Originally we were going to stay 2 nights in Guyra then return home to Coffs. But it was unanimously decided we head to Glen Innes and stay one more night before returning home.

It’s only about 40 minutes between Guyra and Glen Innes, but we took a little detour and first headed South towards Black Mountain in search of Thunderbolts Cave (around 17 mins from Guyra). Probably a little more appreciated by older kids, we had a brief history lesson (thanks to Google) in the car on the way there about the bushranger, Captain Thunderbolt.

The cave was a hideout of Thunderbolts and the kids were very impressed. You bend over to get inside and it’s a pretty neat little cave! The walk there is pretty rocky and uneven surface (def NOT pram friendly) but it was a fun little way to start our day.

After that, back on the New England Highway heading North.

We had a few stops along the way and I made the kids look out the window as the scenery is quite interesting and very different to the coast.

We stopped at Stonehenge where we had a bit of a wander around the VERY strange rock formations. Then onto the Super Strawberry which is just outside Glen Innes. I let the kids have dessert for lunch which they thought was the best thing ever! And I had scones for lunch, which I thought was the best thing ever! The Super Strawberry is a cafe with sit-down eating but it also has a cool little shop with interesting nik naks, yummy food, clothing etc. I bought some chai tea in a tin and some local olives.

Glen Innes is a gorgeous little town, I LOVED the old buildings. So we had a little wander down the main street and came across a cute little second hand bookshop. Of course, it’s always a game for the kids to find the most expensive item in the shop! I sure would love this edition of “Through the Looking Glass”!

We also visited the Australian Standing Stones then went for a short drive out of town towards Invervell. My eldest wanted to have a look at the wind turbines (the photo below is one arm of a smaller one!)

The Glen Innes Tourist Information Centre is a great place to pop in and visit. The lady there was super friendly and helpful. Made me realise how badly we need one back here in Coffs!

The next morning we headed home via the Gwydir Highway, through the Gibrator Ranges. We stopped off and had a quick little bushwalk from Mulligan’s Hut. There’s a lot of different bushwalks you can do, so check out this website if you’re interested – www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/gibraltar-range-national-park.

Then onto Grafton where we stopped off at Hank’s for a yummy pie.

Glen Innes to Coffs via Grafton is just under 3 hours without stops, but it took us most of the day because we stopped so much!

So all in all our “Trip to the Cold” was such a lovely and fun little three night getaway. The kids are already begging to go back! Definitely a trip we will all remember.