Yamba - Dragon Boats on the Clarence

A 48 second video taken this morning (Sunday 23rd.) at Lawrence, on the Clarence River.

It's in 16:9 ratio and 1080 HD.
For best viewing, watch it on YouTube direct (just click on the YouTube wording on the viewer).

 

Below are some photos (all of which enlarge when clicked) but first, Google Maps so you know where in the world you are!

Yamba to Lawrence

The professional advertising poster!
Hanging on a barbed wire fence backed by sugarcane.

You drive from Yamba to Maclean, thence to the ferry point on Woodford Island about 10 km from Maclean. Cross the river and Lawrence is just 3 km further up river towards Grafton.

 

The riverbank was lined with entrants and their gazebo/tent shelters, plus locals and other spectators.

Competitors came from as far away as Coffs Harbour and Armidale.

Crews awaiting their turn in a dragon boat (there were four boats available) queued up on the bank near the launching area.

The crew representing Palm Lakes Resort (where my sister has her home) are referred to as the "Palm Lake Paddlers" and it was their first event, unfortunately delayed (and eventually cancelled) due to the increasing wind, which created whitecaps on the river.

A lovely location and the cooler weather was very welcome....although some good rainfall would also be welcomed by the sugarcane farmers.

Yamba - the picture show

The Yamba Cinema is a delightful throwback to the country picture theatres of the 1950s and 1960s.
This particular building has been the home of the "flicks" for 33 years, the previous venue just a couple of doors away.

There is no pretentiousness about the Yamba Cinema.
It holds over 200 people, in reasonable comfort, with an airconditioner and several ceiling fans for summer and some strip heaters around the walls for winter.

You buy your ticket from the box office, inside and to the right of the entrance, and that will cost you just $8. There are no reservations - you turn up for the advertised session, get a ticket and join the queue and find a seat when you get inside. First in, best dressed.

In the meantime you can buy a choc-top or popcorn from the candy bar and take a seat outside whilst waiting for the session to start, when you then line up behind the roped area at the left and move inside.

A couple of very large, shady trees shelter the entrance and provide a comfortable spot to laze away a few minutes before the program starts.

The movie that I saw today in company with my sister was "The Book Thief" - very powerful, very poignant and beautifully presented.
Emily Watson and Geoffrey Rush were brilliant but it was 13-year old Canadian actress Sophie Nelisse who stole the show as the central character, Liesel.

Yamba Cinema - a charming location to watch a good movie.

Yamba - Para-surfing at Pippi Beach

No, not me!

A couple of surfers enjoying the windy and overcast conditions on Monday morning (yesterday) at Pippi Beach, Yamba's southern stretch of golden sand.

Here's a very short (26 seconds) video.

More from Grafton - Sunday 16th. February

Continuing from the previous post, yesterday I went back into Grafton to meet my sister, who was returning on the XPT from her weekend down in Wauchope.

Before going to the station I photographed a few of Grafton's icons, three of which once represented a major part of business and industry in Grafton.

NOTE! ALL IMAGES ENLARGE WHEN CLICKED!

First on the list, and the furthest from the town centre, is the old Peter's ice-cream factory.
This was once a major milk-processing point for the dairy industry in the region and was one of many such facilities along the north coast, operated by such entities as Peters, Peeress and various dairy farming cooperatives.

This factory commenced production in 1953 and closed 30 years later, in 1983, virtually a victim of the deregulation of the dairy industry, and is now a facility for a local haulage business.

A similar fate befell another Peters factory further south, at Taree............
Derelict Peters factory at Taree


Next up was the old Grafton Brewery.

The brewery was established in 1951 and produced a lager and a bitter.
My father bought shares in this business because in the 1950s he was managing a Returned Serviceman's Club (RSL) at Kendall, down the coast near Port Macquarie, and local clubs and pubs were able to get Grafton beer slightly cheaper than the products from the Sydney breweries (Resch's, Tooth's and Toohey's.)

Grafton's products were very popular up and down the coast - so popular, in fact, that Tooth's and Toohey's were pissed off to the extent that they managed to undercut Grafton by obtaining subsidised costs on the rail-freight of their products to the north coast.

In 1961 the brewery came under Toohey's ownership.
The Grafton recipes were terminated, as was the label, and the place was eventually closed as an operating concern in 1997.

