check it out.

The Long Flat Pub that was opened in 1876 and the original building still stands. Apparently the Pub has a reputation as one of the best motorcycle rides in the country, I will be adding this to my list of places to stay.

We drove through to Frederickton on the Macleay River in NSW, established in the 1850s, it was once a bustling ship-building, timber-getting, and agriculture hub but it now serves as a quiet residential village known for the Fredo Pub and Fredo Pies. We parked in the car park next to the pub and went to check out the two up game. I lost $5, we had a drink, $20 later we checked out the pub and returned to our van when Sharyn phoned, well thats me for an hour or so.

Wow, what an impressive bridge, The Macleay Valley Bridge and it goes on for ever, we got to drive over it on our way to Frederickton. It’s a 3.2-km long road bridge that goes over the Macleay River and its floodplain, part of the Pacific Highway (A1) upgrade. Opened in 2013, it was recognized as Australia's longest road bridge.

Titled Confluence - represents the convergence of the Macleay River as it meanders through tributaries, gorges and waterfalls and meets the saltwater of the South Pacific Ocean near South West Rocks. The shell represents Indigenous middens in the Clybucca area symbolising the strength, survival and continuation of Dunghutti culture in Macleay. The upright poles and interlacing wiring pay homage to the giant red cedar forests and billowing sails, referencing fragments of Frederickton’s’ shipping and timber industries.

The Old Cheese Factory is a heritage-listed, riverside site dating back to the late 1800s, and was renowned for producing award-winning Blue Vein Camembert in the 1940s and later Mozzarella for Pizza Hut. It has transitioned from a dairy hub into "The Old Cheese Factory Collective," a community hub featuring local businesses, art, and restaurant.

The Fredo Pub is a country hotel established 1887 and backs onto the Macleay River.

26/04 Our next stop is Iluka, a quite fishing village on the Clarence River, we come this way often to indulge in some freshly caught prawns and this time they had Mullet and chips for $12 and I love Mullet. After we pigged out we drove northwards along Queen Street to the Iluka bluff, an off the leach dog and 4wheel drive beach with a large car park, certainly big enough to fit a motor home. 

From the old to the new, the demolished building was almost a hundred years old and despite claims that it had character or was rustic the fact remained it was very dated and had asbestos issues everywhere.

This will be the fourth hotel on the site, the project itself will be over $5million and that includes car parking spaces for over 40 vehicles.

The dog off leach Beach and we are parked right behind the sand dunes, now this I could handle. 

27/04 I even got out of bed early for a walk along the beach, now that I haven’t done for a long time. Our plan is to head back to Mullumbimby for the night, mainly for a much needed shower. After breakfast we packed up and hit the road running into showers then the drivers side wiper kept sliding off, a minor glitch that we could handle.

The St Helena Tunnel is a 434-metre-long twin-tube road tunnel on the Pacific Highway near Ewingsdale/Byron Bay in Northern NSW, opened in December 2015. Part of the $862 million Tintenbar to Ewingsdale upgrade, it features three southbound lanes and two northbound lanes, bypassing steep grades on the old highway

28/04 We spent our last night in Mullumbimby camping at the Leagues Club where finally we have reception, so I sat up watching TV and finishing my blog. Des was up early as usual and tinkering around in the kitchen, as he does while I try to sleep in, we are so different, he’s definitely a morning person and I’m a night person, and never the two shall meet.

We were just leaving when we were greeted with this amazing Rainbow, it was literally right in the field in front of us.

Our trip in a nutshell, from Brisbane to Lismore through to Deepwater, Armidale, Waltcha onto Wauchope to Iluka then back to Mullumbimby and home.

New South Wales definitely has some beautiful sceneries even though its a bit dry in places at the moment, we certainly noticed the difference in traffic conditions once we hit Queensland. We had a pleasant trip and got to see some different towns even though we went over some old tracks but thats all about travelling. 

So on that note, stay safe and see you on our next adventure.

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