Ambling further south.

I have never been to the Spanish Costas during the season but if the Gold Coast here in NSW is anything like them I am glad that I have avoided the experience. Yesterday as I left Coolangata heading inland I felt a strange sense of relief then as I hit the twisty roads through the woodlands it developed into a feeling of euphoria.
My first stop for coffee was in Nimbin which was a Hippie colony, now it is a commercial enterprise selling Hippie tat to tourists with just enough aging Hippies hanging around for realism.
Coffs Harbour was OK, a lot less tourists and much more relaxed. I think it appealed to retirees because there were a lot of chaps and chapesses of a certain age power walking past me as I scrambled my eggs near the jetty, I did find that there were a lot of grumpy Aussies in the retail sector there but the residents of the park where I stayed were friendly and chatty.
Today I went to Bellingen as it was another place I remember from Gill's letters and it turned out to be a cute traditional little town with well preserved early 20th century shops so I had to stop for another long black, the Australian equivalent of an Americano but better. I then followed Paul's recommendation to head for South West Rocks, the gaol was an OK place if a little overpriced but the town and area is lovely good walking and a reasonably priced haircut so far and I have a date with the lady from the tourist information tonight for dinner at a tavern overlooking the river.