Not ones to sit still, shortly after Mt Tamborine we went to Bellingen, this time with the kids. Sonny wanted to check on his house, and we love the area.
Being told we could have Fredo's Pies for dinner on the way up, after being at work that day was not my idea of pleasure. I insisted that we timed it so we could make it to Coolongolook in time to have dinner at the Salty Dog. It's one of those places we drive past all the time – the signage leading up to it telling us of fresh seafood – and I always want to stop, but we never do.
So glad we did! The outdoor eating, set away from the road, made you feel like you were having a proper break, and the food was so good – they even had a local sparkling wine that I liked enough for us to visit the winery. We made sure we stopped there on the way home, as well.
Malibells Country Cottages is situated on a rather unfortunate stretch of road between Bellingen and Bowraville. You see, it used to be the road between the towns of Bellingen and Bowraville, but a large part of it disappeared down the hillside during storms in February, 2009, and it has been closed to through traffic ever since.
We saw the devastation at Bowraville creek when we visited in 2010.
While much deliberation goes on about what to do, with options ranging from a total repair and re-opening of the road – with an estimated price tag of $30million – to the (alarming for property owners, residents and farmers) "close all access and buy out the existing properties on the road"*, people like Helen and Tony Mallinson are trying to keep a business going.
Each cottage at Malibells is two bedroom, fully self-contained, and very comfortable.
There is a saltwater swimming pool,
a huge BBQ/dining area with both gas, and wood-fired BBQs,…
…and a romantic pontoon over the dam where you can be serenaded by the chorus of millions of frogs and night creatures.
Children are very well catered for, as Malibells is also a working farm, there are plenty of animal opportunities (including this cute little broody chook camped out in the BBQ, watched over by Star),…
…as well as a lovely playground with a cubby.
There's even a walking track the kids can follow to visit' Winnie the Pooh's, Hundred Acre Wood'…
There are maps of other walking trails all over the 160 acre property.
The kids and I went exploring while Sonny was surfing…
Interestingly, it was on one of our trips along Bowraville Road, before it was closed, that we first saw Malibells, which means that even though it's not a main road, passing trade still counts for something.
It's only 16km from beautiful Bellingen, with all it's alternative shops and cafes, rivers and rainforests, near to the Promised Land and the Never Never River and then another 30mins to Coffs Harbour, Nambucca and the rest of the coast.
I highly recommend Malibells Cottages as a stopover or a destination –
as they say themselves, it's a "A great place to stay awhile"
*Information courtesy of the ABC
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