YAMBA
YAMBA
As we left the Gold Coast we were on the coast road at last. There were miles and mile of beaches (see picture right) from Broad Beach down and a lovely road that ran parallel to the beaches. Some of them, like the one at Nobby's Beach had sports equipment that you could use (see picture left) so David took advantage. We carried on down the coast as far as we could and then decided to have lunch. I never thought we would ever join a surf club but as food and drink were only available to members we had to join (see picture right). Lovely friendly atmosphere. After lunch we were back on the motorway, heading for Byron Bay. This was one of the big places in the '70s but had become too famous and consequently too expensive. We only wanted to look at the place, but getting in and out was horrendous due to heavy traffic and winding roads, and when we did stop by the (small) beach it was very smelly. Fortunately, we had already decided not to stay there but to go on to Yamba instead.
Yamba was a delightful small town, where residents mostly knew each other and all welcome tourists. It is mainly bungalows (or one storey houses), with a compact shopping centre and a multi-sports area with cricket pitch, football field and golf course with the most amazing casino and gambling area by the bar which you had to pass through to reach the Pro Shop. We had a couple of dinners and breakfasts in the main street and didn't miss the local hotel which is really a pub with rooms on the top of a hill by the lighthouse and with great views out to sea. Yamba also has a number of wonderful beaches (see picture left) and a harbour wall where we walked out and saw dolphins (see video).
As we left the Gold Coast we were on the coast road at last. There were miles and mile of beaches (see picture right) from Broad Beach down and a lovely road that ran parallel to the beaches. Some of them, like the one at Nobby's Beach had sports equipment that you could use (see picture left) so David took advantage. We carried on down the coast as far as we could and then decided to have lunch. I never thought we would ever join a surf club but as food and drink were only available to members we had to join (see picture right). Lovely friendly atmosphere. After lunch we were back on the motorway, heading for Byron Bay. This was one of the big places in the '70s but had become too famous and consequently too expensive. We only wanted to look at the place, but getting in and out was horrendous due to heavy traffic and winding roads, and when we did stop by the (small) beach it was very smelly. Fortunately, we had already decided not to stay there but to go on to Yamba instead.
By this time, our GPS had all but given up, so we had no choice but to use the freeway. Roadworks meant we couldn't go fast. Time was now of the essence. We had told the Yamba Motel that we would be there by 7 o'clock. David reckoned that we should be there by 6 without any hold ups, but then our mobile showed the time was an hour later than we thought. We didn't realise there was a time difference between Queensland and New South Wales and we had just crossed the border! However, thepeople at the moel were lovely and helpful when we phoned ahead to warn them. As we drove more sedately than we wanted, we were able to see the impact for the first time of the recent bush fires. Trees were scarred black and it was obvious that we wouldn't have been able to drive this road only a few days before. Right at the point where we would want to turn off for Yamba, a new bridge had been built, but luckily we took the old road and this took us in the direction we wanted and only required a few rude exchanges between driver and navigator.
Yamba was a delightful small town, where residents mostly knew each other and all welcome tourists. It is mainly bungalows (or one storey houses), with a compact shopping centre and a multi-sports area with cricket pitch, football field and golf course with the most amazing casino and gambling area by the bar which you had to pass through to reach the Pro Shop. We had a couple of dinners and breakfasts in the main street and didn't miss the local hotel which is really a pub with rooms on the top of a hill by the lighthouse and with great views out to sea. Yamba also has a number of wonderful beaches (see picture left) and a harbour wall where we walked out and saw dolphins (see video).
Our accommodation was in a modest motel, but we still had a kitchen, big bedroom and sitting area. The owner's were very friendly, but were unable to help us when we wanted to stay an extra day to play golf. Ah well, on to the next place, Port Macquarrie.
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