Day 260 - Friday 15 September - Och Aye Checking out Maclean

Day 260

Friday

15 September 2017 –

Grafton – Maclean – Ulmarra

Having caught up on needed sleep, we were awake just before 7am and happy to read as the day began to make itself known. We again heard Sarah and Dylan leave for work and shortly after we were up and off for a shower, before returning for breakfast. Next up was cuddle time with the farmyard crew. It is so lovely having all of the animals so happy to see you and wanting attention. 

After my visit, we packed up lunch and the car and ventured into Grafton for a quick bank run before setting the GPS for the small town of Maclean about 60km away.

All the signage we had seen and the tourist books I had read, informed us that Maclean is a little bit of Scotland here in northern NSW and we could definitely see the influence when we pulled into the main street. 

We found a place to park and then set off on foot around the centre square. Here the light poles are decorated with clan tartans, each labelled with the family name that the pattern belongs to. 

Not only are the poles painted up, but street signage provides information about all things Scottish; games, food and rhymes. There is a Scottish store selling all manner of items and it pumps out merry Scottish tunes that can be heard down the block. 

We walked down by the Clarence River and then up the other side of the main street before skipping back into the suburbs and up to St Marys Church, a beautiful old sandstone building standing high on the hill. From here we doubled back around through the streets and on to the car. 

We had passed a sign to a lookout, so we navigated up the very steep hill and parked at the top. From here we had a great view over the Clarence River, the valley it traverses and on to the ocean, where we could make out the towns of Yamba and Iluka. 

There was a second lookout a short walk down the hill that we wandered on to. This was put in so that tourists could view The Pinnacles, a strange structure of very large and flat rocks.

Once back at the car, we grabbed our lunch and sat at one of the benches enjoying the warmth of the day and the view around us. When we had finished our rolls we bundled ourselves back in the car and drove on to Maclean Golf Course. We figured it was only right to play a round in the town with Scottish roots. 

Paul paid the $18 green fees and then we set about following the first 9. The local school was out on the practice putting green, what a perk for the teachers. We don’t usually play in the middle of the day and it was apparent why this afternoon, with the sun beating down on us. However, it was still a pleasant way to spend an hour and a bit. A quick round, as very few were on the course. 

We made our way back to the car and navigated towards Grafton, stopping in the historic port town of Ulmarra. We had passed this town twice on our way in and out of Grafton and it looked like an interesting spot to spend a little time. 

We parked in the main street and then set about doing a lap, taking in the mural art, old church buildings and an interesting old antique shop with a couple of dubious names. We then found the corner pub for Paul to quench his thirst after his round of golf, before checking out the Clarence River once more.

We did a wander past an intriguing old bookstore and spent some time checking out the art within a gallery, before finally making our way back to the van, where we sat and enjoyed the peace before Sarah and Dylan returned home.  

We spent a little bit of time talking to them before they needed to get ready to head on to Dylan’s parents’ farm for the night, leaving us with the run of the house for the evening, luxury. 

We made ourselves at home saying hello to Dokoda and Bonnie, the two dogs, as we checked out the outside entertaining area before retreating to the lounge watching TV.

We enjoyed making our dinner in a full size kitchen. Bliss. We then retreated back to the comfy couch to continue watching TV another novelty. Paul decided to amp it up by filling the bath as well. It was so nice to soak in the big tub.
We returned to watching the TV for the remainder of the evening.