The Sydney to Brisbane drive (Day 4)

Greeted by bright blue skies and warm sunshine, the priest of Guru Nanak Gurdwara (The temple on the hill) graciously welcomed us into his temple to give us a simple tour of the place.

One practice was that of covering our hair with a scarf.

Extremely friendly, he showed us the prayer hall, the Holy Book that he uses and the 'sweets' that they serve. Also, we were served breakfast of chapati, dhal and mango chutney even though we rejected his kind offer!

Guru Nanak Gurdwara
14 River Street, Woolgoolga, NSW 2456

From a temple, we went to a church. One religion to another.

Completed in 1884, the Christ Church Cathedral in Grafton was our second stop of the day.

An Anglican church, I noticed how the high ceiling of this church differed to that of the other church we visited in Port Macquarie.

They had a more sophisticated, more modern pipe organ.

I also liked how the walls are lined with colourful stained glass windows. Very pretty...

Christ Church Cathedral
Duke Street, Grafton, NSW 2460

From Grafton, we drove for about an hour to Angourie, where we originally planned to see the Blue Pool. Instead of finding the pool, we found ourselves arriving at Green Point.

Part of the Lower Clarence Aboriginal Tourist Drive, Green Point has been known to be where some lovely seashells have been found in the past.

We had lunch in nearby Yamba, where Audrey also did some of her spur-of-the-moment shopping. Due to feeling lethargic after lunch the day before, we decided to share lunch at Caperberry Cafe this time around.

While we each had a glass of watermelon and carrot juice each, we also had a barbequed (or was it grilled?) chicken in sweet sauce on rice noodles with salad. It was not bad, honestly.

Caperberry Cafe
17 Yamba Street, Yamba, NSW 2464
02 6646 2322 (Tel)

Have you seen a platypus? I mean, in the wild, not in an enclosure. Well, we were really looking forward to Casino, as we would be able to see them platypuses in the wild! But that did not happen, unfortunately. Sigh. We did explore the town, though, and I found out later that Casino is one of Australia's beef capitals.

Cute, eh? We drove over to Lismore, which was where we put up for the night at Lismore City Motor Inn.

They had the basic amenities we required for just an overnighter. Nothing extravagant.

Lismore City Motor Inn
129 Magellan Street, Lismore, NSW 2480
02 6621 4455 (Tel), 02 6622 8648 (Fax)
E-mail: mail@lismoremotorinn.com

The friendliness of hosts Ian and Carol made up for what the room missed and they recommended we tried Miss Lizzies Cafe Restaurant in town.

Part of the Richmond Hotel, it is run by restaurateurs John and Carol Quilkey.

Being a pork belly lover, Audrey ordered the twice cooked pork belly served resting on sauteed kipflers, rocket, semi dried tomatoes and daikon shavings with a chive apple cider sauce and pan tossed king prawn garnish. Verdict: fabulous!

I, on the other hand, felt like pasta hence my dish of handmade basil flavoured gnocchi served with a roasted tomato and red wine reduction with small scale tomatoes crisp basil leaves and olive petals.

To finish off, we shared a slice of mango and macadamia cheesecake. The mango and macadamia gave a vibrant combination. The best cheesecake ever tasted!

Coupled with immaculate service, we wondered why we do not get to taste such flavoursome food in Sydney.



Miss Lizzies Cafe Restaurant
36 Woodlark Street, Lismore, NSW 2480
02 6622 7394 (Tel)

Distance covered today: 312km