Day 305 - Monday 30 October - Around Batemans Bay

Day 305 –

Monday

30 October –

Batemans Bay – Durras

When we wok to go to the loo at 7.15am, we realised how beautiful the morning was and instead of returning to bed we figured we shouldn’t waste the day, so we got out for a morning walk.

We followed the road down to Caseys Beach and then ventured out onto the sand to enjoy having the sand between the toes and a bit of a paddle in the water. It was just divine and not another soul around. 

The temperature hadn’t really dropped off over night and with the sun beaming bright, it was really starting to warm up outside. By the time we made it back to the van, we were in need of a shower.

As the maid hadn’t been in to sort out the bed while we were out, I set about making that before putting breakfast together. Paul went for his shower and I ate while loading up yesterday’s blog. Once done, I went for my shower and by 9.20am we were ready to make out way to the Catalina Country Club so Paul could play real golf. 

Thankfully the course wasn’t overly busy and we were able to pay the $28 fee and get straight out on hole 1. The walk in the sunshine was just what was needed to start off our day.

Paul played ok, with only a couple of frustrating moments. At one stage, we thought we had lost a club cover, so I went back looking for it, but couldn’t see it. I continued searching as we came across holes parallel to holes one and two. It wasn’t until the 9^th hole that Paul realised it was in the bottom of the bag!

We completed the round by 11am, just as the breeze began to pick up. We packed up the clubs and drove the car into town, stopping in at Woollies for needed groceries and three dozen oysters for $30, that was dinner sorted.

We returned to the car only to be surprised by how quickly the sky had turned grey with thick cloud. As we followed the Clyde River back towards home there was a slight sea mist obscuring the view.

We sat around in the van, Paul reading while I continued to work on the blog. At 1pm we had lunch and then figured we should head out exploring a little more. New neighbours pulled in just as we were preparing to head. They were also from WA with the wife, Sharon a teacher.

We left them to set up and made our way north to the town site of South Durrasas. This is a small, coastal, holiday village that seemed to be predominantly caravan parks. 

We found a place to park near Durras beach and then followed the first path down to the beach. The rocks had us fascinated with their curves, colours and the lines created by the different rock types.

We made our way around to the second walkway and down onto the flat rocks where we could watch the waves crash in. The rock surfaces again had us clambering over them to view the different patterns and rock pools. 

We returned to the car and continued our drive north, this time stopping in at Pebbly Beach. The drive in is through a national park, where tall spotted gums line the narrow road blocking the sun. The road eventually terminated at a national park campground, where we parked the car in the day visitors’ spot and got out for a brief look around.

 

When we were finished, we jumped back in the car and finished our drive at North Durras. We again parked to have a quick look over the beach before driving the quiet beach frontage street. I noticed a mob of kangaroos taking up residence on someone’s lawn and we slowed the car to check them out before continuing our drive back to the van.

 

The weather had turned quite cold and blustery and I was glad to hang out inside working on the photos and blog for the day while watching the last part of series 6 of Pretty Little Liars.

Sharon and Charles, the West Aussies who pulled in earlier came knocking and we stood outside chatting for an hour while having a drink. It was bloody freezing and my glass and its contents were sloshing around! I made a fuss of their border collie Roxy, making me miss Yogi.

After about an hour, we called last drinks and made our way inside once again where we cooked up our 36 oysters for dinner. When we were done, I went back to the blog and my DVD. Cathy rang for a chat and it was lovely to catch up on life back there, even if it was work related, though we did manage some general life things.

I went back to my DVD after the call, finally finishing off the series I bought back in May when we were in Darwin. By the time 8.45pm came around though, I was ready for bed and happy to snuggle down and read my book for a while before calling it a night. 

Day 306 - Tuesday 31 October - Checking out Jervis Bay

Day 306 –

Tuesday

31 October – Finished off “The Man Of My Dream” by Curtis Sittenfeld. I am glad this book is finished. I didn’t really enjoy this book. The character was a psychotic mess who I didn’t warm to at all.

Started the new Dan Brown novel “ Origin”. I have enjoyed the previous incantations of this character and am looking forward to seeing where we are lead this time.

