Aussie Roadtrip: Metung

Twofold Bay on my birthday!
Back in Spain, I listened to a remarkable podcast of Conversations with Richard Fidler where he interviewed Danielle Clode.  It was a story about a pod of killer whales who worked with men to hunt Humpback Whales.  Apparently orcas all specialise in a type of hunting, based on where they live and what they eat, and they teach their young and pass the techniques on.  This particular pod, that hung out near the entrance of Twofold Bay in southern NSW developed a hankering for humpback whales tongues and lips.  A hankering that might have been encouraged by the local Aboriginal population, who were some of the best hunters on the white men's whaling ships and had a relationship with the killer whales long before white fellas showed up. 

I almost wet myself when I realised that our roadtrip could actually take us through Twofold Bay.  What was even more exciting was that it would be on the day of my 32nd birthday.  I think the excitement is basically written on my face in the photo below. 

Birthday boy at Twofold Bay

Eden is not far from Merimbula, so we had a slow start, a long coffee at Sprout cafe (5 stars!) and a beach trip to play with my birthday beachball before we went to see and learn more of the story at the Eden Killer Whale Museum which doesn't open until 11.15 on a Sunday.  The museum shares a lot about whaling and the good ol' times when Old Tom and his pod worked together with human whalers, but also does a bit to remind us how much damage humans have done to worldwide whale populations.  The museum continues downstairs with much more of Eden's history, besides fishing at whaling,  Certainly worth a visit on anyone's itinerary.

Beach balls and wind are not friends

Bushranger rating = getting there

Old Tom - A killer whale who died of old age in 1930

A great poem on display at the Eden Killer Whale Museum

Eden Killer Whale Museum

The last stop of this amazing trip before heading home was relaxed Metung. Just a smidge closer to home than Lake's Entrance, we took it easy here.  We had to take it easy as one of us is getting on in years.  We had a lovely (birthday) dinner at the local bistro with a view over the lake and were treated to a remarkable sunset visible on our way home.  

Birthday sunset from Metung - photo does not capture its vibrancy

While we were tempted to get out on the water either in a kayak or on a local cruise, in the end we opted to cycle about, enjoying the sun with our feet on dry land.  With all the driving, it was great to have a day to relax and enjoy the atmosphere and location of our remarkable AirBNB accommodation.

Ingrid's AirBNB view

A beautiful last day of Spring

Just one of the boats around Metung

Pelicans everywhere

Grumblepot

Lifeguards

We were treated to a second sunset to start Summer

Sunset by the jetty

Sunset by the jetty 2

On our route home, we made an early stop at Bairnsdale which plays home to a little museum called Krowathunkooloong - The Keeping Place.  Their exhibition allows visitors to learn about the ancient Gunai people of the Gippsland Lakes through stories, articles, weapons, arts and crafts.  I recommend visiting if you are in the area, although it is often not recognised nearly as much as it should be, Australia's history is a lot older than just what happened after white settlement.

We punctuated the drive with a chilly visit to Golden Beach, just one spot along the amazing 90 Mile Beach stretch.  But the wind was cold and the water uninviting so we quickfooted along to Moe for a break to sit and reflect on what an incredible year this has been.  What we have done, what has happened, what we have learned and who we have met.  An opportunity that cannot be beaten.

World travellers come home

Which way from Golden Beach?

Australia

Reflections - we're home!

Aussie Roadtrip: Merimbula

A very early start to catch sunrise meant we were on the road ahead of a lot of the other traffic. Drivers were blinking their car headlights left, right and centre as we headed out to the highway and I assumed a police car detecting speed would be round the bend. Slowing right down turned out to be excellent timing as I avoided a small kanga positioned in the centre of my lane. (So far the only incident has involved a suicidal kookaburra.) Around the next bend there had been a nasty head on collision with police and fireys in attendance. Turning around Percy, we needed to take another route to the highway. 

With such an early start, it was easy work to get to Nooroomba (an Aboriginal word for "blue water").  Allegedly due to a spelling mistake on the part of the postmaster, its name changed to Narooma. 

Beautiful Narooma

Violent pelicans in a feeding frenzy

What bird is this?

It seems that early attempts to set this up as a busy port failed, mainly on account of the fact that it seems a pretty lousy spot for a port.  It seems like ships had to intentionally beach themselves on the bar, then wait for a wave to bring them over the top and make a sharp left turn.  Various attempts at creating a breakwater seem to have had little effect on making it a safer place to access, and I think people may have given up by the early 20th century.  Nevertheless many have recognised it as a beautiful place to visit, and regular tourism seems to have been a feature since the 30's. 

This breakwater makes it "safer?"

We discovered that the couple behind Streets ice-creams retired to this community and put a lot of effort into community projects.  Kat couldn't help but get into a giant paddle pop they had left just lying there.  

Paddle Pops!

Our plan to catch some waves was thwarted by numerous nasty looking bluebottles, and we opted to briefly read in the sun before kicking on.  

No swimming - bluebottles everywhere!

