Our slow journey back up north continued today, as we left South West Rocks and made our way to Grafton and then the small community of Ulmarra.

The backdrop to our drive was the rising concern over Cyclone Alfred which is threatening to hit North NSW and Brisbane in the next day or so.

The shift in the weather has been pronounced with heavy rainfall and increasing winds arriving late morning as we drove along the Pacific Highway south of Coffs Harbour.

This was all at odds to the first few hours in the morning. Andy was up early completing his daily 10km run to the Old Gaol and back. Post breakfast we headed out to South West Rocks headland to watch the brave surfers tackle the larger waves and swell.

With the sun breaking through we went for a wander along the Main beach, then picked up a coffee and joined a group of locals for their morning ritual of watching the surf.

Leaving South West Rocks mid-morning, we were hopeful of seeing a little more sunshine, however this quickly evaporated and we hit strong rainfall once on the highway, with typhoon Alfred weather pattern starting to make its impact.

Our plan was to drive in land to Grafton in the hope of avoiding the worst of the coastal storms.

We’d heard good things about Grafton, the city is noted for its wide tree-lined streets and a historic centre filled with glorious Victorian and Edwardian architecture.

With the weather proving unpredictable we decided to visit the Grafton Regional Gallery where we spent an enjoyable hour.

By midafternoon we decided to drive on to our nights accommodation at a wonderful guest house in the heritage centre of Ulmarra.

Ulmarra’s name comes from an Aboriginal word meaning “Bend in the river’’.

Ulmarra delivers country swagger and quirky cool in equal measure. On the banks of the Clarence River, the town is filled with heritage buildings, many of which now house stores and galleries. 

We enjoyed a lovely dinner in the guesthouse before heading across the road for early evening drinks at the Ulmarra Hotel where we watched a wonderful red sunset and watched the bats flock in the trees as they prepared for their evening activities!

With the threat of cyclone Alfred increasing in North NSW, we have decided to spend a further day in the Grafton region and experience the heritage trail around the city and dinner in the Ulmarra Hotel tomorrow night.