A 3-hour drive from Brisbane, Iluka sits right at the edge of the huge river delta between the Clarence River and its many side arms and the Pacific ocean. A quick Google search revealed that it sometimes gets cut off from the mainland when the only access road floods. Hmm. Talking on the phone to the caretaker of the caravan park where we were headed, we got an optimistic response. Should be fine, but can’t guarantee. On the way down the coast from Brisbane, we could see signs of recent flooding either side of the M1 in the Byron Shire (Clothiers Creek) and after passing Ballina (around Woodburn).
We drove across the single access road into Iluka. There was no sign of flooding. And we were lucky: Our spot at the caravan park had tantalising river views (river was high and full of pelicans) and the sun kept shining for the three days we were there in the last week of October.
If you are in the area, make sure to pay a visit to the ancient Iluka Hotel at the foreshore (Sedgers Reef Hotel). This is where we had lunch with Victoria and Ian (sorry, no photo of Ian). See the background? This hotel is seriously old.
Want to read about our next stop? We stayed at the Bellingen Showgrounds.
Liz Mike Travels 