August blue sky over Waterfall Way

We have driven the route east from Armidale along Waterfall Way to the Pacific Highway many times, but it is always striking to me.  No matter what time of year it is, how dry the hills and brown the eucalypts, whether or not we see kangaroos and wallabies, it is a beautiful drive.

Oxley Highway to Port Macquarie

It's hard not to see 'Men At Work' and not start humming a certain tune ;)

Blooming Wattles along the Pacific Highway

Wattles are blooming over much of our part of NSW.  While still catching on
in Armidale, towards the coast most of the trees are in bright yellow bloom.

Wildlife overpass

Driving down to Swansea and The Entrance

Seagulls over Caves Beach

Sunday was the Central Coast Craft Beer and Cider Festival, held in the little town of Kincumber, which is a little bit north of Sydney and close to the city of Gosford.  We drove down to Gosford on Saturday so as to avoid a long and early trip Sunday morning.  It's such a pretty drive from Thunderbolts Highway (from Uralla to Walcha to Gloucester) to Bucketts Way (from Gloucester down through Stroud to the Pacific Highway to Newcastle.)

We stopped for a picnic in Swansea in a lovely park overlooking Caves Beach and the Pacific.  Our next stop was Wyrrabalong National Park, which is made up of two areas: the North park and South park, one north of The Entrance and one south of it.  We've driven by the exit for The Entrance several times on our way back from Sydney, so it was kind of fun to finally pass through.  The city is named for the body of water on which the city is located.  A narrow strip of land separates the ocean and an inland bay, connected only by a thin channel.  That is The Entrance.

Past Gloucester

(A lot of cities around here could make you think
you're in the British Isles)

Art along the highway barriers

Approaching the ocean

Caves Beach

This magpie would like to remind you there are No Dogs and
No Motorbikes, No Glass and No Littering at Caves Beach

There's a pretty big prawn between Swansea and The Entrance
(but not as big as the Big Prawn outside Ballina.)

Driving through Wyrrabalong National Park (North)

Autumn colors on the New England Highway

A few photos from our drive up to Grafton a few weeks ago.  It had been a while since we've driven north on the New England Highway.  The scenery of this part of New England is always really beautiful, but the golden poplars lining the fields were especially nice.

The fall colors disappeared as we turned east at Glen Innes onto the Gwydir Highway, deciduous trees turning into towering eucalypt forests with ferns and palms as we drove over the Great Dividing Range.

On the other side of the Great Dividing Range