2nd January Rach took the boys to the playground while Al completed packing up, loading car and scrapping the final layer of vegemite and crayon from the white sofa. The new car's boot is not that big so it was a real squeeze to fit our luggage plus acculumated junk in but we finally left and headed over the bridge through Sydney proper.
The Sav Nav (as the boys call it) was completely confused by all the the tall buildings of the CBD and giving wrong instructions which Isaac felt obliged to then repeat ("it said go RIGHT Daddy"), so it was a fairly stressful start to the journey. Eventually free of the city we played I Spy most of the way to Kiama. Isaac is getting very good at his letter sounds but the highlight was Charlie's contributions - "I 'py little eye, something 'gining........GOAT!"
We stopped for a break at the Bulli Lookout which had a 1000ft sheer drop from the railings and was really uncomfortable to stand on. The smart cafe did not look as though they were quite ready for the boys so we moved straight on.
The scenary was markedly different to north of Sydney with open green grassland and stands of gum trees, very like The Man from Snowy River. Al and Rach hatched plans to create an Australian garden in a future residense.
Kiama was our chosen rest stop on route to Myola and is famous for its blow hole and whaling history. By chance we had arrived at just the right time to see the blow hole in action and we joined the crowds at the railings. All 3 boys involuntarily joined in the Ooohs and Aahhs as it spouted but Rachel was unimpressed. We didn't have time for the whaling museum which has the skeleton of a famous killer named Old Tom. He lead a gang that used to herd other whales into the bay and then thrash their tails in the water to attract the whalers. Once it had been harpooned they would lie on top of its blowhole to drown it and then eat its tongue and lips and leave the remainder for the whalers.
The traffic out of Kiama was terrible and we were late arriving at Myola Tourist Park on Calalla Beach but fortunately we managed to the get the keys for our cabin. It is relief to be back in a wipe clean cabin and although there are lots of teenagers around it appears to be a suitable place to stay for the next 4 nights. Rach really tired and sad thinking about her Granny so Al took the boys to the playground to give her some peace. Before bed Al managed 60 lengths of the (quite small) pool.
3rd We woke to slightly ropey weather and decied to investigate the town of Huskisson which seemed to be a local landmark. It was not very exciting but we had a day pottering around the shops, playing on the playground and sleeping on the grass.
We stopped for a break at the Bulli Lookout which had a 1000ft sheer drop from the railings and was really uncomfortable to stand on. The smart cafe did not look as though they were quite ready for the boys so we moved straight on.
The scenary was markedly different to north of Sydney with open green grassland and stands of gum trees, very like The Man from Snowy River. Al and Rach hatched plans to create an Australian garden in a future residense.
Kiama was our chosen rest stop on route to Myola and is famous for its blow hole and whaling history. By chance we had arrived at just the right time to see the blow hole in action and we joined the crowds at the railings. All 3 boys involuntarily joined in the Ooohs and Aahhs as it spouted but Rachel was unimpressed. We didn't have time for the whaling museum which has the skeleton of a famous killer named Old Tom. He lead a gang that used to herd other whales into the bay and then thrash their tails in the water to attract the whalers. Once it had been harpooned they would lie on top of its blowhole to drown it and then eat its tongue and lips and leave the remainder for the whalers.
The traffic out of Kiama was terrible and we were late arriving at Myola Tourist Park on Calalla Beach but fortunately we managed to the get the keys for our cabin. It is relief to be back in a wipe clean cabin and although there are lots of teenagers around it appears to be a suitable place to stay for the next 4 nights. Rach really tired and sad thinking about her Granny so Al took the boys to the playground to give her some peace. Before bed Al managed 60 lengths of the (quite small) pool.
3rd We woke to slightly ropey weather and decied to investigate the town of Huskisson which seemed to be a local landmark. It was not very exciting but we had a day pottering around the shops, playing on the playground and sleeping on the grass.
4th Berry is a small town north on the Princes Highway from Jervis Bay and holds a monthly country fair. Having (again) pitched up too late for the local church service we drove straight on to Berry. The weather was perfect, completely cloud free and a very pleasant 45 minutes driving through the beautful countryside.
The fair proved to be very large and a cross between a market and a boot fair - no terrier racing or hay bale tossing so not really what we would call a fair but still a traditional event. Rachel got lost for the first hour but managed to make the most of this misfortune by purchasing large quantities of beauty products while searching for Al & the boys. Al meanwhile was sorely tempted by a complete set of farrier's tools. We found some old copper pennies with the King on one side and a kangeroo on the other so we bought some for I & C and Ollie and Sophie. The day had turned into a real scorcher so we found some shade next to a busker playing classical guitar music and ate Dutch pancakes for lunch. The fair was a good change of scenary and we had really enjoyed browsing the stalls.
Jervis Bay is a national park area of forest and is named after its very large bay with smaller bays within it and is renowned for forest running right to edge of white sand beaches. Hyams beach had been recommended by several people in Sydney and we travelled there in the afternoon. It was a beautiful beach but quite small in the context of the surrounding area where most run to several miles long. It was also incredibly windy - windy enough to blow all the water out of the boys buckets. The sand was quite steeply shelving so the waves, although small, were breaking quite close to shore and were great for body surfing. It was very rough so we didn't last long on the beach and headed home for an evening swim in the pool.
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