Out the door went another local employer.


The third local "business", which was a major local employer, was closed only last year.
This is the local prison, run by NSW Dept. of Corrective Services.

Grafton gaol was completed in 1893 and for a detailed history you can read more HERE
The architecture is unique and it is listed with the NSW heritage Register.

 

The "correctional centre" ("gaol" is much more convenient, and shorter!) employed many people, not only directly but also through the various services.

After visiting these three locations I then went to the Memorial Park which, back in the 1950s, was adjacent the location on the Clarence River from where a flying-boat service operated.
The park's layout has changed somewhat since then...........

As mentioned, there was a flying-boat service which used the stretch of river here as its alighting area. This was Trans Oceanic Airways, owned and operated by Cpt. P.G. Taylor.
Here is an image courtesy the Clarence River Historical Society and the Ed Coates Collection, circa 1950 .......

The view across the river is not all that different today.
In the immediate foreground is the Grafton Rowing Club building, and that is in the same location as the building that you can see in that coloured postcard photo (two photos above) of the park
In the second of the following three photos it's possible to make out some buildings across the river which equate to those seen in the 1950s B&W photo (immediately above).

With reference to P.G. Taylor, this location was the point from which he departed in March 1951 for his proving flight across the South Pacific to Chile, a venture for which, along with other notable deeds, he was knighted in 1954.

Prior to his departure, Cpt. Taylor and his crew stayed overnight in this local hotel

His Consolidated Catalina, Frigate Bird II, resides in Sydney's Powerhouse Museum.

I was somewhat surprised - and not a little disappointed - to not find any reference to this historic event on a plinth or plaque or sign and have contacted the Historical Society in Grafton to see why there isn't anything...or, if there is, where it might be.

When I receive a response I'll update this entry.

UPDATE 28th. March
I have received advice from the Clarence River Historical Society to the extent that they are following this matter up and have sought the support of the director of the Powerhouse Museum.
That's great news and it is to be hoped that something positive comes from my original enquiry.

Yamba - end of the first week.

One week has passed since I arrived on the 7th. of February and the standout item has been the humidity!
Although the maximum daily temperatures have been lower than those in Canberra at this same time, the humidity here on the coast has been up in the 65% -75% range. Down in Canberra the humidity has been in the 30% - 40% range.

Night-time temperatures have been far higher here also and it is not possible to use a blanket at night because the range between maximum day and minimum night is slight....maybe 8 degrees.
Compare that to Canberra, where the range can be 20 degrees.

But humidity aside - and, after all, this is the height of the summer season so it is to be expected - I have become more and more comfortable with this region the longer I've been here.
The appropriate words are difficult to express but it really is just a feeling of being at ease with the decision to move here. I really like this area and the change in climate.

So, this past week took me to Grafton - a town/city which I had never visited before yesterday, even when I was growing up on the mid-north coast (Port Macquarie area) back in the 1950s/1960s.

My sister was travelling to Wauchope by the CountryLink XPT train service, returning tomorrow (Sunday).
Being a train nut, I couldn't help but video the train .
It was done with my Panasonic Lumix TZ40 and only the second time I've used the video capability.
It's in 1080 HD 16:9 ratio, so for the best reproduction, view it directly on YouTube.

Below are some photos of historical buildings in the commercial centre of Grafton.

First up, the magnificent Post Office, built in 1874 and still going strong.
Weren't public buildings imposing back then?

Directly opposite is the Post Office Hotel, the core of which is original. There are a few later additions - probably 1940s or 1950s.
Note the timber platform projecting into the street...well, into the parking section.
This is set with tables and seats after business hours and on weekends and provides a pleasant place to sit under the stars on a warm night.

Almost as old as the Post Office is the original courthouse and the adjacent NSW Sheriff's offices.
The courthouse was constructed in 1880.

Sitting on the footpath in front of the building is a reminder of times before mobile 'phones and instant global communications.....an old red telephone box.
It is non-working and has been retained as an historical artifact.

I love the wide, tree-covered streets in Grafton...so wide in some areas that there is parking down the centre.

This next shot looks up Prince Street from near where the courthouse is situated.

I am back in Grafton tomorrow and will take some photos of the old gaol (which only closed last year), the original Grafton brewery (a business in which my father owned shares back in the 1950s/1960s) and the location on the river where the flying boats used to alight.

