The Legendary Pacific Coast Highway

A short drive northwest of the Hunter Valley and we entered the central coast region of New South Wales, finally clear of the greater Sydney area.  With a short stopover to stock up on supplies in Newcastle, we headed to the Great Lakes district.  A cluster of national parks holding three large saltwater lakes comprise the namesake of the district, and while the lakes are certainly beautiful, both Kayleigh and I think it's the coastline steals the show.  The first stop we made in the parks was Seal Rocks where we were greeted, quite unexpectedly, by perhaps the most beautiful beach we'd seen in Australia thus far.  Situated on the sheltered and remote Sugarloaf Bay, the water was perfect for swimming (provided it is warm enough outside, which on that day it unfortunately was not) and the sand a dazzling white.  Picturesque rocky headlands and sea cliffs framed the scene,  while on the beach pelicans (and not much else) consorted to discuss whatever it is that they discuss.  It was one of the beaches where even though it wasn't warm enough to swim, just sitting in the soft sand and staring at the blue water was entertainment enough.  Another km or so and the road comes to an end at the trailhead to Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse.  Of course, you knowing me at this point, I was compelled to walk to the end of this trail and see what there was to see.  A short but steep walk rewarded me with some sweeping views down the windy coastline which I will so graciously share with you now ;p.

Sugarloaf Point

Looking down the coast from Sugarloaf Point Lookout

Seal Rocks beach

Sugarloaf Bay

The northern end of the Great Lakes district

Back onto the main road through the parks, we crossed the border from Myall Lakes National Park and headed into Booti Booti National Park near Pacific Palms.  Pacific Palms is a peaceful (and quiet) little hamlet pushed right up against Lake Wallis on one side and Smith Lake on the other.  We decided to have our lunch on the gently lapping shores of Smith Lake before heading out to "The Spit" to check out the ocean beaches on it's eastern side.  The surf was far too powerful to swim, but boy was the beach beautiful.  More stunning white sand and teal waters than one knows what to do with.

The Spit beach

A few hours drive up the Australian coast, we diverted off the Pacific Highway and headed west on little distraction known as Waterfall Way.  Driving up into the Great Dividing Range, it was here that we first appreciated just how large Australia is, especially when compared to New Zealand.  This "little distraction" proved to be a full day's drive to view three waterfalls along the highway.  As we ascended the narrow winding road into the misty mountains, the subtropical rain forests leftover from the ancient continent Gondwanaland (a fusion of Antarctica, Australia and New Zealand) grew thicker and thicker.  Then as the road flattened we emerged from the rainforest onto the rolling green grass hills of the plateau.  This region of Australia is called New England and once you see it it's not hard to imagine why - even for someone who's never been to England such as myself the landscape calls to that folk image of the old country.  It was here in this modestly beautiful country that we made our first waterfall stop at Dangar Falls.

Gondwanan Rainforest

Dangar Falls

The next waterfall on our path was Ebor Falls some 40km west of Dangar Falls.  As we traveled west over the plateau the landscape became gradually drier, with the green trees of Dorrigo being replaced with more hardy varieties.  It began to look a bit more like the Australia I'd had in mind before we'd landed in Sydney.  Ebor Falls itself was gorgeous, and easily the most beautiful of the three falls.  By the time we'd reached Wollomombi Falls further west, the dryness had won out leaving us to view a small trickle.  It was at this point that we decided to turn around and head back towards the coast, since any further stops would likely be dried up.  As an interesting aside - along the waterfall way between Ebor and Wollomombi Falls farmers have constructed a LOOOOONG fence running north and south to keep the dingos from moving further west into the cattle grazing country.  It is creatively called the Dingo Fence.

Ebor Falls

Wollomombi Gorge - can you spot the fall?

At the tail end of the Legendary Pacific Coast Drive stretching from Sydney to the Queensland-New South Wales border (think San Francisco to San Diego), we hit the famous hippie surf town of Byron Bay.  Byron Bay might be the most famous beach in Australia outside of Bondi, and the small town seems bursting at the seems with backpackers.  Lining the streets of the central area are plenty of good cafes and restaurants, as well as a variety of holistic and alternative medicines, organic foods, and psychics.  Now look folks, I know I have dreadlocks and all, but this place was waaaaaay too hippie for me and the general trashiness of the backpacker scene doesn't help it either.  The beach itself however, is everything it's cracked up to be.  An idyllic bay stretching endlessly its crescent shape backed by the green hinterland, Mt Warning rising up prominently to the northwest.  It has all the characteristics of Ozzie beaches, soft, clean, white sand, warm clear/blue ocean and plenty of space to lie about and waves to splash around in.  Along with Seal Rocks and Sydney's eastern beaches, I'd give it top merits.  Cape Byron to the southeast of town is the most eastern point on mainland Australia and provides a breathtaking view of the bay.

Mt Warning over Byron Bay 

Byron Bay

I'm not sure if the Legendary Pacific Coast Drive got its name organically or via some well devised tourism ad strategy, but I'd be willing to bet the latter.  I'm not sure I'd call it legendary, but I suppose the Nice Pacific Coast Drive doesn't quite have the same ring to it.  The majority of the drive is not within eyesight of the coast, and there are very long portions of the drive with little to nothing worthy of mention.  Most of the highlights were clustered around the greater Sydney region or just a little beyond.  That said, what's good is great and we make the trip on the driving edge of the winter season.