Terrific tweed valley

With just a little bit of effort, we got away last weekend to go "re-exploring" in Northern NSW.  We stayed at Casuarina, just north of Cabarita Beach, and rode both north and south, often with the backdrop of Mt Warning. 

The area is incredibly scenic, and anytime I am there, I remind myself I should go back there more often... maybe one day I can keep that promise! 

I finally got to stop at the infamous "Chillingham Banana Cabana" (often spoken about by cyclists, with their famous chocolate-coated frozen bananas). 

I realised I have raced straight PAST this institution with the local Murwillumbah cycle club quite a few times, but never realised where it was since I was too concentrated on following wheels!

We spotted lots of wildlife and "domestic" animals during our rides, including wallabies, cows, goats, chickens, snakes, birds, and even rabbits.  

Incredibly we did manage to escape the rain all weekend.  And despite being attentive, I managed to hit a large pot hole (there are millions of them on these country roads) and buckle my rear Mavic wheel! 

It's still surprising to me that this area remains relatively untouched when it is so close to Brisbane & the Gold Coast, and hopefully it will remain that way for some time to come.