October 8
The kids spent some time at the nearby playground, while we got the caravan ready to move. Our first stop was several hundred meters up the way, on the headland overlooking the bay, where we were told there was a chance to see some dolphins and whales. We didn’t see any dolphins, but there was indeed a pod of 3 or 4 humpback whales that swam around the headland, from north to south. There was clearly a mother and a calf, and at least one more adult, but we never clearly saw more than three of them at once. While not as close as during the cruise in Hervey Bay, they were close enough to be clearly seen with binoculars, and having steady ground beneath our feet rather than a rocking boat definitely helped. We were also fascinated – as ever – by the silver gulls that flew around the headland, performing effortless aerobatics and occasionally landing on the grass or the wooden fence, to screech and squabble with each other.
We took the Waterfall Way to Dorrigo, and stopped at the quaint little town of Bellingen for lunch. Bellingen is known for its artistic community, and the billboard at the Purple Carrot Café, where we had our lunch, had a rather pronounced new-age theme. The café itself had excellent food and very friendly waiters/baristas. The girl who took our orders happily offered to prepare any sandwich for Daniel out of the ingredients in the kitchen, since he didn’t seem happy with anything on the menu. He did love the made-to-order toasted sourdough with avocado. She asked us about our trip and told us that she and her partner (also working there) used to live up in cape tribulation, and absolutely loved the place.
From Bellingen we continued to Dorrigo National Park, where we passed through the Rainforest Center to pick up maps and information and drove to the nearby picnic area from which the ~6km Wonga Circuit Walk starts. We decided not to take the full circuit, as it was already late afternoon, instead walking to the first falls and back. We took a short elevated boardwalk and continued on a sealed path through the rainforest. The forest itself was very lush and beautiful, and we heard many more birds that we saw. I caught a beautiful Rainforest Skink (Eulamprus murrayi), and Lilach found saw some wild orchids – in bloom for the first time in our trip. At some point, after walking for about an hour, Daniel asked to go back. It seemed that meeting the venomous snakes the day before instilled some fear in him. He asked to go back with me and not with Lilach (“in case we meet some snake”), and so the two of us made our way back to the picnic area, while Lilach and Tamar continued to the falls and back at a faster pace. When we all reassembled at the picnic area, we took a picture together, after which Tamar and Daniel raced to the car. In the Rainforest Center Parking lot, now deserted, we saw a large number of catbirds, like we’ve never seen before, but the light was already very poor and we couldn’t photograph them. For the night, we drove to the area of the park with the telling name “Never Never”, where we had dinner by the campfire all by ourselves.
October 9
After breakfast, we headed back to the Rainforest Center, and walked to the end of the short skywalk that hovers above the rainforest. It offered a beautiful top view of the forest, and some distant sights of birds flying between the treetops. Notable among these was a male regent Bowerbird – a golden speck in the distance, spreading its wings in the air to reveal the magnificent gold-and-black pattern.
A walk in the forest immersed us in nice ferns, bromeliads and trees Large and Small. A sign by the track identified a Giant Stinging Tree, warning that touching the leaves of this tree can cause severe skin irritation, and even long-lasting headaches in case of significant exposure. Among the birds, Catbirds were relatively abundant, as were Yellow-throated Scrubwrens. We also saw some skinks, including what was probably a Yellow-bellied Three-toed Skink (Saiphos equalis). We had lunch in the Canopy Café, and charged our laptops at the power outlets provided for that purpose in the visitor center. During lunch we had a political discussion with two Australians in the nearby table. They were curious to hear about Israel, and shared with us their view that the whole world is getting more complicated. According to them there are currently Muslim communities within Australia where the religious leaders incite their followers against the ways of the country they live in. Sounds similar to other minority communities in other places too…
We bought some souvenirs at the visitor center, while Daniel was fascinated by a natural history movie shown in the small auditorium (they had much better photos of Noisy Pittas than we managed to acquire). Leaving Dorrigo, we continued on our way toward Warrumbungle National Park, and made a night stop at the Moonbi Lookout. There, we watched the beautiful sunset over the valley before lighting a fire and preparing dinner.
Family Trips 