Tranquil Bellingen

On the way home today, the route took us up the Bellinger valley through the little town of Bellingen. The Waterfall Way (the name of the road) has indeed many spectacular waterfalls, some among the highest in the Southern Hemisphere, but the Bellinger River is peaceful and picturesque in the lower reaches - as shown in the accompanying picture. As the road drives inland, the scenery gets wilder and wilder as it climbs firstly to the Dorrigo Plateau and then towards Point Lookout (1,600 metres) near Ebor. It is for us one of the most attractive roads in the whole of Australia, and our mother compared on stretch near Dorrigo to the Swiss Jura mountains when she visited. The whole area has been drenched by heavy rains throughout 2009 and it reminded me of parts of Ireland I visited last year.

Anyway, back to Bellingen, which is a 130 year old timber cutting town now turned into a simultaneously up-market hideaway for the rich and famous (film & TV stars for example)and downmarket hideaway for alternative lifestyle seekers interested in arts and crafts or less legal pursuits. It's a good place to eat out and shop - as we often do when passing through. One picture shows we three seated at a coffee shop awaiting bagels and drinks (like Chai Latte, which I've found to be very pleasant).

The main street has lots of period shops, most of which have gone upmarket in pursuit of dollars. The Commercial Emporium used to sell what's advertised on the building - it was a general store. However, it's now an expensive boutique - as Dot and Judy found when rummaging through the merchandise. I suppose its a cross between most Australian vernacular shopping architecture and the US wild west where I've seen similar streetscapes.

AS