Coffs Coast

Continuing to collect lookouts, we headed to the one at the northern end of Sawtell before leaving town.  Coffs Harbour and its many op shops beckoned in the distance.  However, the lovely ladies at the Anglican op shop had told us there were a couple at Toormina, between the two towns, and very nice op shops they were.

We may have missed the LifeHouse in Bellingen by minutes, but the one at Toormina was big and beautiful.  So was the Vinnies, almost next door.  Jo found a koala jumper that appealed because of the real corks, and the fact that she has real koalas in her back yard, but resisted the urge to buy.

We only had limited time before the shops shut in Coffs, so headed straight for the op shop hub in Scarba Street that Mum and I knew so well.  We started at the Helicopter Shop. There is another one that I know of in Lismore, but are there any others? 

Next was the cavernous Legacy shop (because it would close at 11.30), which initially looked empty, but actually was quite well stocked.  Those of us who are amply proportioned always appreciate it when op shops separate the larger sizes onto separate racks.  Well this shop not only does that, but labels them 'Goddess Clothes'.  This goddess really appreciated that.  

Jo decided to buy a pair of salt and pepper shakers, and when she took them to the counter, pointed out to the saleswoman that they were heavy, presumably because they were still full. During this exercise, she managed to empty the pepper all over the counter, causing her to sneeze for the next hour or so.

Vinnies was next, where I have bought many things in the past, and then around the corner to what is now called the Heartbeat Market.  This may have been the biggest of all that we saw.  I was now at the stage where I was pretty op shopped out, but I did spot this little treausre of an EP.  We decided that we had all finished op shopping and would be purely tourists from now on.  We spotted another open shop on our way down to the Jetty but looked the other way.

Coffs Harbour Jetty was chockers because of a triathlon, so we looked at the boats but didn't stop, and headed north towards Grafton.  
We took the more scenic back route through Nana Glen and Glenreagh. I had hoped the jacarandas would be in bloom there, because Grafton in late October is an amazing experience. Photos do not do it justice.  We even spotted a tantalising preview in one of the op shops in Toormina.  Alas, we were too early.  There was only one little tree that put on a show for us, and the flame trees, famed in the Cold Chisel song, were disappointing as well. I have included a photo I took in Grafton in 2006, for comparison.

This would not be our only disappointment in Grafton.  Some time ago, Jo had acquired at an op shop a little milk jug that read 'Marble Bar Grafton'.  She had done some research and discovered that the Notaras brothesr had run two Marble Bar cafes in Grafton, so thought she would donate the jug to the Grafton Historical Society.  You can read about the Notaras family and see a photo of the original Marble Bar cafe here:

http://www.kythera-family.net/index.php?nav=117-119&did=6426-1&searchResult=searchResult

When Jo asked me about all this, like a good daughter of a Graftonian, I told her about the theatre opened by the Notaras family, and called the Saraton after a naming competition. It is 'Notaras' backwards.  I knew that the Saraton had recently been restored to its art deco glory, so included that in our tour of Grafton.  According to the internet, the historical society's museum is open till 4pm on a Saturday, so we headed there next.  Sadly, the internet lied.