January 2005

Here's a few snaps from the road on a typical Brisbane trip taken in January 2005.


A wet day on the F3 near Cooranbong heading north.

A long way to go yet and the rain looks like it's set in for the duration.


The Hexam bridge over the Hunter River.

The Macksville bridge... scene of many a truck accident as they pass on the narrow bridge.

The famous Fredo Pies at Fredrickton just north of Kempsey.

The Sid Bourke Forest Park which is a great spot for an overnight just south of Coffs Harbour.

The BP Truck Stop at Halfway Creek between Coffs and Grafton. This is all new dual roadway now and this stretch of the Pacific Highway is a lot safer although there was a fatality near here when a P-Plater swerved into a tree to avoid hitting a kangaroo.

The Harwood sugar mill on the mighty Clarence River just north of McLean. Many years ago my mate Ventry Lewis and I used to water ski on this river. He now has a cane farm on Chatsworth Island just a few clicks north of here. We would ski for miles on the big river... from Ulmarra to the river mouth at Illuka. Often we would get "wrecked" at the Sedgers Reef Hotel at Yamba.

Mt Warning hidden amongst the clouds.

The narrow road into Wollumbin (Mt Warning Caravan Park). This view never ceases to amaze me with the sunlight dancing through the thick canopy of Artic Beech trees. The scene changes from minute to minute and there is a comforting feel about it.
Crossing the mile-long bridge to Redcliff and Kippa Ring north of Brisbane. The old wooden bridge on the left is where my Dad and I fished when I was about 5 years old.

The infamous Coopernook Bridge... one of the narrowest on the whole Pacific Highway and due to be by-passed in late 2005. The truckies call on the CB when approaching this bridge to let other trucks know they are crossing so others heading in the opposite direction can wait until clear.

The BP Truck Stop at Gooloongoolook between Bulladelah and Taree. This is a good place to stop for a feed or just a coffee and is about 3 hours out of Sydney so about the right distance for a Stop - Revive - Survive.

This is what the whole 1000 kilometres of the Pacific Highway between Sydney and Brisbane should be like. This long straight is on the Wooton by-pass which goes from Buladelah in the south to almost Nabiac in the north. Maybe I'll see it completed in my life time. I often think of all the people who have died on the bad parts of the Pacific Highway whilst the federal government sits in it's plush $1 billion plus monstrosity... the money could have been better spent on the Pacific Highway upgrade.