Breakfast with Padre coffee is never bad and we all agreed Port Macquarie was a pretty nice place. It even had a free ferry across from Settlement Point to get us on our way. 

​Some advice from a local on the ferry saw us choose a different road on the other side of the river. “I wouldn’t take my 4 wheel drive up there,” was his comment on the road we were thinking of taking, “It hasn’t been graded in 40 years.”

The alternative was still gravel, but well made and we made good time to Crescent Head. ​

Lunch overlooking the bay at Crescent Head was beautiful, in the shade of a Banyan Tree we could watch the surfers and marvel at the geometric but friendly design of the Surf Lifesaving Club.​

The road north then sat on the bank of the Belmore River. With many beech tree and chestnuts it was tempting to think we were cycling along a riverside road in Essex or Lincolnshire. We treated ourselves to a long lie down under a large elm for an afternoon snack in the relative cool.

​The last 30km were starting to wear us down a little as the hills kicked in again. Finally we made it to Stuart’s Head and managed to get some food before the shop shut. We also found a beautifully tranquil campsite in a convention centre run by the Seventh Day Adventist Church, and run very well it seems. Lush grass and plenty of space gave us a nice break from the “sardine” sites we have stayed on at times.