Day 303 - Saturday 28 October - 10 Months on the road and on to Batemans Bay

Day 303 – Milestone Day -10 Months on the road today

Saturday

28 October –

Sutton – Batemans Bay

Back on the road again! We were awake at 7am and reading for an hour before finally making it out of bed and beginning the morning rituals. By 9am we were all ready to make our way out of the caravan park and on to the highway.

We backtracked a little before heading east to follow the B52 highway. This of course had us singing “Rock Lobster” and “Tin Roof Rusted”  as we made our way along the rough road passing through the old country towns of Bywong and Bungendore.

The drive was 141 km and slated to take 2hours. We eventually drove through Briadwood and then it was on to Clyde Mountain where the road dropped away substantially and became a slow grind as we followed the sharp hairpins and long S’s through the mountain pass before finally bottoming out in North Batemans Bay and crossing the Clyde River.

We stopped for fuel and then continued on through Batemans Bay. We followed Beach Road and at 11.20am we finally pulled in to Pleasurelea Caravan Park in Batehaven. Once checked, in we were all good to head to our spot, where we could drive into it from the vacant spot behind us.

We set up camp and then proceeded to take it easy. Paul rang Merida, while I made lunch. With the catch-up out of the way, we then put on the walking shoes.

We did a lap of the park to orientate ourselves with what was available and then it was off across the road to check out the small beach before continuing our wander down the street.

We followed a lookout sign where we could see over Caseys Beach as well as back along the Clyde River up to Batemans Bay. We walked into Batehaven, but before long we were hot and sweaty due to the humid nature of the day, so we turned around and made our way back towards the van.

Once we were back, we changed into cooler clothes and then we jumped in the car and drove into Batemans Bay. We ended up crossing back over the river as Paul thought he saw Lionel in his car, a man we met in Lakes Entrance at Easter. Unfortunately we couldn’t catch his car to check.

We returned to the centre and parked up, getting out to wander the main pedestrian mall and then out to the walk lining the Clyde River. We walked to a sculpture of an octopus, before turning around and making our way to a waterside pub for a drink.

We sat out on the balcony taking in the view of fishermen and boats as we enjoyed our cooling drinks. Once we finished we stopped in at the local fish shop to pick up a dozen Clyde River oysters and then we returned home.

We hung out in the van, surprised to hear the initial patter of rain on the roof and before long we were inundated with fat drops pounding off the roof. It had been cloudy, overcast and humid when we were out and did appear somewhat threatening, so we weren’t overly surprised. The shower was quite heavy but didn’t last too long. Paul rang Ballsy while I began the very sad task of coming up with a forward plan for our last 8 weeks on the road.

I was more particular with the next two weeks and was able to work in a visit to Melbourne for the NBL, so I guess forward planning has its benefits.  I really can’t believe all of this will be coming to an end in such a short time, we don’t want it to end. 

After the rain stopped and my planning was sorted, we grabbed the putter and balls and made our way to the putt putt for another match up. They only have 9 holes here, but they are a little more challenging. After 9, I was up by 2 shots, but unfortunately I let it slip and Paul came away the winner by 3 strokes.

We made our way back to the van and Paul prepared the oysters while I continued with the forward planning. We ate our oyster entrée and then I cooked up the salmon dinner, while Paul put the salad together. We enjoyed our yummy dinner and then sat around for a very short while, before deciding to head out for another walk, this time in the opposite direction.

We followed the short-lived path into the suburb, watching the sky to the West light up wit pinks and oranges. One we were satisfied we had walked far enough, we turned around and retraced our steps back towards the van.

Paul went off for a shower, while I sat about going through today’s blog and continuing to add photos to the backlog of days, making up quite a few before finally deciding it was time to head to bed.