Way up to Grafton

This week Dillon and I drove up to Grafton as both Dillon and Taylor were in The Head of the Clarence Regatta for their rowing. On the way up Dilly and I stopped at a few places we thought you might like to see. The drive to Grafton is 9 hours and the weather was bad when we left Sydney - after 5 hours driving Dillon and I stopped for the night at Port Macquarie - which is a sea side holiday place. We stayed at Rydges Hotel a very nice hotel, we had a large room with a view of the inlet. From our windows we could see the dolphins that come in from the ocean to play with the fishing boats or cruises. Beautiful place!
We stopped for a break in driving at Fredricktown - the home of Fredo's Famous Pies - this is a small town in the Kempsey area of NSW. They have about 50 different types of pies, I photographed the pies I thought you might like to try. This place is very Australian (except for the Marilyn out the front) you go into the shop pick your pie, order your coffee and of course have a chat to the lady at the counter, then you have to go next door to an old light blue weather-board house with a squeaky fly screen door that slams behind you and pick up your coffee then take it outback to have under the veranda which is painted with funny Australian animals. Down-pipes turned into emu's, fly screens into waterfalls, sheds into forest scenes and billabongs (Australian water holes) - very Australian! There is a board along one wall that is free for you to write your comments or graffiti, Dilly of course wanted to write on it. Next year they are expanding the weather board place into a coffee house - I urge anyone driving that way stop in and try the pies!
Next stop was the Clog Barn at Coffs Harbour - this is a main tourist town on the North Coast of NSW famous for The Big Banana however we did not stop in there because we stopped at Clog Barn instead. Dilly and feasted on chips and mayonaise and croquettes with mustard on bread.While we were having lunch a few local Water Dragons (like a frilled neck lizard) can to watch us eat in the hope they would receive a bit of out lunch - which of course they did after a few photos. The photo of the closest Water Dragon was a big one about half a metre or so. After lunch we visited the clog making and bought Darren Big Clog slippers that he wanted when we were in Holland but could not fit in our bag as his feet are the size of a small canoe.
We also past in Coffs Harbour a motel with a windmill out the front.