Bye Bye Basin View

Final Thoughts on Location No 35

Basin View, Illawarra Region, New South Wales

The last three (plus) months has seen us gain some memorable experiences on the south east coast of New South Wales, not least of all, the bizarre weather.  June was wet, more so than normal, July was cold and bitterly so with unheard of frosts, and August heralded extraordinarily high day time temperatures followed by record-breaking rainfall that threatened to inundate the entire area.

We certainly had our share of extremes.

But we also had our share of adventures too.

We had a lovely Trip to Mollymook and over the course of the past three months, Dean has surfed that break more than anywhere else.  He surfed other areas too, but kept coming back to the Golf Course Reef at Mollymook.

On a Day of Sunshine, we enjoyed a gentle stroll along the Basin Walk.  Although the path was rather muddy following all the rain, we appreciated the area, the view of St Georges Basin, and I was more than happy with the photos I took.

We enjoyed Two Days of Fun in Booderee National Park where we walked around Lake McKenzie and along Cave Beach.  We also visited the Cape St George Lighthouse, where we stood and watch whales playing just off shore, and our second day saw us walking the Munyunga Waraga Dhugan Trail.

The following week we were on the other side of the Jervis Bay visiting The Lighthouse and the Tubes at Beecroft Peninsular.  While the south eastern regions of Australia shivered through a strong surge of sub-Antarctic air, we enjoyed blue skies and sunshine on a day that was unseasonable warm.  It was only a coupe of days before the cold air hit us.

In my thought titled Fitzroy Falls and the Bridge, I wrote about Hampden Bridge at Kangaroo Valley, quite a sight to behold and drive across, and walking the West Rim track at Fitzroy Falls.  This was on one of those really cold days and I wished I’d taken my gloves with me.

By far my greatest achievement was Tackling the Didthul Walking Track.  It felt like the hardest ever 2½ hour step class – hang on, it WAS the hardest step class ever, taking me 2½ hours to climb the ‘steps’ to the top of Pigeon House Mountain in Moreton National Park.  All the effort was worth it though, just to see that view.

The first weekend in August saw us enjoying A Beach, A House and A Bridge at Location No 36, Bondi Beach in Sydney.  We had a lovely time, and the weather was gorgeous; Sydney certainly turned on the charm for us, we even watched whales playing while waiting for the sun to rise, but by far the most amazing thing was the $2.50 it cost to get there on the train.

In honour of World Photography Day (August 19), there was Wattle, Wattle Everywhere, so I took time to share some photos.  September 1 is Australia’s National Wattle Day * – I was 13 days early and just as well because all the rain at the end of August ruined the wattle blooms around Basin View.

A little over a week ago, I thought Today Could Be a Fine Day!  As it turned out the rain persisted, but thankfully it was only light showers and nothing like to 13.3 – 18.7 inches that had fallen earlier in the week.

Instead of celebrating National Wattle Day on September 1, Dean and I were in Moss Vale having a manufacturers problem rectified in our car and I celebrated the Moss Vale Cherry Blossoms.  Anyway, I don’t think anyone can accuse me of not loving the Wattle.

. . .

Although it seemed to be a long time coming, our house sitting commitment has ended and, once more, Dean and I are back on the road.  By the time this publishes we’ll be somewhere along the Hume Highway heading south with our immediate destination Torquay in Victoria by Friday.

I can’t wait to see our two youngest daughters and give all of them a huge hug.  (Or two, or three, or perhaps I’ll just spend the entire weekend hugging them.)

* Something I’ve just discovered, on September 1, 1910, the Sydney Morning Herald stated: “To many Australians the wattle stands for home, country, kindred, sunshine and love every instinct that the heart most deeply enshrines.” 

I didn’t even know we celebrated National Wattle Day – perhaps I did but this year drew a blank.  You can read more about Australia’s National Wattle Day here: Wattle Day Association