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!