It's 2014 and I'm back in Yamba!

Looking after a friend's house for about 5 weeks and, coincidentally, our home in Canberra is up for sale and went on the market following our return after our fortnight's excursion here in October 2013.

Yep...we made the decision (on the way back, actually!) to sell up and move so now it's just a matter of time.

So in the meantime I am house-sitting following the end of the school holidays and am looking forward to checking out available properties to see what we can afford and where we wish to live.

Anyway, a few photos to kick off this feature and also the first for 2014.
Just click on an image and it will open into a full-size version.

First up is a view from the seaward end of the southern break-wall of the Clarence River looking to the northern extremities of Yamba.
In the background can be seen the lighthouse (centre) and, to the right, the water reservoir and then the communications tower for radio, marine and mobile-phones.
Beaches in the background are Main Beach and Convent Beach whilst to the right foreground the waves are breaking onto Turner's Beach.

Next is a shot looking straight out to sea from about half-way along the southern break-wall.
Rocks for this were quarried (in the early 1900s) at Angourie, on the coast just south of Yamba, and transported by narrow-gauge railway.
The two break-walls extend about a kilometre into the sea from the natural mouth of the river.

One of the prawn trawlers, "Chloe", heads out to sea, the northern break-wall on her left.
There are two fleets operating from this area; one is based at Yamba, on the southern side, and the other is at Iluka, on the northern side of the river.
This trawler belongs to the Iluka fleet.

They leave in the late afternoon and spend the night at sea, returning at dawn to unload their catches.
Finally for this post, a small video of "Chloe" motoring down the channel.

Port Macquarie - The Flying-boat Era

Back in the late 1940s and into the 1950s, a flying-boat service operated between Port Macquarie and Sydney (Rose Bay).
My mother travelled at least once on this service to Sydney, which departed from the stretch of the Hastings River just south of where the vehicular-ferry service joined the Pacific Highway on each side of the river.
At that time the section of the Pacific Highway between Newcastle and the Queensland border followed a different route to that used today.
The road (Buckett's Way) north of Newcastle was dirt and went inland from Raymond Terrace, passing through Stroud and Krambach before reaching Taree.

So the thought of doing a weekend drive from Sydney to the mid-north coast was out of the question and vice-versa. Thus the reason behind Dulhunty's introduction of the twice daily flights between the two locations.

The stretch of river on which the flying-boats alighted and took-off is shown as it is today in the two photos below - which bear little resemblance to the area sixty years ago! There were very few, if any homes located here and the man-made canals were un-thought of back then.

The first photo looks towards Hibbard and the location of the vehicular ferry over the Hastings, near the Whalebone Wharf  restaurant. The terminal for the flying-boat service was located just a short way along this section, on the left-hand side, past where the pleasure craft are seen.

 

 

The second photo, below, swings 180 degrees to the right and takes in the rest of the alighting area used by the 'boats.

 

The overall length of the stretch used is about 1.5 kilometres and is orientated south-west to north-east.

 

I can remember very clearly watching the flying boat take off when my mother flew to Sydney in the early 1950s.
In fact, I think most of Port Macquarie would come down and take in the spectacle of the large four-engine aircraft roaring along the river, spray flying and then gently lifting into the air and turning southward.

Yamba - Continuing the holiday photos.

Arguably the best view in town is that seen from the vantage point of the bar in the Pacific Hotel.

At dusk on a sunny day, summer or winter, to sit with a drink or two and watch the prawn trawlers ease out of the Clarence River or to gaze down towards the south end of Main Beach, with the setting sun's last rays tinting the eastern sky pink, is one of life's pleasant experiences.

Not far from Yamba is Angourie (the surf-beach starred in the 1970s cult film, "Morning Of The Earth") and a cool eatery that prides itself on serving "slow food".

A top place to have a casual breakfast, sit in the shade (or in the sun on a cool day) and read the morning paper.



Angourie was the site of the quarry used to mine the rocks for the Clarence River break-wall at Yamba. A light railway line was constructed to transport the rock and signs of the line can still be seen in some places.

The view from the rock shelf across to Yamba is shown below.

Many stretches of beach on the NSW north coast were subject to sand mining back in the 1950s.

We used to refer to it as "rutile mining" and it seemed to occur where the sand was black in many places.

