Elsewhere on the mainstreet, the architecture ranged from art deco…

Through to country.

But on a weekday the entire community seemed to congregate along cafe alley – a short street full of coffee shops!

In the summer, I would think that people would go down to the Bellinger River. It was flowing quite placidly when we were there, but is quite prone to flooding.

Next stop for us was the Mid-North coast. We visited the river town of Bellingen. The main street was quite impressive for a place built on timber and dairy.

The pub was beautifully preserved and was built in a style that’s really different to the pubs inland. It’s also the hangout of David Helfgott, who lives nearby.

Next door was the old general store, now trading as a clothes shop.

The town was full of residents in the winter, and even though it had a bit of a hippy feel, wasn’t as inundated by tourists as those towns further north.