Mountain Roads and a Pub Lunch

20 September 2026 / Story: Rose Smith; Photos: Rose Smith, Lisa Hall, Linda Downing

Jamberoo Pub

 

27 Audgust 2026

 

Our run to Jamberoo got off to a relaxed start at Neck of the Woods Café, where we gathered for morning tea. It was great to see Kim and Fred back after their long overseas holiday, and Paul R also dropped in to say hello before we headed off.

Rose was leading the run, which meant the convoy would be travelling at a slightly more leisurely pace than when Geoff is at the helm. Things got off to a promising start when Rose managed to take a wrong turn almost immediately - “Aagh!” Thankfully, that was the last navigation drama of the day, thanks to Helen, who stepped into her debut role as navigator with just 30 minutes’ notice. Thanks, Helen, for taking one for the team!

We headed along Bolong Road and then onto Back Forest Road, which provided what could generously be described as a ‘character-building’ section of road. The MX-5s certainly got to experience every bump and undulation before we continued along Bryces Road and Coolangatta Road and eventually joined the highway.

It was on the highway that we encountered our only real excitement of the day - two motorcyclists who apparently believed the road was their personal racetrack. Their antics gave several of us quite a scare, with Rose briefly wondering whether one of them was planning to finish his ride underneath the front of her MX-5!

Thankfully, things became much more civilised as we headed up Saddleback Mountain. We stopped at the lookout, partly to enjoy the spectacular views and partly because we were well ahead of schedule. With no roadworks, slow drivers or the usual convoy delays to blame, we had apparently discovered the secret to arriving somewhere early!

The views were excellent, although a little hazy, before we continued on to the Jamberoo Pub, just another ten minutes down the road. Geoff Rowe joined us there and we settled in to enjoy some excellent food, great company and a well-earned rest.

While we were waiting for lunch, Bob D decided that the table reservation sign had a higher purpose and transformed it into a paper aeroplane. The aircraft's flight path was somewhat questionable, veering dramatically down the length of the table and almost completing a precision landing directly in Fred's ear canal. Fortunately, Fred survived the attempted aerial assault, and the incident provided plenty of laughs while we waited for lunch. The pub itself provided plenty of entertainment, with football and soccer memorabilia covering the walls. Clearly, someone at the Jamberoo Pub takes their sport very seriously!

With fantastic weather, good food, plenty of laughs and a great group of MX-5 enthusiasts, it was another enjoyable day on the road.