Mullumbimby & Uki

Yesterday 14th August 2010 we decided to drive to Mt Warning National Park and have a good look at the Mountains overlooking Mullumbimby. According to the pocket guide Mt Warning is the first place in mainland Australia to feel the morning sun. This towering core of a long dormant volcano is a powerful monument to the forces of nature, and the centre of an ancient caldera, ringed by rugged mountain ranges. We drove along steep winding roads canopied by dense rainforest to form a tunnel at times.

Overlooking Mullumbimby

 We arrived at Mt Jerusalem National Park and followed the road through emerging eventually at the Rolands Creek Road.

 This road as the name states followed the creek down the other side of the mountain. We arrived at a lovely historical village called Uki.

Mt Warning Hotel Uki

 Uki was supposedly named for the UK1 imprinted on the butts of the best of the timber to be felled in the area by the early settlers, marking it as prime export for Britain. Some people prefer the story that “uki” comes from an aboriginal word for “place of edible ferns”.

From Uki, there are four roads to consider taking: north through Murwillumbah, south to Mullumbimby, east to Stokers Siding and Burringbar, or west out to Nimbin and the border ranges.
On our travels we encountered this little family of ducks.

 We decided to go east to Stokers Siding. This tiny little town boasted a pottery gallery and shop. stokerspottery.com.au Well worth a visit. We followed the Tweed Valley Way formerly called the Old Pacific Hwy, a lovely leisurely drive through Burringbar and Mooball (I espied a lovely patchwork shop here but it was closed) until we finally arrived home in Mullumbimby. I might add the mountain was only 10 klms away but we did a round trip of approximately 70klms. Still it was a very lovely drive, as we needed to take the car for a run after Bill decided to stop and chat to someone and left the lights on and flattened the battery.

The main street of Mullumbimby

 Today is our last day in Mullumbimby as we leave the area tomorrow to head towards Casino. I will be a little disappointed to leave this area as it is very lush and green and I could almost settle down here.

A sculpture for sale at entrance to town

 Early this morning Bill snapped this photo of a balloon flying over the area.

Talk again soon