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I entertain at the Yamba Golf Club on a Friday night every three months or so, and occasionally at the Yamba Bowls Club, and sometimes I stay over for a mini-break, rather than driving back to Byron Bay late at night. It's a price-driven decision where to stay, and on my last trip down I scored an online deal at the Aston Motel in Coldstream Street, Yamba.
It turned out to be a surprisingly good basic motel that is very close to the both the Bowling and Golf Clubs, and also an easy walk into the town centre. Super close to shops, restaurants, the pub and beach, and you must visit the quaint little fishing village of Yamba.
We were quite satisfied with our stay at the Aston, a calming and quiet stay, featuring a retro decor. The room, which had been expertly cleaned and presented, is quite large, cosy and comfortable. Featuring a large king bed with generous sized television, and free to air plus pay TV. We had an upstairs unit with a balcony overlooking an attractive pool area. It was a cold night, so luckily the room is equipped with reverse cycle air-con. If you are on a budget or prefer self catering, provided in-room are a microwave, cutlery, glassware and etc.
There's plenty of parking. The motel is located at the end of a road however, so there was little or no traffic noise and plenty of wildlife around. The grounds are manicured and the pool, spa and barbecue area looked well maintained and very inviting. Reception was friendly and helpful.
The little details are the most memorable. I appreciated fresh milk for tea, not UHF which I hate. An important drawcard for me was free wi-fi, but also Motel guests have free use of the adjacent fitness centre. The bargain rates and comfortable inclusions make the Aston a real gem for a budget stay in this laid back little town.
Yamba is on a river inlet and a nice drive from the highway through farmland, with river views - and as you get closer to town it's very picturesque with fishing boats and yachts moored in abundance at the marina in the river. There is a steep hill up from the main town centre to the headland and a small beach which is dominated obscenely by the big old Yamba Pub. The Yamba pub has bee turned into a backpacker style establishment with amazing views and live music on the weekends. There is a pretty lighthouse on the headland, and the town itself has plenty of interesting restaurants and cafes and some good antique op-shops. There's also good fishing, and a gentle, laid back, family friendly atmosphere.
You haven’t truly been to the Blue Mountains unless you’ve viewed the spectacular landscape sights from a cable car at Scenic World. Or ridden in Scenic World’s steep rainforest railway; descending from the top of a rocky mountainside down a slow drop to the bottom of thick lush rainforest.
The Blue Mountains are a short two-hour drive from the city of Sydney, and well worth the day trip. Famous for the rock formations known as The Three Sisters, the Blue Mountains are also a great place to go for fresh air, relaxation, and especially winter festivals. The arty, crafty villages will charm your thermal socks off, and are all close to each other atop the mountain area making a village-hopping drive-by very easy.
You’ll find Scenic World well signposted with lots of parking. Scenic World is mainly a divine walking track looping through forest with a ‘choose your own adventure’ option on which path you take. Everyone will start off at the check-in. Take the steep railway to the bottom of the rainforest, and then pick a path to walk around the lush raised walking tracks through tall trees and flowing creeks. There’s a cable car to take from one side of the rocks, over the rainforest to the other, in super close view of the tumbling waterfall and three sisters.
The best way to experience Scenic World is with a guided tour. My tour guide was Murray, who grew up in the Blue Mountains, and whose grandfather was an original Scenic World railway engineer driver. Murray tells interesting stories of the land’s history of the great coal mining days, points out the tools & machinery left behind so camouflaged I wouldn’t spot it, and describe interesting facts about the fauna and flora which you will walk through. A tour guide is also brilliant because instead of iphone-googling for answers to all your hundreds of questions that pop to mind like ‘how can you tell how many billion years old that dicksonia Antarctica fern really is?’ Murray will tell you – count the rings. Murray even holds the talk on Carnivorous plants. Kids love it. I’ve seen Little Shop of Horrors - think I would too!
If traveling in the winter months of Australia, the Blue Mountains are well worth a day trip, at an easy two-hour drive out of the Sydney city. Instead of hibernating like the rest Australia, the arty Blue Mountain folk liven up their lives with a fantastic Winter Solstice Festival on the shortest day of the year. Held annually, stalls line along the main street of Katoomba, selling an assortment of treats. You’ll find homemade warming foods, arts, crafty wares, hand-made soaps and candles, and aromatic coffee stalls aka hot chocolate stalls.. mmmm. This festival is a good opportunity to stroll through the town and local gift shops, while talented locals serenade Katoomba with violins or (as spotted) a guitar made out of a wooden box. At midday, the parade with possibly the best dazzling costumes you’re likely to see in Australia, will descend along the main street. People from near and far gather to watch (perhaps with a spicy chai tea or warm mulled wine in hand, plus scarves and beanie’s) as the parades pass by. The annual Winter Solstice Festival in the Blue Mountains is a daytrip your itinerary will thank you for. If it could speak.
Website for more info: www.wintermagic.com.au
A quintessential day trip to the Blue Mountains of Australia is best made in the winter months of June through to August, when the local townsfolk are embracing cold season temperatures with mountain winter festivals and hot delicious chocolate.
You’ll find the Blue Mountains just 2 hours drive inland from Sydney’s coast, an unmissable lush high mountain range radiantly glowing of a beautiful blue-gum haze. Most famous in the Blue Mountains are the hiking and bushwalking tracks with views of beautiful rock formations called the Three Sisters. The Three Sisters consist of three enormous sized peaks on the highest rocky mountainside, beside a gully of never-ending rainforest. This is a spectacular view, having inspiring many artists and writers for centuries. Close by to the Three Sisters is Orphan rock, standing along, hence the name, and also sitting by the never-ending gully of trees and wildlife.
There are several viewing points to take advantage of these sights, with Sublime lookout definitely worth a short walk to see the Three Sisters. Often clouds will form around the height of the rocks, making for the most photographic sight (and ‘selfies’ opp) you’ll see.
Website for more info: www.bluemts.com.au
The small Aussie vintage town of Milton put their name on the map with a festival dedicated to the farmers scarecrow. On any other day you'd likely drive through the main street of the country coastal town of Milton without batting an eyelid, but on the weekend of Scarecrow festival it's another story. Held anually in the first weekend of June, neighbours and shopkeepers display scarecrow magnificence! Mostly stuffed with straw, and sometimes appearing as tiny dolls, or even real people, you'd believe the locals had been thinking about their creations for the entire year, for scarecrow costumes are extravagant!
Waving at you from frontyards and window displays are pirate scarecrows, mermaids, footballers, celebrity scarecrows - the attention to details is uncanny. Perfect and hilarious photo point and Instagram opportunities await!
A fabulous marketing ploy from the local council, the idea attracts people looking for a great weekend day out, such a Sydneysiders. Take a coastal drive past beautiful beaches and country side to view the town of scarecrows, and also visit the market, listen to outdoor live music, see local dance routines, and wonder through wonderful gift stores. An aussie day trip not to be missed.
Website for more details:
Website: Milton Scarecrow festival