Over the years we have camped & explored the area that is within a few hours drive of home oround Newcastle which we refer to as our backyard. This encompasses a huge natural area from the sea to the mountains with many things to see & do. Camping, 4wding, fishing, surfing, swimming, bushwalking, bird watching, the list goes on. If we haven't been there, we sure know about it.

We look upon ourselves as modern day explorers. Day sightseeing trips & camping trips in the great outdoors, it is all there to enjoy. There is nothing better than sitting back relaxing at the end of the day in the bush by a babbling creek with a piece of damper & a cuppa in front of the camp fire.

From Taree on the Manning River in the north, the coast flows down to the Hawkesbury River on the Central Coast in the south with beautiful golden beaches & clear water punctuated with headlands & rivers.

Behind the coastal lakes & farmlands rise the mountains with their rich native forests, sub-tropical rainforests, beautiful waterfalls & some very spectacular lookouts. These include the Bulahdelah, Bucketts & Watagans Mountains, Comboyne Plateau & the Dingo, Barrington & Gloucester Tops.

Barrington Tops to the northwest includes a huge area of natural wonder made up of state forest, national park & world heritage wilderness areas. Here at 1500 metres above sea level & 100 km as the crow flies from home, snow falls in winter to engulf the forest in a magical world of white. From the antarctic beech forest, sub alpine woodland, living peat beds which soak up many times their own volume of water, to the rugged slopes covered in rainforest with their hidden creeks & waterfalls.

There is much to be seen if you take the time to explore. The lookouts with views of the distant mountains have no perspective of their surrounding size. Natural land bridges, huge rare native trees, forest steams, caves, mountain tops & our diverse & unique native flora & fauna. We have it all here in our own backyard.
 

 

HUNTER VALLEY

AROUND NEWCASTLE

 whale cruise

stockton beach

day on the beach

NELSON BAY

Tomaree Head

Yaccaba Head

Tomaree to Fingal

Fingal to One Mile

Nelson Head

MYALL LAKES

Mungo Brush

birds of Myall Lakes

Brambles Green to Mungo

Alum Mountain

YENGO NP

 Yengo sunsets

Finchley overhang

Frying Pan Rock

Burragurra

Finchley

overhang

UPPER HUNTER

Phipps Cutting

The Drip

Lees Pinch

Baiame Cave

Hands on Rock

 Goulburn River NP

Coolah Tops NP

WATAGANS

Abbotts Falls

Gap Creek

Heatons to MacLeans Walk

Muirs Lookout

Wishing Well Walk

The Bar to the Basin Walk

Stockrington

Mount Sugarloaf

BARRINGTON TOPS

Dilgry River

Rocky Crossing

Burraga Swamp

Upper Allyn

Paterson River

Polblue Falls

Polblue

from Scone

Thunderbolts Lookout

Devils Hole Lookout

 The Shack

GLOUCESTER TOPS

the camping area

Gloucester River birds

Sharpes Creek

Antarctic Beech Walk

Gloucester Falls Walk

Gloucester River Walk

NOWENDOC

Nowendoc NP

Carsons Lookout

 

CENTRAL COAST

Muogamarra Nature Reserve

Putty Beach to Maitland Bay

Brisbane Waters NP

Warrabalong NP

 

HAWKESBURY

St Albans
St Albans cemetery

 

 

 

 

QUEENSLAND

GRANITE BELT

Heifer Creek

Crows Nest National Park

The Palms

FAR NORTH QLD

Notch Point

Carmila Beach

Cape Hillsborough

around Bowen

Bowen murals

Gladstone Tondoon Botanical Gardens

EUNGELLA NATIONAL PARK

Pine Grove

Broken River

Sky Window

Rainforest Circuit walk

SE QLD

Kroombit Tops NP

Spring Gully

Boreen Point

Coochin Creek

Duck Creek

Wongi Waterholes

 

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Terowie

Burra

FLINDERS

approaching the Flinders

Elder Range

Willow Springs Station

Arkaroo Rock

heading for Brachina Gorge

our Brachina Gorge camp

Brachina Gorge

Aroona Valley

Aroona hut

Aroona Homestead ruins

Youngoona hut ruins

Emma's grave

Parachilna Gorge

Nuccaleena copper mine ruins

Parachilna

Sir Hans Heysen's camper

 

MORE 

 fungi

our rainforest


 

 

 

 

NORTHERN RIVERS

Border Ranges NP

A wander

Andrew Drynan Park

Koreelah NP

Gumma Reserve

Upper Clarence

Mount Warning

Mebbin SF

 

MID NORTH COAST

Bruxner Park

North Brother

Crowdy Bay

South West Rocks

Trial Bay to Big Smoky

Hat
Head NP

Smoky Cape

around Trial Bay

Yarriabini National Park

Mount Yarrahapinni

TAREE

Wingham Brush

Yarratt Sate Forest

COORABAKH NP

Vincents Outlook

Starrs Creek

Newbys Cave

Newbys Lookout

Flatrock Lookout

Big Nellie

Waitui Falls

COMBOYNE PLATEAU

Ellenbough Falls

Boorgana Nature Reserve

Mount Gibraltar

DINGO TOPS

Dingo Tops

Maxwells Flat

Cells River

Blue Knob

Tirril Creek

WOKO NP

Cliff Face Walk

 

SOUTH COAST

Boyds Tower

Davidson whaling station

 

FAR SOUTH COAST

Bendethera Valley

 

 

 

 

NORTHERN TABLELANDS

Dangars Falls

New England NP

Budds Mare

Mount Yarrowyck

Mummel Gulf NP

Warrabah NP

Mount Borah

Timbarra Lookout

Granite Arch

Boonoo Boonoo Falls

 Thunderbolts Hideout

Morgan's Gully

Basket Swamp

Bald Rock

Uralla

Thunderbolts Cave

Moonbi Range

 

CENTRAL TABLELANDS

Dixons Long Point

 Ferntree Gully

Baby Feet Cave

Borenore Karst CR

Abercrombie River NP

Kanangra-Boyd NP

Winburndale NR

Sofala

Sunny Corner to Capertee

 Hill End

roasting pits

Beaufoy Merlin Lookout

Bald Hill Lookout

Golden Gully

Kissing Point Lookout

Louis Beyers cottage

Hill End cemetery

Hill End Catholic cemetery

Bridle Track

Gulgong

Coolah Tops National Park

WOLLEMI NP

Coorongooba

shale oil works Glen Davis

 Dunns Swamp

Maiyingu Marragu

 

CENTRAL WEST SLOPES & PLAINS

NEW Seaton's Farm

Nangar NP

Eugowra

Goobang National Park 

WARRUMBUNGLES NP

Warrumbungles NP

Whitegum Lookout

PILLIGA SCRUB

  Pilliga Scrub

Wooleybah Sawmill

 

SOUTHERN TABLELANDS

Adelong

Cabramurra

Wee Jasper

Blowering Dam

Abercrombie River NP

 

SOUTH WEST SLOPES

Geehi Flat

Main Range Lookout

Olsen's Lookout

Island Bend campsite

Thredbo