Lismore to Coffs Harbour (204 km)

Change of route for our return back down south, leaving Lismore and passing through Casino and Grafton before arriving at Coffs Harbour. This was a much better road, only one section of roadwork and traffic was minimal.

Coffs Harbour Botanic Garden

Spent the morning meandering through the Botanic Garden at Coffs Harbour. This is well worth the visit and has expanded and matured since our first stop here 25 years ago. Despit being within the CBD, once you walk into the gardens traffic noise virtually disappears, replaced with songs of many different species of bird. The first bird we saw was a bowerbird and on the way back out of the gardens we had to give way to a bush turkey.

The Mangrove Boardwalk takes you along Coffs Harbour Creek and is part of the Solitary Islands Marine Reserve. It provides an interesting viewing platform of the mangrove estuary and includes a hide to observe birdlife on the creek.

The garden now has a new Japanese section and while many of the exhibits are still being planted it is still very pretty and relaxing. It will be even more beautiful once fully established. It was quite funny watching a family of magpies hunt for worms between a gardener's legs as he was preparing garden beds for planting. The bridge across the lake, Zen Garden and pavilion were designed using suggestions from gardeners from Coffs Harbour's sister city of Sasebo.

The glasshouses within the gardens are a series of five modules that house bromeliads, orchids, ferns, gingers, succulents and arid plants. The glasshouses are not open on the weekend because some visitors steal the plants.

Coffs Harbour Butterfly House

A short drive south of Coffs Harbour just off the Pacific Highway at Bonville is the Coffs Harbour Butterfly House. If you have time this is well worth a visit.

The temperature and humidity within the butterfly enclosure are quite high, be prepared for your camera lenses and glasses to fog up. There are a variety of butterflies on display, normally about 12 at any given time. Don't be surprised if the butterflies come and land on you, and you do need to watch where you walk as the butterflies rest on the pathways. Not cool if you squish them. Many butterflies are bred onsite, however some are purchased from butterfly 'farmers', none of the butterflies are caught from the wild.

F1 Kart Hire

After a sedate morning at the Butterfly House it was time for go karts. All gear was supplied except the covered shoes (you supply your own). It's about the only time father and son get onto the kart track at the same time. Our 2 stroke, 100cc racing karts were wheeled out onto the grid, and once we were all seated the karts were started and off onto the track we went. Wasn't long before son was lapping first his mother (no surprise there, it was like Driving Miss Daisy) and then his father.

Good fun, however not cheap, $30 per person for a 10 minute session.

Accommodation: Aqualuna Beach Resort, 840 Pacific Highway, Coffs Harbour. Booked through Enterntainment Book