Once again I made my annual pilgrimage down to the northern rivers area of NSW to celebrate Australia day with my family.  This part of northern NSW is about a 3 hour drive south from Brisbane.

Australia Day is our official National Day which is celebrated annually on January 26th. It marks the anniversary of the arrival of the first fleet of British ships into Port Jackson Sydney in 1788

In contemporary Australia, the holiday is marked by the presentation of the Australian of the Year awards. It is an official public holiday in all states and territories and celebrated with festivals, concerts and ceremonies, large and small, in communities and cities around the nation.

For us, it is time with family.

The beginning of our day commenced with our early morning walk where we were watched by some of the the many locals. They are always so curious and usually only hop away when we start to get very close to them.

Then it was time to take the boat out on the Clarence River. Once again, we were blessed with glorious weather. We motored on down the river to where the mouth meets the Pacific Ocean, between the towns of Iluka and Yamba.

We visited a favourite local beach where a swim was a must. As usual it was “crowded” with about a handful of people from other boats.

Then we motored over to the local pub on the river in Iluka  for  nice cold beers  which were enjoyed down at the water’s edge.

After enjoying our beers, we then walked over to the local Fisherman’s co-op to purchase our fish and chips and calamari for our very Aussie lunch at the beach on the river.

After a full and fabulous day out on the water we cruised back up the river to home.

Then, as evening approached,  with neighbours joining us, we settled in for our very Aussie backyard bbq. An Aussie barbecue is a great Australian tradition and almost a most on Australia day.

A few more of the locals hopped over for a late afternoon feed.