Day 15 – Sydney to Coffs Harbour 

On the last leg of our journey now and it’s northwards bound today.  Travelling to Coffs Harbour for the night to break the journey which was six hours drive away.  Our first stop was for lunch in a tiny place called Budgewoi, a little off  the beaten track but I love finding these hidden places.

 

The drive up to Coffs is full of lush and tropical scenery so different from the west coast and it was getting more humid as the miles flew by.  We arrived at 6.30 pm and were staying at Beach Haven Executive Apartments located on the Solitary Islands Highway just minutes from the beach.  We had a beautiful room overlooking the ocean.  They do have a restaurant on site but as it was empty we decided to drive into Coffs Harbour and have dinner at the fabulous Latitude 30.

Our dinner!

 

 

Day 16 – Coffs to Brisbane

Our journey today was just a four hour drive so we had plenty of time to stop off for lunch.  Currumbin, QLD was the next stop where we met up with an old friend at the RSL Club with fantastic views over the beach.

By the time we arrived in Brisbane it was 5.30.  We were staying at Soda Apartments on the South Bank for two nights.  Great fully furnished apartment but so noisy as there is so much construction work going on in Brisbane.  I love Brisbane which is also so laid back like Melbourne.  People are so friendly here.  Our first night we walked down to the South Bank and wandered along the river.  It’s a great place to be at night, so much to see and so many restaurants to eat in.

Day 17

Today I fancied a drive inland – the hinterland as it’s called in Queensland and just chose a spot on google maps which sounded interesting!  Glasshouse Mountains is just over an hour’s drive away.  A beautiful drive up high into the mountains with amazing views but so difficult to stop as the road is so narrow and windy in parts.  One of the restaurants looked spectacular so we headed there for lunch, Clear Mountain Lodge.  We were the only ones up there, it’s a place I would really like to go back to and spend the night sometime.  The views around are of the Glasshouse Mountains, Moreton Bay and the islands.

We also had friends in Brisbane so off we went there for dinner that night!

Day 18

Checked out today as we were spending the last night in the Novotel at the airport so Anthony could get an early start for the long drive home!  I couldn’t face long hours in the car again so I took the easy way and was flying back.
So our last day was again spent visiting friends, near Southport.
That night we had an early night with dinner at a restaurant in the Skygate

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And so it ends, our epic road trip across five states! What a wonderful 19 days it’s been.  We’ve seen so many interesting places and eaten in fabulous restaurants along the way.  On the way we caught up with friends and family in different states, but I must say I am looking forward to going home to see my precious grandson and daughter and planning my next trip.   Until then Sayonara!