To get there, about 1000km from Armidale, I flew from Armidale to Canberra on Friday where Beck picked me up at the airport and we left straight for the coast at 4.30pm. Emily called the route a goat-track, but it was a bit better than that - long straight stretches across the flat tablelands (c. 850m asl), with steep windy bits down the escarpment to the coast. We met up with E & G at Batemans Bay for an excellent fish dinner and a short drive south to Broulee along the Princess Highway (route 1 to Melbourne) via the quaint 'alternative' settlement of Mogo in the gathering dusk.
After a quick breakfast on Saturday morning we headed off for a short sightseeing trip around Broulee before walking around Broulee Island now connected to the mainland via a sand spit. This was timed for low tide and took about 80 minutes. Max just loved the rock shelves, pools and winding obstacle-strewn pathway. Then we headed for South Broulee beach whose water was just about calm (amazing for the south Pacific!). Nearby Shark Bay was also flat but we avoided that to be near the Surf Club and avoid being bitten by a shark ... which had just happened prior to our visit.
Max did a bit of 'swimming', played with his body board, and built an impressive sand castle, with fortress walls and a moat. We all headed into the water and I looked the part wearing my board shorts and precious little else. The water was supposedly a warm 20C, but everything is relative! The air temperature was about 30C, which made the water feel quite cold. Late afternoon - when the sun was less fierce, we headed back to the same beach for some zoological investigations. We collected lots of shell-fish with their occupants firmly inside and saw them squirt water at us or burrow into the sand to escape our attention. Max was alert to that trick and picked them up to inspect their burrowing technique. Then it was off to nearby rock-pools to search for more marine life - sea-slugs, a sort of sponge, and a variety of fish.
Sunday was much the same, but also included some geocaching. Then, at 4.00pm, it was time to return home. I accompanied Beck to her house in Canberra, where we were joined about 30 minutes later by Em and Greg. Finally, I was on my way to their house in Belconnen for the night and an early morning departure for home. I got back to Armidale by 1.20 (today, Monday 2 Feb) just 3 days and 4 hours after the start. I must learn to do things a little more slowly. However, this time was constrained by Beck trying to buy a house and Em starting a new job with the Commonwealth Dept of Education. Maybe we'll return shortly, as Dot couldn't come this time. She's working!
AS
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