We have slept for 12 hours and wake to a cold morning and fine light rain. It’s a quick pack up of the swag and breakfast in the camp kitchen. We head off along Clarence Way, a picturesque drive through farmland, and forests within a hilly landscape. Then along the Armidale road to Dorrigo.

We take time to explore the back roads around Urbenville with its rugged rocky outcrops.

It should be noted from the Queensland border all the way to Dorrigo the road damage due to recent heavy rain and floods is extensive. It’s going to take years to fix some of the back roads as they have been reduced to heavily pot holed tracks.

We have enjoyed the birdlife on this trip, the landscape is so wet, paddocks have been transformed into wetlands and creeks are fast flowing. We have seen water birds in large numbers, flocks of Purple Swamp Hens, egrets and herons even a pair of swans in a water logged cow paddock. There are flocks of Regent and Satin bowerbirds, we have never seen so many of this usually timid bird out and about as they been today. While we are close to rainforest covered rocky outcrops and mountains the abundance is likely also due to the altitude migration that many rainforest birds undertake in winter.

We stop briefly when we cross the Bruxnet Highway , time to stretch the legs and enjoy the wood sculptures, recognising locals and places.

We have lunch on the bank of the Clarence River, the trees have been hammered by the recent floods and the river is still flowing fast.

There are so many potential campsites we will visit this region again, and the best thing is we can : )

We change plans and stop at Dorrigo, dinner is at the RSL. Tonight we sit at the dining table doing our banking, we are debt free after 35 years of marriage. Woohoo – take that Mr. Bankman.