Down Tourist Drive 7

Oh dear! I meant to write the blog of all the holiday one after another but the best laid plans. I had a rough Wednesday and Thursday. What with the shopping and mowing the grass (I swear the garden feels as big as a cricket ground some days) I just got too hot and exhausted. I suddenly realised I was mouth breathing – something I have not done in ages. So now the mouth and throat are dry as dust and I guzzle more water. The air and water mixture is not good for the tummy which blows up like a balloon. By evening I have fever too and headache and nausea. I thought I would not be able to get up for a long while now. But wonder of wonders I am at least up and about, so here goes the second day of the holiday.

The wake up on saturday was gentle but cold as it was drizzling. By now we had worked it out that our mobile network was maybe half a bar when you stood in knee deep water on the beach. But still Paul decided to try and ring mother as we were supposed to meet her on Skype. Yes you have guessed it right about the lack of heat in the Wi-Fi hotspots too. However, all he got for his efforts was wet!

A hot bowl of porridge just hit the right spot and we decided to go out and be tourists. The first stop was Batemans Bay. This is a lovely town on the mouth of the River Clyde. It is a popular place for boating and fishing.

 Crossing River Clyde to Batemans Bay

 Bridge over Clyde

 Batemans Bay

Boats in the Bay

There is always a pelican or two about besides the usual gamut of those pesky sea gulls. As we were keeping a lookout for the pelicans, we found a couple sitting with cormorants on the lamp posts. So the car was stopped and I trotted off in the drizzle to get a shot. A man walking towards me stopped and advised me against standing under the lamp post to take the photo, as I might get pooped on. It made me wonder whether he thought I wanted picture of the birds’ bottom. We decided to leave the Princess Highway here and go on to the tourist drive 7 along the coast up to Moruya.

The next place we went through was Catalina situated on the Corrigans Beach and Batehaven -small places ideal for tourism. There are a string of hotels and motels along the sea front but Thank God none of those high rise blocks. Then, we moved through Denhams Beach to Surf Beach.

 Surf Board Sculpture at Surf Beach

By this time the drizzle had stopped and though the sun was still not blazing the sky was clearing. We had once before stopped at this place and had chips for lunch while trying to avoid being dive bombed by the sea gulls. Boy! Are they in competition for the chips or what? The air was feeling warmer by now. The pines stood green and tall with the glimpses of grey blue skies always gladden my heart.

Though this is the coast road, it is up on the cliffs and to reach the beaches and small towns dotted on the coast you have to travel down the side roads. Despite that, the scenery and hilly road was good to drive on. Yes I had taken up the option to drive first today as after lunch I feel lazy and drowsy. The names of places we passed were Lilli Pilli, Malua Bay, Rosedale, Guerilla Bay, Tomakin and Mossy Point. Well we did try a foray into Guerilla Bay as it intrigued us. However, the town is up on the cliff and the way to a lovely beach is a narrow path. The views were fabulous from up there. The houses are lovely and the place very quiet. It makes you wonder what is up, as there were many houses up for sale all along these coastal towns. Lovely to live, very very peaceful but what would one do for a living? Maybe own online business or some sort?

From Mossy Point we took the small road to Broulee, then back on to the tourist route 7. We came up to this scenic point and decided to stop and stretch out our legs. This is on the outskirts of Moruya. Here is a quarry  from which the granite for the Sydney Harbour Bridge was dug up. It is right next to the River Moruya. There is a small museum of the quarry and a walk way at the edge of the water. The trees are green, the rocks are blue grey and covered in barnacles, water blue with a boat or two, people fishing and gentle breeze. Out comes the sun and now I am regretting putting on that warm top this morning. Out comes the sun screen and arms and face gets covered as sleeves have to be rolled up if I am not to faint with heat stroke. Yes, I was also sent to stand in the middle of the road in order to take pictures of the quarry. Keeping an eye in each direction, to avoid being run over, it is a little difficult to take directions for good shots. However, here are the fruits of dangerous photography.

 River Moruya

The tourist trail ends abruptly as we hit the Princess Highway at the edge of Moruya. As we crossed the river, we saw there was a market in town. We parked behind the shops and walked around the market. It was typical small town market with local produce of fruit and veg, honey, jams, olives fresh bread and snacks; and local craft work as in jewellery, woodwork, clothes and pot plants. But, the sellers were packing up as it was lunch time and later we found that we had just made it in time to see it. A walk around the high street and the shops does not take long. I was surprised to find a Nepalese restaurant there. Nearly went in, but did not want to eat much as I needed something to drink more than food. So we had an ice cream to cool off and a fizzy drink. Something I regretted as I later found that the milkshakes are the thing to go for.

It was time to make our way back with a quick stop at the shops in Batemans Bay as I wanted my own tea and coffee. A walk around the shopping mall and car park was the end of this outing. It was a good one. A walk on the beach and a view of what definitely was a shark out in the water was next. It was a triangular black fin with every now and then a black expanse of the back as it rose to dive down. The guys at the bar and takeaway confirmed that they get sharks in the bay. I have seen dolphins here before so a shark was a first. The evening dinner was ordered by the pool bar and the entertainment of the wedding reception was free. It was good to relax and let the evening flow over me with bird songs. 

 Man in a Boat going towards the Shark