Some 6 months after our washed out attempt of caching through these
parts we’d finally locked in a date and were heading north. Only half the
Gangsters could make the trip, but Hoojar had joined us for the ride.
Leaving Sydney late Friday afternoon we made good time as we headed up
the F3 Freeway and by 10pm we were leaving the tarmac for our first cache of
the weekend. The darkness of night had us naive to the beauty we were entering.
The caches flowed and after a few hours we decided to make camp for the night
just near No: 42
Morning revealed we’d jagged the perfect grassed camping spot, waking
refreshed we were soon back on the trail of the Mid North Coast. In the light
of day the magnitude of the countryside could be appreciated, the mountainous terrain
of the “Brother Ranges” and beyond was beautiful. As a daunting spin-off there
was a strong smell of smoke and over the next few hours it got stronger and
thicker. At one point we considered exiting the area for our own safety.
By late morning we’d nearly finished on the western side of the highway
included the enjoyable caches of GCX204 and GC4FG9B. After a couple more caches
around Coopernook we headed out to Harrington. Its’ here that 2 series of
caches come together to provide a plethora of caches for a coastal town. For us
it was earned lunch break and an opportunity to replenish our supplies. However
our break was short lived as there was lots more to do.
Heading north along the coast road, the finds continued to mount as we
visited the small towns of Crowdy Head and Diamond Head. We all agreed given
more time we’d love to return some day for a better look. By late afternoon we
were exploring the option that we’d finish the trail by nightfall. After a
couple of phone calls it was decided to catch up with the Browngang caching
team who lived a short drive further north.
Meeting Chris and X (Browngang) at the pub we enjoyed a hearty meal, a bourbon
or two and some good company before accepting the hospitality of our fellow geocachers.
Sunday dawned with inclement skies and no real urgency to do anything,
but after a hearty breakfast we were on the road again. Chris took us to a few
of his local caches before we were on the road heading south. By the time we’d
reached the highway at Kew the heaven had opened and for the next few hours we
drove through constant rain. We all agreed how lucky we’d been to have done all
our caching the day before.
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