For the past three days we have been making our way down the New South Wales coast. But the nice towns on the coast have very little free camping or showgrounds, so we have zigzagged in and out - beaches by day, showgrounds in inland country towns by night.

So, after Maclean we headed out to Coffs Harbour, then in to Bellingen overnight. Next day Nambucca Heads by day, Kempsey showgrounds by night. And today - Port Macquarie by day and Taree for the night.

Impressions - Coffs Harbour is the home of the Big Banana and the Small Dutch Village. Did both of those last time. Otherwise it is one big shopping centre, then a harbour and marina at the end. Picked up a few things at the shops, then headed to the harbour. As we pulled in all the rain that the TV news had been threatening seemed to hit us all at once. It was thundering down. We had to sit in the van for a while and watch some TV until it eased off a bit.

Bellingen was a hippy town from the 60s that never grew up. It was spattered with Hemp stores, yoga centres and crystal shops. The showground was over a very low bridge at the end of a very steep road. A bit scary at first glance, but not too bad.

Next day we went to Nambucca Heads and the sun was shining gloriously again. This is a very average town with a main street looking onto nothing. Its only claim to fame is a wonderful mosaic bus stop at one end. The town itself is very hilly and steep, reminiscent of Gympie. Finally worked out the best part of town was down along the river where the ground was flat and there were wide well serviced parks to enjoy. Had a lovely barbecue, and saw the heads from a distance. Then we followed the river on before getting back to the highway through the scenic route.

Kempsey was a very sweet little town and had a gorgeous showground with a historic pavilion

Port Macquarie we have seen three times now. Coming into town was a nice drive along the river with oyster farms and seafood cafes dotted along the way, but town itself was very busy, built up, and hard to park. We finally found a nice spot in the middle of town, but only for two hours. Enough time for some lovely reminiscences, and a good coffee. But too early for lunch. The info centre mentioned we could get back to the highway along the coast road where we would go through many towns along the water. Some gorgeous views, and a lovely fish and chips lunch on the wharf at Laurieton.

Taree - is a big city. Enough said. It had a lovely waterfront on the river with good facilities, but completely deserted. The showgrounds were nice, and very busy. Met some lovely people.

Georgey's bit

The weather makes a massive effect on travel and impressions of visited place. Coffs looked bad and Nambucca looked good because of climate change.

Bellingen on the other hand looked museum-esque after long being stuck in the past.

Kempsey was welcoming and easy to walk and explore. Walking is a good option as driving on bridges made in early settlers times seemed small for modern modes of transport.

Port Macquarrie central has not changed much but we discovered that it extends further with many beaches and suburbs. Laurieton's seafood cafe had a sign advising against feeding pelicans and seagulls but their behaviour suggested that this sign has been ignored frequently.

Taree showgrounds' keepers kept all travellers happy and supplied with extra-long power cables. They were "Not Happy" with the last show leaving the grounds in a poor condition.