The start of 2025 attracted us to visit the coastal town of Yamba. Located at the mouth of the Clarence River, renowned for its beautiful beaches, and experiencing much growth today due to the Sea Change phenomenon and retirees.
Our destination was the Yamba Shores Tavern for lunch, located right on the waterfront. Great menu selection, friendly and accommodating.
What a lovely experience and yummy lunch we all had!
So popular was our destination, we ended up with 5 different visits.
Thank you, Kirsty and staff, for your hospitality and looking after us so well.
DONOVANS SURF CLUB
We continued our coastal lunch visits closer to home and visited Donovans Surf Club in Coffs. Tucked away in a quiet corner with lovely beach views.
A relaxing lunch was had by all!
Thank you, Jason and Team, for your kind hospitality!
SMITHTOWN
Next coastal visit was Smithtown, a small town on the banks of the Macleay River. The original home of Milo. It has now become a nostalgic riverside village with historic art deco buildings.
We enjoyed our lunch at the Riverview Hotel, with a relaxed river setting atmosphere albeit a bit too hot for some!
We were then treated to a drive by tour of the old Milo factory, where Nestle manufacture over 11,000 tonnes of MILO® a year at the Smithtown factory – that's 17 cups of MILO® made every second for Australia and New Zealand.
We are sure we will be back!
CRESCENT HEAD
We ended our summer coastal visits at Crescent Head. Officially recognised as one of the best surf spots in the country.
Crescent Head is a classic Aussie beach village on the Macleay Valley Coast. In the 1960’s it became a well known destination for long board surfers as the Malibu surfboard rose to prominence in Australia.
We visited the Crescent Head Country Club, with panoramic views of the Pacific Coast, one of the most picturesque golf courses in Australia. They are also very proud of the only accredited six-hole golf course in Australia.
At the Club we had the choice of two fantastic dining destinations, Bumpa’s Bistro and the Bamboo Chinese Restaurant.
A few of us tend to favour Chinese!
What lovely meals we all had ! We are sure to come back again and again!!!
BRISBANE ESCAPADE 19 - 21 FEBRUARY
We were really looking forward to our first musical this year, Sister Act the Musical ! at QPAC in Brisbane. Sister Act the Musical was a perfect mix of comedy, uplifting music, and dazzling performances.
On the way to Brisbane, we decided to pay a visit to Wahgungurry Alpacas Stud at lower Southgate. We had a wonderful time meeting the alpacas. They were so friendly coming up to us for their food, each had their own name and personalities. Our hosts Pauline and Colin were very friendly and welcomed us with morning tea and a very informative talk. Thank you both for a memorable experience, we will definitely be back!
In Brisbane we stayed at our much loved Diana Hotel for the next 2 nights. Once again, Tina and John, our friendly Brisbane Greeters met us at the hotel and took us on another enjoyable sightseeing tour of Brisbane. On our last leg of the tour, a few of us decided to leave the bus and experience a trip on the famous City Cat ferry to our final destination the Riva Kitchen restaurant in Hamilton, which was only within a short stroll from the terminal.
On our way home, we decide to have yet another experience, by visiting Tweed Valley Farmhouse Cheese in Burringbar, a family-owned and run artisan cheese factory. We sat outside under the veranda overlooking the valley and enjoyed tasting some of their hand made cheeses, a light lunch, finishing with homemade gelato and shopping of course!!
Thank you, Sue, Kandy and staff for your hospitality!
We had yet another wonderful trip, enjoyed the company of new friends and had lots and lots of laughs. We are now eagerly awaiting our next musical!
AANUKA BEACH HOUSE
After all the commotion about the new Aanuka Beach House refurbished restaurant, we decided to have our own experience.
We picked a weekday early in the week to avoid the crowds and enjoyed a lovely relaxing lunch!
Our consensus decision was, ‘Great location and ambience with a very modern hipster vibe’.
MOVIE TIME - TRIVIA - GAMES AFTERNOON
Our activities events keep on growing in numbers! And Buses!
Everyone seems to enjoy their:
- Trivia and afternoon tea on the first Wednesday of the month at the CWA Rooms in Coffs
- Movie morning at Cavanbah followed by lunch at Chill and Chat every second Wednesday of the month
- And our fun time at the Games/Bingo afternoon and snacks every third Wednesday of the month at the CWA rooms.
SOUTH WEST ROCKS
We always love visiting South West Rocks, once a relatively quiet town, now gaining the attention of many holiday makers and camping enthusiasts thanks to its relaxed atmosphere and pristine scenery.
During our visits we always enjoy a great lunch at two of our favourite venues, the Riverside Tavern and the Rocks Restaurant and Bar.
Time permitting, we also try to squeeze in a tour of the historic Trial Bay Gaol or at least a drive by.
What a great start to 2025, unfortunately we missed out on some very exciting trips due to Alfie! But we will try to reschedule them during the coming months.
