Hitting the Gong

It’s hard to contest that this time of year is the most beautiful… comfortably warm and crystal clear. I find the only downside is that little feeling in your gut that this could be the last proper hot day, the last BBQ, the last dip in the sea, or the last light evening frantically pacing up Mount Ainslie in less than 20 minutes. Still, while the sun shines it’s still time to whack on the shorts and make hay.

Saturday took me to the coastal city of Wollongong, meeting friends in the third largest town in New South Wales. With palm trees, fishing harbours and waterside apartments all framed by the backdrop of the Illawara Escarpment, it could almost be the French Riveria! Of course, coming down the escarpment is half the fun of coming to Wollongong, skirting dramatic gorges and sandstone cliffs before winding through rainforest lined hairpins to the suburban sprawl at sea level.

For some reason, Wollongong has the largest Buddhist temple in the southern hemisphere, a noteworthy fact surprisingly not merited by any road signs whatsoever. Tucked away behind a hill, an oasis of tranquillity contrasting with the nearby warehouses and Adult World megastore.



Of course, like anywhere in Australia surrounded by a big splodge of ocean, beaches abound, complete with surfers, beautiful looking people, dog walkers, kite fliers and accidental tourists. Just in case it could be the last chance of the summer to comfortably wile away an hour on the beach, we wiled away an hour on the beach

All this getting lost finding Buddhist temples and wiling away time on beaches meant the day soon passed, and all that was left was for a sunset walk in the centre of the Gongo Riveria itself, taking in the exposed headland and fishy harbour as the sun disappeared over the escarpment. And with that, a chill hit the air bringing the sense of autumn around the next corner.