Batemans Bay – Nowra – Huskisson

Paul was awake just before 7am and began reading, while I pulled the quilt over my head to keep sleeping. I didn’t stay that way for long and began reading as well, finally finishing my book. 

Paul was out of bed first and when I had completed the final page of the novel, I was up and organising myself and breakfast. I went for a shower, when Paul returned and at breakfast when I was back.

Paul was busily gathering everything we needed for our day and once I had got my things together, we hit the road. We were driving north to return to Nowra so that Paul could visit HopDog BeerWorks a brewery we had attempted to check out a couple of weekends ago.

We rang ahead and spoke to Tim the brewer, letting him know we were on our way and then we settled into the 1hour ½ drive that took us back through Ulladulla, then onto Milton and a number of other small centres. I busied myself, sewing up a hole in my hoodie and surfing the net and by 11am we were finally passing by the brewery.

There was a small rest area nearby, so we stopped in there to stretch the legs. I had a phone call from Nigel, the guy running the We Love Craft Beer website, organising our visit for this weekend. It will be kind of surreal meeting after months of conversing online and through the Facebook page, but we are all looking forward to it.

As we were early for our brewery meet up, we drove in to town and stopped in at the large shopping centre. We did a wander around and I picked up the last season of Pretty Little Liars to keep me going as well as, season 3 of A Place To Call Home. Unfortunately Offspring 7 hasn’t been released yet, so I will have to wait.

We did a small grocery shop and then returned to the car and the brewery only to find it shut. We didn’t have to wait for long, with Tim arriving 10min later. We made ourselves at home, chatting and looking around, then Paul tried the beers and had his squealers filled in readiness for meeting up with Nigel. With his job out of the way we were free to continue our sightseeing.

 

 

I wanted to get out and see Jervis Bay after reading up on it in one of the tourist magazines. We set the GPS to Huskisson and headed east towards the coast. After a 20min drive, we could see the bay. We followed the main street through the centre of the bustling but small town and found a parking spot overlooking the bay.

 

Being nearly 2pm, we were starving, so we headed for a park bench, put our rolls together and ate, happily feeding our growling bellies. Once that job was done, we were free to checkout the view. The water was so clear and such beautiful shades of blue. The sand was also a lot whiter than what we have seen at other beaches down the coast and this only helped the water seem so much brighter. We did a lap along the front, before heading up into the street and returning to the car.

 

Satisfied with the look around, I set the GPS for home and we began the 120km trek back down the Princes Highway and back to Batemans Bay. I again busied myself with the tourist mags and surfing the net and before long we were pulling into the caravan park.

As there was no one occupying the site behind us, Paul decided to load up the car on the trailer so there was one less thing to do in the morning. I helped with what I could and then retreated inside out of the wind and cool air.

I got on with the computer stuff for the day while also watching the first couple of PLL episodes. Paul sat and wrote his review, while giving a commentary on all the things wrong with what I was watching. 

When I was done watching a couple of episodes, we did a quick walk around the park and then I got stuck into dinner, as we were both starving. It didn't take long to prepare and then devour. I washed up the dishes and then figured we should go for a walk as the step count was looking rather sad. 

We followed the path back into Batehaven, thankfully the wind had dropped right off and although it was cool, it was pleasant outside and the walk was just what was needed to help settle the bellies. 

After an hour of walking, we returned to the van ready to take ourselves to bed. 

Day 304 - Sunday 29 October - Checking out Shoal Haven Coastal towns

Day 304 –

Sunday

29 October –

Batemans Bay – Ulladulla – Burrill Lake

We were awake early this morning for some reason, this gave me a good opportunity to get stuck into my book. It is at the point where I just want to get it finished, not because I cant put it down, but because I am kind of over it. It isn’t that great.

When the clock struck 8am, Paul was up and off for a shower and I wasn’t far behind him. I organised our breakfast and ate before heading for a timed shower. Once back at the van, we packed up all we needed and made our way north along the coast, heading for the seaside destination of Ulladulla.

The drive was about 60km and took about an hour. We followed the A1, Princes Hwy, through state forest where long skinny gums grew tall and plentiful. The road itself was well policed and Paul had to keep the speed in check, as you never knew what might be flashing around the corner. Thankfully, we pulled into a car park next to Ulladulla wharf without incident.

