Evans Head NSW

We lay on the grass and peered over the edge of the cliff to see the water breaking on the inaccessible cove below. Standing up there was nothing between us and the Pacific Ocean. Whale spouts were visible in the distance while dolphins bucked with the waves closer to shore; some mixing with the surfers, giving them pause before relaxing. This is a beautiful walk out to the Goanna Headland to Chinaman’s Beach and Snapper Point. The rock formations are full of texture and colour. Pandanus trees grow everywhere.

The Evans River has a mouth and inlet that is great for boats, fishing, canoeing, and swimming. The river is teeming with fish, pelicans, stingray, turtles, and rivercraft. Along the riverbank the paths are inviting and accessible and full of kids on scooters enjoying the school holidays. A lookout provides a great place to search for whales and dolphins, and to gaze out towards Broadwater and beyond to the faint silhouettes of the hills behind Byron Bay.

A colony of flying foxes is situated in a copse of trees beside the path, their presence apparent due to the smell and their squabbling. Every evening they take to the sky circling silently overhead.

It is a lovely spot with a big caravan park in the small town, gorgeous scenery, great walks, beautiful sea, good surf, and beaches for swimming. Every Friday afternoon there is a little market near the surf club that offers lots of homemade goodies and fresh produce.

Meanwhile the state of Victoria has retreated into a second lockdown period due to the pandemic, the border into New South Wales is finally closed. Too late I would think. They needed to do that before the school holiday period. Many Victorians camp near us in the caravan park, but these are mostly grey nomads and longtime travelers, like us. Most of the families enjoying the school holidays are from New South Wales and Queensland. The state premiers are all panicking and madly trying to protect their own little patch, while globally the virus is on the rampage. It seems to be a lost cause to me unfortunately.