Submitted: Friday, Jan 02, 2009 at 15:38

Woody head 29-11-08 to 7-12-08
We made our annual trip to Woody Head at the southern tip of the Bundjalung National Park to spend a week with good friends and their young sons. Woody Head is about 12.8Km’s from the Pacific H/Way on the Iluka road, turn off the Pacific H/Way about 10.5 km’s north of the Harwood Bridge. We arrive on the Saturday at about 12.00 pm, Craig and Nat have already setup and sit back and watch our circus unfold. There is an unusual plague of Scotch Grey Mosquitoes with humidity of about 95%. No matter how much insect replant we put on, it doesn’t stop us getting eaten alive. Mark G and his family come over for a visit and help us to finish setting up, which was a great help. We just about get completely setup and a thunder storm greets us at about 5.00 pm. The Mosquitoes annoy us well into the evening. Dinner and a couple beers and we’re ready for the Hay.

The next couple days, the Mosquitoes hang a round, nothing like there was on Saturday. Jon & Lyn that run the park tell us that they have never seen a plague like that. People in Iluka say they have never seen anything like it. Sunday, Monday is spent just hanging around doing nothing in particular, Just enjoying the break. The kids love exploring the rock pools, they never tire of it. They spend hours walking over the rocks looking and watching the small fish caught in the rock pools from the lower tides.
Tuesday I take Craig for a run through Tullymorgan/Jackybulbin to Lawrence (30km’s) to pick up my work trailer and go and erect a 3m x 3m garden shed for a lady that I had started to do the week before, but was stop by rain and wind. We arrive back at camp about 4.00 pm and it is a beautiful afternoon, no mosquitoes, slight breeze, the kids have behaved themselves for Fysh & Nat, a couple beers and this is what it is all about. The girls tell us that there is a Carpet python in the tree opposite us. Nat’s sister had left to go home and there it was curled up under her car. It’s about 6ft and curled up in the tree in a sunny spot. What a beautiful creature it is, its colours are quiet stunning. One camper who has become know as HMG (High Maintenance Guest) thinks hes Steve Irwin , he wears the kaki shirt & shorts, and he is back and forth with people showing them the snake, pointing and telling people all about it. What is it with some people? Of a night we sit back and watch as the moon passes through two planets, Venus & Jupiter, it looks like a happy face
Wednesday, we plan a trip to Yamba by ferry, costs are FARES: Adults $6.00 each way – Pensioners & Children $3.00 each way
Family Pass – 2 Adults/up to 4 children $35 return
Children – under 16 years – under 5 years free.
It’s about a 45 minute trip. We have lunch at the Fish Market and go for a walk to Turners Beach. The kids have a swim and we head back to the Ferry at about 3.00 pm. There are storm clouds building up in the west, as the ferry heads back to Iluka it starts to rain and there is more and more lightning. We moor at Iluka to have the storm right above us. We pull over and prepare to sit it out, it starts to hail. I can’t see more than 15 feet in front of me. It clears and we head back to camp. Back at camp we find that there has been hardly any of the wind or rain/hail that Iluka had just copped. The clouds clear and it turns into a wonderful afternoon. HMG is still holding guided tours to see the snake. He’ll tell anybody that cares to listen. I don’t know why he has to do that.
Jon & Lyn tell us about two Lady South African guests with their kids, which tell him that the cabin they were staying in is infested with rats. Jon & Lyn move them to another cabin. I mention to Jon that it was probably Bush rats or bandicoots. He agrees, and tells me he has people tell him all the time that there are rats in the Park. He tells me one Asian lady came screaming to the office one day “Crocodile, Crocodile, Crocodile” It was an old goanna that hangs around the park.
Thursday, Another day in paradise, Not much to do except sit around and watch the kids play, have beer and talk crap. LOL And watch HMG hold his guided tours to the poor snake in the tree. We go for a swim and when we come back HMG is looking for the snake. HMG is not happy that it has disappeared. He searches everywhere, to no avail, he can’t find it. On our way to the amenities in the evening we come across a baby Ring Tail Possum on the ground. It finds its way to a Paper Bank Tree and scampers up to its Mother. The kids really enjoy how close up they can get to the wild life. That evening we find Jon & Lyn having a quiet drink up the front near the beach, they invite us to join them. We sit until near ten oclock swapping stories and having a good laugh. Their really do have one of the best Offices in the world to work from.
Friday goes past the same as Thursday, except HMG doesn’t hold his guided tours. He still walks past in the hope that he will see the snake.
Saturday morning we take the kids into Milo Cricket at the Harwood Primary School; in the afternoon we come back to camp and think about packing up in the morning.
Sunday morning it is drizzling as we begin to pack home up into the trailer. It really is a magical place to stay nestled against the Headland amongst the trees. Until we go again next year it will be a long wait.

Tags: Camping, Hobbies/Interest
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