What trip of these parts would be complete without stopping at Bega to try out all of the cheeses with which we are already very familiar?  The Bega experience was worth the stop, not just for the cheese, but running through their museum and arts and crafts from the region upstairs.  The main takeaway, in case anyone cares to travel so far for petrol, is that the local businesses seem to have lost all sense in a race to the bottom on prices.  For the first time in many years, you could get petrol for less than a dollar a litre!  For those without a Coles voucher, you had to pay a measly $1.03/L!!!   The teller obviously had many people commenting on it to him throughout his day, and was not at all interested in my enthusiasm.  The rule of our roadtrip has been if we see it for less than $1.20/L, we stop.

Crazy competition!

Bega Cheese Museum

The views from our temporary home at Merimbula were magnificent.  It would have been a great spot to whale-watch if we were there in the right season.  It seems that very few people camp anymore, and less care to camp or caravan in an unpowered site, so we had the run of the unpowered section of the park effectively to ourselves, it was a beautiful space.

TENT PHOTO! - Note my beard is now visible in shadow

Sun set near our Merimbula campsite

Aussie Roadtrip: Port Macquarie

Saying goodbye to Andrea we hopped in the car for a rather lengthy drive to Port Macquarie. We had a delightful morning bakery stop in the seaside village of Lennox Head and made a snap judgement that we’d like to visit again. I couldn’t help but feeling that although Byron was nice, the traffic congestion and other minor issues might too easily getting in the way of a relaxing beach day. Lennox Head is smaller and the pace seems slower (as evidenced by the time we spent buying postal stamps!). As a Victorian I would wager that Lennox Head is to Apollo Bay as Byron is to Lorne. (Obviously there are differences and loyalists to any of these towns will likely be offended by my statements!)

Lennox Head 

Aside from Rob trying to eat a BIG BANANA on the way through, it was then pretty much full steam ahead to Port Macquarie. We did make a few short stops along the way, the most notable being at the Honey Place (a bee museum/café in Urgunga). I knew bees were amazing but the video and hive there refreshed my love of bees -as did the honeycomb we feasted on. What other animals perform beautiful and complicated dances to share the proximity and direction of food? Actually, if you know of one please let me know!

Hooray I am going to eat a big banana today!

Oh no! I shut my mouth at the wrong time!

I will keep it open in case we find the big pineapple!

Busy little bee

In Port Mac we stayed at a campsite next to Flynn’s Beach. (Also located near a street with a wonderful name –see photo below!) The weather on our first full day in town was not the clear sky and sun we had become accustomed to since leaving Sydney. It wasn’t terrible either. We had a slow morning, took some walks and read our books at a park overlooking one of the nine local beaches.  

An excited Chalmersarian

Traditional tent photo 

Near our campsite was a koala hospital that ran tours at 3pm. It included detail about the various ailments and diseases koalas suffer from (road accidents and chlamydia common) and an introduction to current residents. A few koalas will be there until they die but, where possible, the aim of the centre is to rehabilitate koalas back into the wild. One of the koalas lost a leg and the vets weren’t sure if she would be able to look after her joey. Usually a joey will receive pap from their mother whilst in the pouch. Pap, decomposed elements of eucalyptus leaves, helps joeys develop a taste for the leaves, provides adequate nutrition and included a specific gut bacteria needed for a koalas digestion of the gum leaves. In this case, the Mother managed to fulfil this role despite her challenges, the joey was released into the wild and Mum continued on, amazingly mobile. Then there was a big storm and she fell from her tree onto a clothesline damaging her eyes and losing her sight. She is apparently the most popular koala at the centre – what a trooper. It was sad hearing about the declining koala count due to loss of suitable environments.

Koala hospital

Food time

Yummy!

A climber

Munch munch munch

In the evening we went on sunset and dolphin cruise, recommended by our travel friends Jenny and Ben. They had missed out on seeing dolphins but we went one worse and didn’t have a visible sunset either! It was still fun seeing a bit of the way of life around the port and rivers. We had a much loved dog for our neighbour who was happy as he scored a few scooby snacks along the way. A young sea-goer (aged 5 or 6) was thrilled at the opportunity to steer the boat.

"Must love dogs"

Waking up to a roasting warm tent, Rob and I suspected that outside would be much cooler. It usually is. It always seems to me like the tent is trying to trick you into thinking it is a good beach day. Today it was actually warm again! We celebrated with yoga on the beach and some rough body boarding at Flynn’s beach.

Flynn's beach from the roadside 

In the afternoon we learnt about the area’s history and the town museum. The highlight was learning about how Edmund Barton had come to town to encourage a vote for federation. Previously the town members were rather ambivalent on the matter. In an unrelated somewhat random display on infants and motherhood, I also learnt that the invention of a banana shaped milk bottle for feeding babies reduced the amount of bacterial infection. The previous bottle was not on display but it apparently had some sort of tube for bacteria to build up in. I had never really thought about the fact that bottles might have been shaped in anything other than an upright position. There you go!

