LAWRENCE - 26 TO 28 FEBRUARY 2023

 26 FEBRUARY

From Maclean, we drove out to Buff Point and caught the river ferry to Lawrence.

We stayed with Bron and Tony for a few days and were joined later in the day by Mary and Gerry. It was a good time – chatting, laughter, drinks, bonfire and eating.

27 FEBRUARY

A bit weary, we woke late and for lunch we headed to the Lawrence Tavern. It was very hot.

An afternoon of chatting, eating and less drinking.

28 FEBRUARY

I had to fast as I needed a blood test in Grafton. The breakfast did look good.

We said our farewells and were on the road again.

YAMBA - 20 TO 21 FEBRUARY 2023

20 FEBRUARY

We drove north and visited Bron and Tony in Lawrence for a short while. A chat and a few cups of tea.

Next, we drove to Yamba to visit Julie. An old school friend of Jacinta’s. A fun afternoon and evening where we also caught up with Johnny, Zane and Tully.

21 FEBRUARY

Eventually, we woke and drove north to Lennox Head.

NORTH ROAD TRIP - LAWRENCE - 12 TO 14 NOVEMBER 2021

 12 to 14 NOVEMBER

We left Gibraltar Range NP and headed towards Lawrence.

Jacinta wasn’t feeling too well, so we did a covid test which was negative. Still, she wasn’t feeling well. Jacinta rested up for the next couple of days.

The following day, I had a kayak on Reedy Creek in the Everlasting Swamp NP.

The paddle was actually very short as the creek ended abruptly with a sluice and road - the map was wrong J. I landed and walked around the area. I considered portering over the road but decided I would paddle a different way next time.

Jacinta was feeling a little better so we left Lawrence for a coast trip home.

NORTH ROAD TRIP - LAWRENCE - 5 TO 7 NOVEMBER 2021

 5 NOVEMBER

A five-hour drive with a lot of rest stops from Hawks Nest to Lawrence to visit relatives.

We arrived in the afternoon, chatted, had a short walk and watched the sun set over the cane fields.

6 NOVEMBER

We woke to a glorious morning. 

A kayak along Woody Creek in the Everlasting Swamp National Park. I drove to the park along Wier Road. The road was very pot-holed in parts with a few pools of water. There were three cattle gates along the way but they were opened.

At the end of the road, was a parking area near a national park sign. This was where to launch the kayak but the grass was very high and looked snaky to walk through. I backtracked to entered the water just before the last gate before entering the national park. The water’s edge was soft and I sank to well above the ankles in the sticky mud as I launched.

I finally got the kayak out on the water, washed my feet and away I paddled. I glided up creek pass old abandoned piers, thick reeds and clumps of she-oak. Swamp hens would suddenly flap away from their hideaways in the reeds and trees as I approached.  There were a number of sluice gates to control water flow between the creek and the wetlands. The creek narrowed and the reeds became very thick with a height of at least two metres. The creek eventually ended at a sluice gate.

7 NOVEMBER

We left Lawrence for an inland trip.

LAWRENCE - 9 TO 11 JUNE 2021

 

9 JUNE

A road trip north.

I was awake early but for some reason or other we never left till 8:30am for Lawrence. The day was suppose to be rain but it was sunshine all the way. A good drive. We arrived at Lawrence at about 4:30pm so it was an 8 hour drive with a few stopovers to rest and eat.

The sun was sinking over the cane fields at B/T home (relatives). A very pretty sight and a good omen for the start of a trip. We settled in chatted, ate, drank and sat around the fire.

10 JUNE

I woke early and watched the sunrise over the sugarcane fields. 

Jacinta slept on and I drove to the Everlasting Swamp NP for a bike ride.

It was only a short drive to turnoff towards the park on Weir Road. The road is okay after the weir it greatly deteriorates. I pasted through two road gates and parked near the national park sign. The main swamp which is expands south of the sign had no water in it and no birds. I unloaded the bike and followed the trail/track towards Woody Creek. The track was deeply rutted in parts or covered with grass. The latter is difficult to ride upon. The scenery was awesome – a creek running beside the track, heaps of waterways and billabongs, old stockyards, irrigation sluices and an amazing amount of birds. I spent a lot of time admiring the birds in this remnant of coastal wetland.

Back at B/T , we wandered around Brom’s garden. There were lot of variety of vegetables and fruit. She puts so much effort and love into it and it certainly produces bumper crops. 

While Brom is attending her garden lady Tony is in his shed either fixing things to sell or working on his latest boat project. Tony is a boat builder by trade and like Brom his work is a labour of love.

