MacLean was our second overnight stop on our journey north to escape the rain and cold. The town is medium sized and sits on the banks of the Clarence River on the North New South Wales Coast. It was listed as an RV Friendly Town, which meant there would be some sort of cheap camping option available. Here it was the showground, unbelievable value at $10 a night with toilets and hot showers and walking distance into the town centre. We were able to set up on the riverbank too so enjoyed splendid views into the bargain.
 MacLean itself was a charming place, very proud of its Scottishness. 

The power poles were all painted in different tartans and every inch of spare hanging space around the town centre was taken up with posters and banners showing pictures of the Highland Games and the shops were full of tartan rugs, kilts and sporrans.
At sunset thousands of flying foxes passed overhead, they took about 40 minutes to fly over  and they did the same each evening, that is a lot of bats, I can't imagine what it would be like to see them at their final destination. It was not noticeably warmer in MacLean, although we were now dry, but it was so pleasant sipping wine and watching the sun go down over the river that we decided to stay for a couple of nights. 

The next day we took the ferry over to the neighbouring town of Laurence, the ferry ride was quite nice but Laurence had very little (nothing actually) to offer apart from an impressive radio mast and a house made from a railway turntable so we trotted out to Yamba, a surf destination with a pretty lighthouse and good fish and chips at the fishermen's co-op. 
After another cool, windy evening in MacLean we set off with the aim of reaching Brisbane, so back on the Pacific Highway. I have mentioned before the ongoing work to upgrade the Pacific Highway to bypass towns and become a serious motorway but the scale of the construction project is just astonishing, it all seems to be happening at once, not just a bit at a time. There must be thousands of people employed on the upgrade, a massive bridge was in the process of making its way over the Clarence River and looked like it would be open soon, meanwhile kilometre after kilometre of areas beside the old freeway have been flattened ready for the next stage. 

 The scenery changed instantly as we crossed the border into Queensland. The Pacific Highway travels close to the coast (the clue is in the name) and in New South Wales the freeway is mostly surrounded by trees. This is because NSW benefitted from laws passed in the 1980s which dedicated much of its coastal areas to National Parks. Not so Queensland, as soon as the freeway changes state it is bordered by warehouses and factory outlets for, what seems like, an eternity, a bit like the M6 in the UK. 

We had found a showground in Samford, just outside Brisbane to stay in and after a bit of a hair raising drive through Brisbane's city centre towing the caravan, we arrived. Well the place was immaculate, it looked like they trimmed the grass with nail scissors, $20 a night with power, water, toilets and showers - excellent so close to the city. We sauntered into the little town and found we were staying in a very smart area. The town was extremely pleasant with artisan bakeries and the like and it was only a short drive to catch the train into Brisbane. 

 The next morning we tried to do just that and found we could not take Monty on the train so had to drive into the city. This turned out to be a better option as we found a car park beneath the theatre right on the South Bank for $17 for the day with the added bonus of it being underground so, if we needed to pop Monty in the car for a while we could.
I had heard mixed reports about Brisbane but I loved the bits I saw. We wandered along the South Bank which is very much a copy of London's South Bank, the theatre and museum even look like replicas of the Royal Festival Hall and National Theatre, there is a big wheel  too but the whole area has been organised in a very family and visitor friendly way. 

 The wide riverside walk allows plenty of room for segway riders and cyclists as well as people just strolling like us. The pathway is dotted with free community bike repair stations and plenty of picnic and sitting areas, there is even a community veggie garden where people are encouraged to help themselves and a little rainforest area and bougainvillea covered walkways to allow people to keep out of the sun.
 My favourite part of all though was the artificial beach. Apparently there were sneers of derision when plans were announced for the beach but it is fantastic! It is all free with a large swimming and paddling area and sunbeds to lounge on and soak up the sun. How fantastic to be able to come out of your office in the busy city centre and eat your lunch on a beach - brilliant! 

 After nine days of non stop, torrential rain and with the promise of many more to come, we decided to hook up the van and head north up the coast to Queensland to try and escape the cold and wet. 
Friends are always telling us we should be used to the cold, coming from England, but it is surprising what a short time it takes to acclimatise. Also, England does cold weather much better with nice cosy insulated houses and central heating. There is very little of that where we live because winter is so short and it is very unusual for the temperature to get as low as 10 degrees overnight. Some houses have wood burning stoves while others rely on reverse cycle air conditioning but generally people tend to just rug up until it is over. 

 We set off in more pouring rain and scooted off up the Pacific Highway. Our first break was planned for Port Macquarie to visit the Koala Hospital. We had been meaning to have a look at the hospital for some time because we are asked about it regularly by tourists who visit the Tilligerry Habitat where we volunteer. Well, I will be recommending it to everyone from now on, it is a fantastic visit! 

Free entry (although I hope everyone would see fit to make a donation) there is a really educational information centre and visitors can walk quietly around the pens to see some of the patients. Koalas are there for varying reasons, some are being put back together after run ins with cars or dogs, others are being treated for illnesses (mainly chlamydia) and there are a few who will never be released because they would no longer be able to cope in the wild. My favourite section was the dehumanising area where koalas who have needed intense nursing, often in the home of a carer, are sent to learn to be wild koalas again. Many of these are orphaned joeys who have been hand reared and cannot be released until they are about a year old so, although the area is screened off up to a couple of metres high, above that the branches of the trees are dotted with tiny koalas just waiting to get big enough to leave, wonderful!

 As if that wasn't enough, the koala hospital is on the site of the historic Roto House which was built in 1890 and stayed in the ownership of the same family until 1979 when it was handed over to the National Trust. For a gold coin donation visitors can have an introduction from a curator and explore the whole house, because it was in the hands of one family for so long much of the history is still intact making Roto House a worthwhile visit. 

Port Macquarie itself was pretty nice too, quite built up but with low level apartments. The beach is huge with beautiful gardens leading down to it.
It was still raining as we drove on up the Pacific Highway towards Crescent Head where we were planning to have our first overnight stop. we turned off at the Slim Dusty Interchange and headed for the Delicate Campground, a National Parks campsite which allowed dogs. If we are travelling inland we manage to find plenty of cheap or free camping but it is virtually impossible to find anything inexpensive along the popular stretches of coast so the national Parks are a good alternative if your camping set up is suitably equipped. We are self contained so always happy to take a risk but, as it turned out there were immaculate flushing toilets and cold showers all for $24.

 The campground was very quiet and set prettily amongst the trees, the rain had finally stopped so we explored and found a path to a huge, empty beach right behind us. The sand was squeaky and a rainbow arched across the dark clouds, gorgeous. 

After a lazy breakfast and another walk on the fabulous beach (sunny this time) we drove into Crescent Head to remind ourselves what it was like. It is a very nice town with a caravan park overlooking a huge beach, a magnificent clifftop walk to a golf course with panoramic views of the coast.

 The landscape was definitely getting dryer as we took a short jaunt up to MacLean. The Pacific Highway is being upgraded at the moment and it was fun to take the new bypass around Macksville which, until recently had the highway going right through the middle of town with a constant stream of cars and trucks thundering over the bridge. We could see the town in the distance, it looked wonderfully peaceful, what a change for the residents.