A dinner picnic overlooking the port was a lovely way to spend our final evening and discover that the town can indeed put on a sunset.

Moody sunset

Aussie Roadtrip: Go directly to gaol, do not pass go, do not collect $200

Sydney to South West Rocks and Trial Bay

Leaving Sydney the weather was looking up and the traffic was looking down, neither of which was hugely surprising. Once getting through the traffic we drove fairly solidly to Port Stephens, only stopping for a coffee in Gosford. Above Nelson Bay we had lunch at the fantastic Gan Gan lookout. From the two sides of the lookout you can see Newcastle, the Myall Lakes, Soldiers Point, Hawks Nest and Nelson Bay. I convinced a couple at the car park that they really should go on the 200-metre walk to other side of the lookout as it was worth the view. (They weren’t keen to get the kids out of the car which I can see would be a nuisance but worse would be missing that breathtaking view!)

One view from Gan Gan lookout with Gymea Lillies in the foreground (5 metres tall and, according to the sign, used by Aboriginals for spears)

Gan Gan lookout

Back in the car we enjoyed a mixture of audiobooks, conversations, an excellent roadtrip playlist (copyright Sarah Chalmers!) and some podcasts. Swapping drivers every so often, it got us through to the beautiful Macleay river. Driving beside the river was a lovely way to get off the highway early and make our way to Trial Bay as the sun began to descend. With memories of Sydney monopoly still in our heads, we made it to Trial Bay Gaol campsite (Arakoon) with enough light to put up the tent, greet our new kanga neighbours and fly over to South West Rocks proper for sunset.

Scenic drive along the Macleay River

Traditional tent photo

Sunset at South West Rocks

Yoga was the first order of the next day followed by breakfast and a strenuous 100 metre walk to the campsite beach. Our first swim of the road-trip was very refreshing. Rob was perplexed to discover some USD in his boardies. We calculated it must have been there since our 2013 U.S. road-trip, a nice symmetry!

Our beach at Trial Bay campsite

How long has this buckaroony been here? 

The land our campsite was situated on was once a convict gaol and then later a German/Austrian internment camp during WWI. It was initially created with the aim of using prisoner labour to build a breakwater. Trial Bay was a place ships would stop to shelter from storms between Sydney and Brisbane, and got its name when a ship called the Trial was seized by convicts and wrecked there in 1816. The breakwater was built over about a decade then abandoned, quite a contrast to the success of the Snowy Scheme project we had learnt about days before. Remains of the breakwater are still seen scattered around the place.

Touring the gaol was quite interesting, though there was repetitive information at some points. Compared to the gaol Mum, Rob and I visited in Ireland, it seemed like a pretty good place to be imprisoned. In contrast to the freezing temperatures and monotonous work the Irish suffered through, prisoners at Trial Bay got baths once a week, had supplements to their rations and had access to the beaches in between. Aside from the work of the breakwater, the prisoners of both eras had some freedoms and punishment was reportedly lenient for the times. There was an article about a time where the POW’s discovered they could jump on a beached whale and use it as a slide! After this they harvested the whale for oil with less than ideal results. (The oil they had packaged in tins to send to Sydney exploded stinking up the bay for a long time.)  To add to the disappointment, when they heard the explosions in the middle of the night, the prisoners thought that a German navy ship had arrived to rescue them!

Kookaburra sits on the gaol wall

Trial Bay Gaol

Kangaroo tries to get some shade using the gaol wall

Inside the gaol

The breakaway attempt

In the afternoon we headed over to Smoky Cape Lighthouse which was recommended to us by my Uncle Peter for its extraordinary views of the coastline. From the lighthouse you could see seemingly endless km’s of rolling sandy beaches south east of the cape. The views were certainly stunning and we were glad we made the trip up. It seemed like there were some fantastic walks in the area that we’d love to do next trip.

Smoky Cape Lighthouse

Enjoying an early contender for best view of the roadtrip

Joey sneaking out for a nibble

View from the other side of the lighthouse

Before leaving the area we did some early morning yoga. This time a male kangaroo that appeared to be courting an unwilling mate decided to come rather close to our set-up. His rather aggressive stance and what I took to be mating calls meant I called on some recently acquired knowledge from the back of the campsite bathroom’s doors. All my youth I was taught to “Slip, Slop, Slap” and “Stop Drop and roll” but never knew a thing about the all important “Roo roll.” So, knowing what to do, I dropped to the ground in a ball and rolled towards Percy the car, eventually ending up in the right spot for “Child’s pose” as the kangaroos hopped off! We ended our yoga practice unscathed.

Boy were we glad we chose to stay in this area. It really had a lot to offer with several beautiful beaches, a relaxing town, wildlife, an interesting history and excellent views from the nearby Smoky Cape Lighthouse at Hat Head. It isn’t all that close to Melbourne, but neither is most of the world (!) and hopefully we can come back at some point.

Beach at South West Rocks

Enjoying sunset near the campsite

Beach sunset at Trial Bay