11 JUNE

After breakfast, Jacinta sat around with Brom and Tony rested as he wasn’t feeling well. I drove to boat ramp near the Lawrence Tavern for a kayak to Munro Island.

I paddled over to a small beach and wander around on the soft fine sand. The interior of the island was thick with trees, overgrown sugar cane, reeds and various other plants. Add possible snakes and it was best to look from the island’s shore. I continued around the island moving quickly with the current until eventually, the wind and current were against my route. Still, it wasn’t too strong. There were a number of small beaches on the north–east side of the island.

After lunch, we headed off for our stay at Grafton.

LAWRENCE - 17 TO 19 SEPTEMBER 2020

 

LAWRENCE

17 SEPTEMBER 2020

We arrived late in the afternoon at Lawrence to visit Jacinta';s sister. We had dinner and shared stories of the last six weeks.

I felt pretty ordinary today.

18 SEPTEMEBR 202

We woke to a foggy morning.

I was not feeling too good – splitting headache.

Lazy day

19 SEPTEMEBER

We left Lawrence for Emerald Beach.

LAWRENCE - 7 TO 12 AUGUST 2020

 

LAWRENCE

7 AUGUST 20920

We left Hawks Nest for Lawrence to visit family in Lawrence on the North Coast of NSW.

The drive up was in cool to wet weather.

We arrived in Lawrence in the late afternoon with a light rain.

8 AUGUST 2020

A lazy day chatting and relaxing. I tried my hand at fishing ( I am not a fisherman) and decided that he definitely is not my forte.

In the evening, we had a huge bonfire and drank wine. Probably too much of the latter part.

9 AUGUST 2020

I woke and decided on a loop bike ride from the house along Back Kings Creek Road and around the town of Lawrence and back.

The wind was getting progressively stronger so progress was a little slow. The tarred road turned to dirt and the dirt turned to mud. Progress was even slower.

About halfway, I reached an area of tress where the wind was blocked and the road was much more drier.

It was a good ride.

On return we set off in T and B’s car to tour the local sites.

First treat was the car ferry across the Clarence River. One of those things thgat may be obsolute one day.

Next we drove to Shark Creek to view one of the old family homes. The area was very swamp and wet. The old home was high on a hill but now right next to the new highway and bridge. Not so pretty anymore as most of the vegetation had been cleared resulting in a bleak outlook. A bit of tree planting was in need. The road gradually narrowed and swamp became even swampier.

We stopped at the sight of a pioneer memorial which had some family names on it. It was erected by the children of Shark Creek Primary School which no longer exists.

Into Maclean for coffee.

Next stop was back to Lawrence, where we bought lunch – fish, chips and chico rolls for lunch. I hadn’t had a chico roll in years and I loved it.

10 AUGUST 2020

A cool night with a possible storm in the afternoon.

I drove off to The Everlasting Swamp National Park.

It was a short drive which followed the shoreline of Sportsman Creek. The road was tarred and turned into dirt. There were a couple of grates to cross and a few locked gates to pass through.

Soon, I reached the swamp. The main swamp was a flat open area with shallow water in the centre. There were a number of birds around the water’s edge. My first great site was a pair of brolgas slowly ascending in flight. The birds are large and the wings flapped slowly and gracefully till they reached their desired height.

I wasn’t sure of kayak or a bike ride. The distance clouds looked like they were getting closer so I settled for a bike ride. The track was really a grassed road between the swamps and the creeks. It was a hard pedal over grass.

Along the way, there were a number of sluices directing water to irrigation channels and under dirt roads to continue the creeks. There were many birds in the swamps and in the trees surrounding the swamps.

After the ride, I drove back to Lawrence to visit the local swamp on private property. Once again there were heaps of birds.

11 AUGUST 2020

Jacinta and B and T went into Maclean while I went for a bike ride.

They were a bit more successful but I had a disaster (to a degress). I drove to Bom Bom Stae Forest on the south side of Grafton. It looked okay so I got the bike off the van... flat tyre. No worries. I’ll fix that ... no I wont the tyre had a large tear along the side ... needed a new tyre ... Putting it back on ... my hand slipped and hit the disk of the brakes .. a deep cut into my finger and blood steadily pouring out ... medical kit wasn’t in the van ... back to Lawrence as I finally took the hint that this wasn’t to be a bike day.

We celebrated tonight as it was the official day of Jacinta’s retirement.

12 AUGUST 2020

Breakfast and after a bit of chatting we finally set off to Lennox Head.