Bellingen: Day 17

Arriving in Bellingen is a bit like stepping back in time 100 years. The local Court House for example was built in 1910 and apart from now being some other form of civil office it is as it was back then. The high street is the same. The shops may be different but the architecture is Victorian.

In a way it is how I think of a classic ‘Western’ high street with a saloon, hotel, blacksmith and local sheriff’s office. The pavements are covered above by large overhanging shop fronts that are made from timber.

Of course, today it has deli’s and coffee shops and people wear $200 jeans but it does feel quite different to the coast.

We were headed for Kompartoo which is an aboriginal word whose meaning I have forgotten. It is just on the edge of town and is a truly magical place. We stayed in a chalet that is set in the rainforest. It is made from timber and inside feels like something from ‘Little House on the Prairie’.

All around you are the sounds of birds: parrots, cockatoos and cookaburras. Seeing them fly around as you sit on the verandah is an amazing feeling. It is a very tranquil place. To bring us back to reality that night we had a takeaway pizza delivered by a teenager in a Liverpool shirt.