This is the sort of thing I'm talking about - my footprint in some sand-minerals on Whiting Beach, Yamba.

The boat harbour at Yamba is home to not only prawn trawlers but also pleasure craft and three particular work-boats: the pilot boat, the police launch and a small tug.

These three work-mates share a secure wharf near the caravan park.

The following photos show the harbour areas of Yamba port.



Yamba - A holiday experience and more.

ALL PHOTOS ENLARGE TO FULL SIZE WHEN CLICKED

My wife and I have recently returned from 10 days in the north-coast town of Yamba, situated on the mouth of the Clarence River.
This isn't the first time that I have visited the town; my sister has lived there since 2006 and I've stayed there several times over the past six years. But this was the longest stay and also the first for my wife.
There was an ulterior motive to spending a week or two in beautiful Yamba and that was to suss the place out with a view to moving there after 30 years in Canberra.
I fell in love with Yamba on my first visit but as my wife had never been there it was essential that she feel happy with the place too.

Our children have grown up, our grandchildren are growing up (7 and 11 right now) and we are looking at spending the final phase of our lives in a more relaxed environment and without the long cold Canberra winters.
Everything is a compromise, of course, and the trade-off is higher humidity in summer, but an air-conditioned home compensates for that.

The decision has been made and it is now a matter of organising ourselves into a plan of action, starting with a humungous garage sale (or two!) and then listing the house with an agent.
As soon as the sale is confirmed then what we need to keep will be put into storage (until we are settled) and we will head off  north.
That's the plan and as the saying goes, the best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray!

Here is a selection of photographs taken during our holiday. It will be added to as I get the time to upload and edit this entry.

Immediately below is a view of Main Beach and beyond, the two break-walls forming the mouth of the Clarence River.
The lighthouse on the bluff is not the original. It is, however, an operating and important light because Yamba is home to the largest off-shore fishing fleet in New South Wales.

The town centre features many cafes and coffee shops, clothing stores, two general stores, a post office, medical services, estate agents and professional services (solicitors and accountants).
There are also two service stations and a large - and very popular - backpacker's hostel.

A bowling club, golf club, police station and industrial businesses are located away from the town centre and, best news of all, the only fast-food outlet - McDonald's - is about 5 km out of town, on the road coming into Yamba. The council decided that was as close as they could get to local food businesses. Well done, local councillors!

The country around Yamba is a prime sugarcane-producing area and there is a large mill just over the river at Harwood, between Yamba on the coast and Maclean further up-river.

I had never seen the cane being harvested so was pleased to come across a harvesting exercise underway not far from Harwood itself and less than a hundred metres from the bridge over the Clarence River.

Between Grafton and Maclean, on the banks of the Clarence River, sits the little village of Ulmarra, once an important river-port.

Ulmarra featured in the Australian TV series from the 1980s entitled "Fields Of Fire", a story about the sugarcane industry set in the late 1940s.

We visited Ulmarra one morning and enjoyed a drink and lunch at the hotel, which has a nice shady garden at the back, leading to the river bank and which features a glorious Jacaranda tree and several Camphor Laurels.

Spring has sprung......New life appears.

Just a short walk from where I live is the Goodwin retirement village - a fairly new complex (construction finished about two years ago) that caters to those who have retired and provides nursing care for the more elderly.

Adjoining the centre is a large pond which, although decorative, has the prime purpose of trapping sediment and refuse before it is washed down the stormwater channels and into the Murrumbidgee River, just a few kilometres away.

Up until a few weeks ago there were, among the native water-fowl who make their homes on this pond, three white ducks.....those domestic ducks that we associate with farmyards the world over and, most likely, the same type that gave the Disney studios the idea to produce Donald, Daisy and Huey, Duey & Louie!

However, on one walk I noticed that one of the ducks had gone missing and assumed that the poor unfortunate bird had become a meal for a fox - and we get quite a few of those around here in the open paddocks.

So imagine my surprise when I was walking past the pond yesterday and saw that Daisy had returned with a family of eleven new fluffy yellow ducklings!

The other two adults - whom I assume are males (Huey & Dewy? Maybe the mother is Louise, not Daisy!) were not too far away and actually quacked loudly as I approached the bank of the pond. So they must have been keeping a protective eye on the new arrivals too.

Yep....spring has sprung, alright!