On the Road — NICOLE RICHIE

2018 was quite a whirlwind and the last couple of weeks were probably some of the craziest of my life. I left my home, moved to a new country and set off on an insane adventure travelling and living out of a van. So with 2019 rolling on in I’d like to set a goal or two. I don’t believe in the idea of a new years resolutions so, I want to be clear that these are things that I will be actively and mindfully working towards in life, not just for the year ahead. This year my I want to try and allow myself to be truly free and open my heart and mind to new and other experiences. I want to make an effort to truly step out of my comfort zone and to find the freedom that lies within that. For the first time in my life I have little responsibility, no permanent address and no place to be and I’m ready to take full advantage that. So, with that this is what I’ve been up to for last little while.

We left Brisbane early on the 30th and set out on the road. For the next little while we’ll be joined by our friends Ian and Lily, so once Lil landed they hopped in a rental and met us at Mount Tamborine, just inland from Brisbane. We got situated and drove up into the mountains towards Lamington National Park to see the acclaimed Morans Falls.

Justin and Ian looking out over the falls/ 📷: Me!

About a 4km hike through jungle trails will lead you to the top of Morans Falls. This magnificent waterfall drops about 80 meters! We hung out atop the falls for a while and admired the vast expanse of tree-covered mountains. The boys even took a dip into the chilly rock pools.

That night we stayed in Bangalow where we met up with a couple friends and even made a new one in a horse that belonged to the owner of the site! In the morning, before we head towards the New Years Eve festivities, we stopped at Killen Falls. Conveniently only 10 minutes from our campsite this waterfall was the perfect place to go for a morning swim! After cooling off in the brisk water it was time to head over to the New Years Eve soirée. One of Justin’s friends invited us to his place near Mullumbimby and it looked like something out of a fairytale. The house was surrounded by lush green rainforest and beautiful palms. We swam in the creek, cooked an amazing Thai Green Curry (see taste page for recipe) in the camp oven and Justin and Beast (another good mate of Justin’s) made a wicked fire that lasted all night long. Waking up the next morning a little worse for wear, we said our goodbyes and officially hit the road.

A beautiful sunset at Minnie Water, minutes before crawling into bed for the night, NSW/ 📷: Justin Bumpstead

Free camping has been something we have become pretty accustomed too. Whether its finding a sneaky place to park up for the night, or looking on Wiki Camps (awesome camping app) for a free spot, we have yet to really pay for any camping! We got super lucky finding camping in Minnie Water, our next stop on the way down the coast. We arrived hung-over and ready for a quick dip in the ocean before heading straight to bed. Shortly after setting up camp a police officer came up and asked us if we were intending to camp for the night. Thinking we were totally screwed, we all started to panic but he ended up being super cool. He was just coming over to let us know that the locals weren’t the biggest fans of people camping on the beach and just to make sure to leave early in the morning. We all let out a sigh of relief. Trying to be as respectful as possible we were sure to leave early the next morning. Passing through Coffs Harbour for a grocery shop and look around, we made our way down to Valla Beach, one of Justin’s favourite spots on the east coast.

I was very excited to see Valla Beach because Justin has hyped it up to me ever since I decided I was coming to Aus and let me say it definitely exceeded my expectations. If the beautiful blue water and the small rivers running through the sand weren’t enough, the rolling green hills in the background made it one of the most picturesque beaches we’d been to this far.

A beautiful lesser known beach just past Coffs Harbour. Justin found this spot years back and since then has been back on every trip down the coast. Now I can see why he raved about this place and so can you! Valla Beach, NSW/ 📷: Justin Bumsptead

After an afternoon lazing around at Valla Beach we decided to get a couple more hours of driving in before settling down for the night.

Me before the wind picked up and it cooled right down. Crowdy Head, NSW / 📷: Justin Bumsptead

We pulled into Crowdy Head around sunset and it was already starting to cool down. By the time we got to our campsite and started to make dinner the wind was blowing at about 40k an hour and the temperature had dropped drastically. I didn’t expect for it to get that chilly until at least February, but you can never be to sure especially when staying right by the ocean. I think its safe to say that if you’re planning to camp in Australia, even in the summertime, remember to pack some warm clothes.

We woke up early and decided to make one more stop on our way towards the Blue Mountains. The next day we’d be meeting up with friends who had just arrived from Canada. We wanted to try and get there quickly, but not miss too much goodness along the way. Pulling into Port Stephens we were instantly stunned by the amount of people and traffic there was. Being that it is still the school holidays the beach was pretty busy, but it hardly took away from the magnificence of the bay and the adjacent Shark bay. The two beaches form a strip of sand that leads to a beautiful island peninsula which sits in the centre on the Tasman Sea. We spent the day exploring different areas around the beach and along the rocks. It was definitely a treat for the eyeballs.

Fingal Boardwalk, Port Stephens NSW/ 📷: Me

Snorkeler on the reef, Fingal Bay/ 📷: Me

Probably looking for fish friends / 📷: Justin Bumpstead

The next morning we head into the Blue Mountains to meet up with Mitch, Blythe and Sara; our friends from home! They were joined by some of Mitch’s friends who had been travelling with him on his way down the coast. We caught up, played some cricket and hung out in a shady spot before splitting off to see the glorified “Three Sisters.” They were just as beautiful as I’d imagined but insanely busy, so we got a quick pic and went to meet the rest of the gang at Minniehaha Falls.

The Three Sisters, Blue Mountains National Park NSW/ 📷: Me

We hiked down a somewhat sketchy rock face and found another magical waterfall. It was lovely to hang out with old friends and spend the hot day admiring the falls and swimming in the icy water. Later on we found another free camping spot at Bulls Camp Reserve and chilled out for the evening.

Hi Ian!, Minnihaha Falls NSW/ 📷: Justin Bumpstead

Our “Va-mily”, Bulls Camp Reserve / 📷: Justin Bumpstead

Wentworth Falls, Blue Mountains NSW/ 📷: Me

The next morning Justin and I split off and hiked down to Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains.

Wentworth Falls are maybe the most impressive waterfalls we’ve seen on this trip. After hiking down the numerous narrow rock staircases we got down to the bottom of the falls. What we found down there was other-worldly. There was not only one set of falls but several bodies of water moving over different rocks, all forming crystal clear pools throughout. We spent a good part of the morning there just taking it all in. Moving through the central coast as quickly as we have been its so important to stop and appreciate the true beauty of this incredible country and the amazing opportunity we have to experience it. I’ve been so entranced by the different landscapes that make up this country and we’ve only exploring it for 12 days. Needless to say i’m beyond excited to see what lies ahead.

RAINBOWS at Wentworth Falls, Blue Mountains NSW/ 📷: Me