Just because it's midwinter, that's no reason not to head to the coast, right? The sea was calling to me, so I went. We stayed in a cabin at Bendalong, right next to the beach, and walked down to see the sunrise with a cuppa.
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| Boat Harbour Beach |
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| Washerwoman's Beach |
We took a trip to Berry, ostensibly to look for some furniture, but also for casual strolling around the shops. But first, breakfast at the Sourdough Cafe.
Berry is a 'historic country town' with some interesting architecture and great boutique shops.
We haven't got the furniture yet, but we know where to come for the knobs (yes, I'm immature enough to laugh at that. Every time.).
And so to some of the furniture we are considering (hall tables; chairs; laundry baskets... the fun never stops).
An afternoon walk to a lighthouse.
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| Crookhaven Heads |
The lighthouse itself was somewhat disappointing as it has fallen into disrepair and been vandalised.
There are, however, some beautiful carved totems nearby made from blackbutt, wollybutt and ironbark logs. Created by Nowra Indigenous artist Noel Wellington with help from members of the Jerrinja Local Aboriginal Land Council, they represent the stories, elders and culture of the local Aboriginal people. Positioned near the mouth of the Crookhaven River, the totems have views of the sea, with which the local Aboriginal people have long had a strong connection.
And if you're going to be beside the seaside; you ave to have fish and chips, so we popped into Currarong to do just that.
Followed by a postprandial walk to Abraham Bosom's Reserve and the wreck of the S.S. Merimbula at Whale Point.
Back at 'our' beach, we celebrated the fifth birthday of BentSpoke Brewing Co with a can of their Sprocket at sunset.
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| Happy 5th Birthday BentSpoke |
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| Sunset at Boat Harbour beach |
The next morning started out with a bike ride through the forests to Manyana and Cunjurong Point.
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| Bus shelter at Manyana |
After the exercise it was time for the wine, so we paid a trip to Cupitt's and went on the winery and brewery tour.
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| Barrels at Cupitt's Winery |
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| The cellar door |
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| The Brewery |
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| The Cheesery |
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| Wine tasting |
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| Best of both worlds |
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| Oysters for starters |
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| Pizza for main |
It's World Gin Day, so back at our lodgings we decided to partake of the two we had bought yesterday in Berry on a walk along the nearby beaches.
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| Bendalong Beach |
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| Happy World Gin Day |
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| Manyana |
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| Inyadda Beach |
In the early evening some friends came to join us in the holiday park as we enjoyed a glass of wine at sunset.
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| Boat Harbour Beach |
And then the stingrays came out to play. I was paddling in the shallows and these magnificent beasts came right up to me and glided through the water around my ankles. It was breathtaking.
The next morning we popped down to the Deli Truck for breakfast - a coffee and a bacon and egg roll is a good start to any day.
I'm not sure what the fruit/ seed pods of this tree are, but they look a lot like alien to me!
We escaped to the much more peaceful Bedalong Beach for a morning stroll.
And then we took another bike trip through the trees, this time to Walter Hood.
There is a monument to the Walter Hood and the eleven souls (including the captain) who drowned when she was was wrecked on 26 April 1970. The monument incorporates some ceramic tiles from the wreck, which were destined for the reconstruction of St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney which had burnt down in 1865.
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| The Walter Hood monument |
The water is unbelievably warm and pleasant; I went for a swim at Washerwoman's beach before another late afternoon stroll with a glass of Cupitt's wine.
We found a small catering set-up, Roamin Catering, doing divine pizzas under disco lights, which were fresh and tasty cooked in a wood-fired oven.
Our final beach walk the next morning was under gathering clouds and darkening skies.
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| Inyadda Beach |
We drove home via Morton Park, where we went for the Didthul Walk up Pigeon House Mountain. There were a lot of steps and some steep climbs, but the views were rewarding.
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| A collection of walking sticks at the end (or start) of the track |
