Kangaroos and Beaches

February 15, 2017

Today is the mid point of our trip. It is going fast. We are having a really nice time. And this whole AirBnB thing is working out pretty well. You never know.

Our bodies are starting to feel like they are getting back on a similar clock. We were in bed by 10 PM and starting to get up around 6 AM. Denise actually climbed in bed early and I sat out trying to blog and talking with our host (Kenny). He actually brought out various fruits and then a cheese plate with salami and crackers. That ended up being my dinner. But it was more than enough and the cheeses...oh my...they were all from the region there and way good. I wish I could buy a bunch and bring them home.

Speaking of the 'region' where we stayed last night....we found it interesting that they had signs saying 'Where the Snow meets the Sea.'. Well, it turns out that the Snowy River is what they were referring to. And for those that are old as me will remember a series of movies entitled, 'The Man From Snowy River' which was all about a man who had a way with horses and he was from Snowy River...in Australia. The movie was set in Australia. So I'm pretty sure that this is the area that they referred to. Interesting....huh?!?!

Since we struck out last night Kangaroo hunting, I decided to get up and go for a walk up the lane, across the highway and up a hill to see if by chance I might see a Kangaroo. As I walked up the hill, almost to the top of it, sure enough...two Kangaroos were there feeding on the grass. They perked up and just stared at me as I approached them. I was about 50 to 75 yards away. So I stopped to try and get some pictures of them. They hopped away fairly quick. I was wishing Denise was with me to see them. As I came down the hill, I noticed two more. Again, I was a bit away. I tried to get some pictures. We'll see how they turn out.

After a nice breakfast with Kenny, we loaded the car up and headed out 'beach hunting'. Our first stop was going to be Secret Beach. It was down by a town named Mallacoota, a little sea town. We followed the road from Mallacoota to where signs pointed to get to the beach. Eventually, we ended up on a dirt road for a few kilometers coming to a sign saying we were at Secret Beach. So we got out and walked down some stairs for a few hundred yards and came to a very pristine beach. The water was cool but not so cold that you could not swim in it. But the surf was a bit fought. We initially were the first to be there...all alone. Soon another couple of came and went. But then the show arrived. We were just laying on the beach getting warm and decided to get going. We stood up and looked down the beach and there, about 150 yards away was a man wearing a hat....and that was it. He was just exploring the beach in his birthday suit...plus a hat. He was alone. Later, we passed a bike on the trail which must of been his. So he biked in. Pretty amazing.

We next headed toward the Saphire Coast. We've been a bit amazed that our trip has been mostly inland...not a lot of 'coast' driving where you see the sea. Nonetheless, it has been nice. But our hope was this time, by cutting out toward the sea, we would drive the sea line. And...we kind of did. It got better as the day wore on. We soon came to a 'lake' town called Merimbula. They claim to be an 'oyster capital'. Anyway...it turned out to be an 'ice cream' town for us as we stopped to get a snack (as we ate lunch on Secret Beach). We were now in the state of New South Wales and the communities seem to be bigger...more populated than Eastern Victoria. Anyway...the Saphire Coast was kind of a bust...or maybe we missed seeing it. Anyway, we just kept going down the highway now headed to Mimosa Rocks National Park. We came upon the National Park and we were still inland so we decided to turn down a road to pursue a beach called 'Middle Beach'. I think this one turned out to be the best of the day. Again, we had to navigate dirt roads for about 4 km, winding through mountains and eventually to a parking place. There was one van there when we arrived. Anyway, Denise needed the outhouse...surprise, surprise...and while she was taking care of business, I headed up the trail. As I did this, I noticed to my right something moving. It was a young Kangaroo. I waited until Denise came and told her to get her camera ready. She shot a lot of pictures. Well...as we got down to the beach, there were about 4 or 5 mature Kangaroos lounging around. Denise was over joyed! Lots of pictures of these guys were taken. The beach was once again unoccupied by humans. And it was very beautiful. I first thought I might snorkel. But again, the surf was a bit rough and there were lots of kelp like stuff out a bit. So I just waded around and searched for some sea shells. Julee would have loved it as it had some nice shells every now and again. I pocketed a few for my grand kids. I should make a necklace out of them. We'll see.

After our time on the beach, we were off to our BnB in a small town called Tilba. This was supposed to be a quaint town full of specialty shops. And it was. We found the home quite easily. And the hosts...so friendly and welcoming. This is a 'private' room. A really nice room. The home is 7 years old and looks out over a nice little valley up at the little town. Cows are around grazing. After unloading our stuff, we quickly showered and headed to the 'pub'...per the recommendation of the hosts. The 'pub' was a hotel with a single guy cooking up different meals. There was a bar open with a few guys downing beers and swearing like sailors...which I'll never understand. But they were friendly to us. Denise had a large 'Chicken Parmigana'. It had a nice piece of chicken, a piece of ham on it, smothered in marinara and cheese...all on top of French fries. Go figure. I had Beef Curry. It was really good...really too much. We need to share plates more often and not eat as much.

After eating, we walked back to their home. The husband, he is a musician with a small studio off his garage. As I write this, I'm listening to his little band play a whole variety of songs from the 60's and 70's. They are really good. Makes to a nice end of the day.

Well...more beaches and coast to see. This part of our trip has been awesome!!!

Pictures...