Friday 27-Sunday 29 October: Narooma NSW
A mere four hour journey mostly in the dark on Friday night brought me & Georgina to the town of Narooma on the NSW south coast. This is where the Murrays coach from Canberra ends its journey, and the last stop was but a short walk dodging cars along the dark and winding Princes Highway to the YHA, which was more like a motel and came complete with some very accommodating hosts, Chris & Wendy. One of the main reasons for coming to Narooma was for the whale watching…but we’ll get to that later.
A windy night was followed by a hearty breakfast down on Wagonga Inlet. Narooma is set on a bit of a peninsula with the inlet on one side and the ocean on the other. The water is beautiful, clear, pristine and many-coloured with the various sandbanks and shallows.
The YHA gladly lent us a couple of bikes, complete with dodgy helmets and barely decent gears, but they were a good way to get round, as long as the hills were avoided (which wasn’t always possible).
A small climb led to Wagonga Head, a good spot to look for whales in the choppy ocean, but there were none sighted. There was also a little bay here…
A mere four hour journey mostly in the dark on Friday night brought me & Georgina to the town of Narooma on the NSW south coast. This is where the Murrays coach from Canberra ends its journey, and the last stop was but a short walk dodging cars along the dark and winding Princes Highway to the YHA, which was more like a motel and came complete with some very accommodating hosts, Chris & Wendy. One of the main reasons for coming to Narooma was for the whale watching…but we’ll get to that later.
A windy night was followed by a hearty breakfast down on Wagonga Inlet. Narooma is set on a bit of a peninsula with the inlet on one side and the ocean on the other. The water is beautiful, clear, pristine and many-coloured with the various sandbanks and shallows.
The YHA gladly lent us a couple of bikes, complete with dodgy helmets and barely decent gears, but they were a good way to get round, as long as the hills were avoided (which wasn’t always possible).
A small climb led to Wagonga Head, a good spot to look for whales in the choppy ocean, but there were none sighted. There was also a little bay here…
Did you spot anything noticeable in that last picture?
Nice beach?
Beautiful sea?
Some clouds?
Look again, and if you still don’t get it, check out a map of Australia!!
Now, running up and down the coastline of that country represented in rock form in the above picture are many animals, some of which are whales. Unfortunately, that country does not, contrary to some commercials saying something like “Where the bloody hell are ya?” have perfect weather 100% of the time. Whilst the sun may shine the wind can blow, seas can get rough and whale watching trips can get cancelled.
Alas, the bikes came in handy again and we pedalled to another beach further down the coast, sat on a rock and saw a few dolphins fairly nearby showing off in the surf. No pictures of the dolphins (too bleedin’ quick) but here’s the beach from atop the rock and some other intelligent animal species.
Alas, the bikes came in handy again and we pedalled to another beach further down the coast, sat on a rock and saw a few dolphins fairly nearby showing off in the surf. No pictures of the dolphins (too bleedin’ quick) but here’s the beach from atop the rock and some other intelligent animal species.
Despite aching legs and saddlesoreness, and after a somewhat boringly bland sunset, it was necessary to check out Narooma's nightlife, which seems to exist of one pub which functions as everything. It was a bit like a clubhouse at a holiday park, loads of kids and families, but also some couples and young whippersnappers showing off their dance moves to the Nashberries. The Nashberries sang everything from The Beatles to Blur with a bit of reggae and swing thrown in. Any band which sees two chavs in hoodies and shorts up dancing on the makeshift "dancefloor" can only be commended.
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Sunday and with no whales to watch because of trips being booked out, Chris took us to the pretty village of Tilba.
This (for Australia) is quite a historic place, with a small street of wooden buildings, most which are now shops selling trinkets and what not. The sweet shop was pretty good, along with the ice cream parlour.
This (for Australia) is quite a historic place, with a small street of wooden buildings, most which are now shops selling trinkets and what not. The sweet shop was pretty good, along with the ice cream parlour. The village is in a nice setting, with Mount Dromedary rising up to the West and rolling hills around.
There was time for a stop at Tilba Winery and one last desperate attempt to see something thrashing about in the ocean at Kiama before boarding the Murrays coach for the journey back along the coast, over the mountain, across the plains and towards the Telstra Tower and jolly jolly bus station in Canberra. Despite the disappointment of a cancelled boat trip, it was a good weekend in another lovely place in this vast country they call straya.
There was time for a stop at Tilba Winery and one last desperate attempt to see something thrashing about in the ocean at Kiama before boarding the Murrays coach for the journey back along the coast, over the mountain, across the plains and towards the Telstra Tower and jolly jolly bus station in Canberra. Despite the disappointment of a cancelled boat trip, it was a good weekend in another lovely place in this vast country they call straya.
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