We made our way out along the sea wall where we could check out the bay and the marina. They use the large, three pronged concrete blocks that when placed look like a giant game of jacks.

We walked up into the town, stopping in at the tourist information centre to pick up a map and some ideas on things to see and do. We were told about the markets at Mollymook Beach, so after wandering back through the town, we returned to the car and made our way the couple of kms out of town towards the beach.

The place was packed and we had to park up a side street not that it really bothered us. We made our way around the market stalls, checking out the various wares on offer, though nothing jumped out us, saying you must buy me.

After completing a lap, we walked down to the beachfront and followed the path along the top taking in the view of the white sandy beach and the flat rocks where waves were crashing. It was the perfect day to be at the beach.

We returned to the car and made our way back to Ulladulla and out to Warden Head to check out the lighthouse and the view. The lighthouse wasn’t glamorous like some we have seen and really needed a good lick of British Paints but he rust lines added a little interest.

We stood at the first lookout hoping to see whales and dolphins, but there were none to be seen. We then followed a walkway into the bush, signposted by a lizard painted in an aboriginal motif. It turned out to be a fitting indicator as there were plenty of skinks darting along the edges and when we had made it to the lookout point, there was a very curious bearded dragon happy for us to take a very close look.

After checking on the view, we made our way back through the seaside scrub, sad to note how many banksia trees were dead. Once back in the car, we were ready to head on to Cupitt Winery, brewery and kitchen for lunch.

We followed the winding track east of Ulladulla for a few kms, ending up in a lush green valley with views of Lake Burrill The winery was overrun with cars and people taking advantage of the gorgeous day. I thought it would be difficult to do a review but as it turns out the brothers, Wally and Tom, were both on hand and happy to chat.

We ordered pizzas for lunch and Paul got busy asking questions before trying the beers. I was happy to sit outside and enjoy the warmth of the sun and the view over the vineyard. It was a perfect Sunday.

When we were finished with our meal, we found Wally and Tom in the brewery where we were shown around before returning to the cellar door so Paul could try a couple of their bottled beers, ones he was looking forward to and his face said it all when he drank them. I also knew that a few would be coming home with us.

With a happy husband bundled into the car, I drove us to McDonald Reserve to check out Lake Burrill. We parked and walked along the road until we finally found an access point where we could get to the water’s edge. We watched a guy strip off and go for a swim and others on boats enjoying themselves. Paul rang Ian and Errol back home for a chat.

We then drove around to Burrill Beach where we parked once again and made our way onto the beach. This spot was the meeting point for Lake Burrill and the ocean and there was quite a strong current pushing through the channel.

We walked out onto the flat rocks watching the water wash around and were amazed at the number of blue bottles floating in the water. We became quite wary of where to put our feet and what the water was washing over us.

I watched a Jack Russell enjoying the water, but became concerned when he had to cross the channel to his owners. The dog was easily swept away with the current, but he just continued to power along and eventually dragged himself onto the beach before powering off in full run, no harm done, phew!

We continued to walk along the beach and onto further flat rocks where there were plenty of terns and seagulls sitting about. There were plenty of blue bottles in this part too and as we walked back, Paul managed to flick the tiniest part of a tentacle onto one of my fingers and there was immediate stinging. It was a bit like eating a chilli, you don’t notice at first but then the intensity heats up with time. Thankfully we had vinegar diluted in our water bottles, so I splashed some on and it was soon relieved.

We then made our way to Dolphin Point where we stood at the lookout facing south before following the path down the hill and onto the beach. Paul spoke to Damon while we were there and then we retuned to car and began our journey back to the van.

Once in, we were happy to rest up while I got stuck into the photos I had neglected yesterday. Paul read for a bit, but was soon suggesting another round of Putt Putt, so we took the club and played a round. I wasn’t doing so well today, but in the end only lost by 1 shot. 

When we returned to the van, we began organising dinner and then ate. The evening seemed to slip away quite quickly, but before we called it a night, Paul wanted to head out for a short walk. We only wandered across the road to the small beach. We stood watching the rhythmic rise and fall of the waves, listening to the sound of them as they reached the shore. It was still quite warm and muggy outside so once we were back in the van the air con went straight on and we finally crawled into bed.