We thought of staying at Yamba, as we have fond memories of the place and our friends were staying there for their own holidays. Instead we opted for the smaller and quieter town, knowing we could catch a ferry across the Clarence to meet our friends in Yamba. Iluka may not be the cup of tea for most people, however it was the tonic we needed after a few nights of drinking and engagement with our school friends at Bonny Hills.
After a drive of ~4 hours, we arrive just before 5pm. Our intention is to not drive more than 4-5 hours each day, unless absolutely necessary. Keeping the driving time to this average makes the driving more manageable, as I presume I'll be doing most of the driving around Oz. There will be times when Jackie will need to drive, perhaps when we start heading west and beyond.
Upon checking in at Clarence Head Caravan Park, and driving down the dirt road to our caravan site, it was immediately clear that this was not a Big 4 type of place; not that we expected as much, given the cost is half the price we paid for the site at Bonny Hills.
As per most caravan parks, this one was filled with friendly smiling faces, with the kind man next to our site lending me a hose extension, as the taps were greater than 10 metres from my slot.
The caravan sites themselves were fine, and although the toilet infrastructure was outdated and old, the murals and updated fittings spruced up the toilets and showers; which were very clean and spacious. The laundry was fitted with new gigantic washing machines; and there was a family room which had satellite TV. Much to the disappointment of the kids, Nickelodeon was not included in the package and they had to settle for the Jr version !!
The highlight of the park would have to be the great service of the owners and the Camp Kitchen, which was decked out with new BBQs, oven and a community fridge. I suspect the kitchen would be busy during the height of the holiday season, however we had the kitchen all to ourselves for the days we were there.
We had two full days at Iluka. The first was spent in Yamba with our friends the Haggarts; where we spent time at the gorgeous main beach.
The ferry ride there and back was nothing to speak of, with not much by way of scenery. Grace did giggle hysterically when we spotted a giant doodle etched on a beach at one of the head lands.
On the second full day, the Haggarts came to visit us, despite Dave previously vowing never to come back to Iluka because it was such a hole. We walked, Jackie and Janine talked (and talked, and talked..) and the kids had a great time together. After having a late lunch at the Camp Kitchen, did I mention the kitchen was great ;-), we bid farewell to the Haggarts.
The breakwall had the usual table fish of Tailor being caught, and I did see locals catching garfish and sending them out under a float. I suspect they were chasing Mackeral, as I'd read that they were catching a few up this way. With my light gear, I couldn't participate in the live baiting, so off I went to try and find the elusive Flathead on plastics. After a few hours of casting and retrieving, I cam up short and headed back to the caravan to have breakfast with the family; who had only just woken up by the time I had returned - yes, I was up at 4:30am..
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