Australia Day 2010
Manly Beach, Sydney
Today is Australia Day, celebrating the day on which the first European settlers arrived in Sydney Cove in 1788.
Australians love a public holiday, and especially this one being in the middle of summer. Many people gather with family and friends and have barbecues, picnics, visits to the beach or attend major sporting events.
Near Mrs Macquaries Chair, Sydney Harbour
With the vast majority of Australians living near the coast, water activities are on the agenda for people. Swimming, sailing, surfing, fishing, canoeing and other water sports are all very popular.
Picnic at Swanport Reserve, Murray Bridge
A walk around Mallacoota, Victoria
Caravan Park, Mallacoota, Victoria
After a long day of travelling we finally arrived at Mallacoota in Victoria. We had never been here before and were delighted with what we saw. The downside was that we only had one night here.
We booked into the local motel and then tidied up ready for dinner in the hotel dining room. The seafood was delicious, which I expected, seeing it is primarily a fishing town.
After dinner we decided to walk off our wonderful meal. Our daughter, a much faster walker than us, took her own route. We strolled down to the estuary and walked along the foreshore. At one stage in our walk we sat on a picnic seat on the point overlooking the inlet. Quite beautiful on a calm, warm summer’s evening after the sun had set.
Cruise boat, Mallacoota, Victoria
We are determined to return here sometime in the future with our caravan. It is the kind of place you could gainfully stay a week or two, especially in the off season. Being the week after New Year, the foreshore was packed tightly with tents, caravans and boats. The picture above shows it well. Far too crowded for my liking.
There are many walks and drives in the area with a significant National Park to the east. There are several cruise boats like the one above as well. Taking a cruise up the river would be high on my list of things to do.
Eden, south coast of New South Wales
Eden, south coast of New South Wales
As we travelled south that afternoon we passed through many lovely areas and some beautiful towns. This part of the journey was new territory to us. We had seen the coast further south west in Victoria and to the north in NSW, but had never visited the stretch of coastline between Bermagui and Mallacoota.
Superb Fairy-wren, Eden, south coast of New South Wales
When it came time for afternoon tea we aimed for the lovely town of Eden. We drove down to the bay and found a suitable picnic seat overlooking the magnificent bay. The beach was quite crowded with people from the caravan park walking distance away. It was a very relaxing break from driving.
While we had our cuppa a family of Superb Fairy-wrens decided to join us. The male put on quite a show for us in the nearby bushes, posing nicely for my camera.
Eden, south coast of New South Wales
Mimosa Rocks National Park, New South Wales
1 Comment »25th September, 2009; Category: Beaches, Birds, Holidays, National Parks, New South Wales
Mimosa Rocks National Park, south coast NSW
One of the places I wanted to revisit on our drive south along the coast of New South Wales was Mimosa Rocks National Park. The last time we had been there was in 1981 which was getting on for 30 years ago. Too long, in fact.
I had vivid memories of what it looked like but obviously the years had blurred the image. It was nothing like I remembered! In fact, I think we went to a different part of the park this time. The access roads may well have changed in that time too.
Again, we didn’t have much time to explore the park. We had a quick lunch and a look at the beautiful beach and then off again on our trek south.
The only birds of interest were three Pied Oystercatchers patrolling the beach.
Pied Oystercatchers, Mimosa Rocks National Park
Mimosa Rocks National Park, south coast NSW
Mystery Bay, south coast of New South Wales
3 Comments »21st September, 2009; Category: Beaches, Holidays, National Parks, New South Wales, Picnics
Mystery Bay, south coast of New South Wales
When we travel we often watch out for local bakeries to visit. It’s an indulgence of ours – and a lot of other people I know.
To be fair we did need to get some fresh bread to make sandwiches for our lunch later in the day. We found a suitable bakery in one of the towns we passed through on our journey south along the south coast of New South Wales.
A little further on we pulled off the main road into the picnic area at Mystery Bay. This is a part of the Eurobodalla National Park. It was a lovely sojourn while we enjoyed a cup of tea and the delights of the bakery.
Morning tea at Mystery Bay, south coast of New South Wales
Mystery Bay, south coast of New South Wales
Mystery Bay, south coast of New South Wales