North Coast Holiday
January 2001.
It was a hot, hot January! I was so glad to take two weeks away from
work for a period of rest and relaxation. On the first week, my friend
Melanie and I escaped the Sydney rat race to the tiny, green oasis of
Bellingen, a town some 500km north of Sydney. It was a perfect place
for it, set on the banks of the quiet Bellinger River, surrounded by
emerald pastures and rainforest-covered hills. It was also perfect timing
as the town was flooded just 2 weeks after we left!
The area surrounding Bellingen was so different to that if Sydney.
It was definitely sub-tropical, and in the tradition of the North Coast,
the town also had its share of new-agers and various eccentrics which
gave it its character. The most famous of these was by far Mr. David
Helfgott, the inspiration of the Australian film, 'Shine'. By all accounts
he is a very sweet man - he even waved at us as we drove by!
The natural aspects of the area also fascinated us. We canoed for 2
hours along the Bellinger and didn't see another boat there, but plenty
of birds, a few flying fish, and cows having a paddle. In the evenings
the skies of Bellingen would be filled with thousands of flying foxes
(an Aussie form of bat), and I had my first real experience with leeches
on a walk in the Dorrigo National Park (not the most beautiful of creatures).
Although the beaches were nice and uncrowded, it was the rainforests
that were the most attractive. Dorrigo was beautiful with its lush vegetation
and waterfalls, but the real find was Never Never Creek with its clear,
fresh and cold waters where we swam and played in the mini rapids. This
is one place I would return to.
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