Pub With No Beer Run
27 October 2016 / Words - Wayne Lang ; Pictures - Wayne Lang & Graham Rochester
6 cars and 10 people met at the "Port Macquarie Service Centre" (Greg Cox, Carole and Kevin Atterill, Graham Rochester and Pingky Aquino, Jenny and Barry Luttrell, Peter and Keiran Rodgers and Peter McDonnell) at around 8:45am for a 9:00am departure. Led by Greg Cox in drizzling rain, they followed the mind numbing "Pacific Highway" until reaching the "Kempsey South Service Centre" where they met up with Cath, Mikey and I. Now as a convoy of 8 MX-5s, it was roofs down again while Cath and I took the lead out to the township of "Crescent Head", where we chucked a left into "Belmore River Left Bank Road", to travel the 26kms to "Gladstone" and our first official stop.
Once arriving at Gladstone, we met up with Sandie Hammond and Chris Clark, and we all enjoyed a light morning tea at the "Old Lodge Gallery". After morning tea and an hour or so of chin-wag, we were keeping our fingers crossed that the heavy rain that was forecast might hopefully hold off, then it was back into the cars and out to "Plummer's Lane" at Jerseyville, where we followed that back out to the Pacific Highway. Turning back onto the bitumen hell that is the "Pacific Highway", we drove the 13kms at the fall to sleep pace of 80kph before reaching "Stuart's Point Road". We followed the road until virtually reaching the township of the same name, then turned just short of the township onto "Grassy Head Road" and continued to the T intersection at "Scotts Head Road". From there it was back out to the "Pacific Highway" once again. We only had to endure a couple of kilometers until we reached "Upper Warrell Creek Road", and then "Wallace Street" to wind our way through the back streets of Macksville until reaching "Boat Harbour Road" which would take us 27kms out to Taylor's Arm to the famous "Pub With No Beer".
We had a tasty lunch and happily watched as the "HSV Holden Club" started a game of throwing eggs to one another over the pub while other members were trying to catch them on the other side. A few of us then walked the short distance over to the "Talarm Church" to check out their huge beer can collection inside.
On leaving the pub, we said our farewells to Graham, Pingky, Sandie and Chris who had prior arrangements and the rest of us backtracked the same route to Macksville again. We turned into "Jellico Street" and down to the "T" intersection at "Joffre Street", then turning left and out to Bowraville. Once we left Bowraville, we followed "Rodeo Drive" (No, not the one in Hollyweird), past the Nambucca Heads turn-off, at "Wirrimbi Road", and kept going until returning back to the main bridge at Macksville. We then bid farewell to Peter and Keiran and crossed the bridge to "The Star Hotel" where we relaxed over a cool beverage while talking about the day.
This was now officially the end of our run. The remaining members of Mike Walkden-Brown, Peter McDonnell, Greg Cox, Kev and Carole Atterill and Cath and myself, made our way back down the highway to our respective homes.
It was a lovely day spent on some of the quiet back roads that half our crew had never been on, while avoiding as much as possible "The Pacific Highway". We trust everyone had as great a day as we did. Cath and I would love to thank all of those who attended and invite you back sometime next year for another "Pub With No Beer" run.
