Last weekend I accompanied Matt on a trip to Bellingen in mid North-coast New South Wales. It was over a five-hour drive, made worse by roadworks on the highway, and we arrived just before dark to the beautiful Caminy Cottage, just 1 kilometre out of town. It looked very welcoming with its warm lights on, but we were in need of sustenance, so headed to the Federal Hotel. We returned home with some drinks – I found this little beauty – to have on the deck and watch the night sky, so much brighter away from the city lights.
Sunset over the Dorrigo Mountains
The next morning I dropped him off at his job at 7am, and headed on to Urunga, to walk the boardwalk which runs out through the mangroves to the beach.
Beautiful patterns of holes in the silvered wood.
Looks like some kind of bracket fungi, brutally exposed to the salt water - what a shock that must have been!
I enjoyed another coffee on the quiet shore, then returned to take Matt some lunch before heading back to walk the main street and check out the shops before settling back in at the Federal Hotel. As I seem to have done on quite a few occasions, I worked on a grant application for the afternoon, in between watching the folk of Bellingen go about their Saturday mornings. 
Signs of recent flooding on the golf course fence.
Could this moss get any brighter?!
We returned again for dinner, where we saw many more examples of the local fashions. Lots of brown surprisingly, with practical boots and hats. The duck liver pate I had for dinner was divine.
It was a nice little break, but it was great to get back and see the girls on Sunday! They didn't seem too upset with us.
