Driving in circles

After half the crew packed up and went home, we decided to go for a drive with the Hardy’s to Corny Point and then another few km further on to a place called Pine Point. It was reported to have great hot chips, despite it being a small general store selling everything to the 40 shacks in the town, including fuel, groceries and of course hot chips.

The rumour was true - the best hot chips I have had for many  months. 

Back to Corny Point, we took off down the dirt track to the lighthouse and amazing rugged coastline. 

The kids were getting restless, wanting to get into the water and go swimming. There was nowhere nearby suitable, so we ventured down to Gleeson’s Landing, only to discover later on that I should have turned right and not left if we wanted a sandy beach. By this time, the restlessness was turning into grumpiness, and the kids weren’t overly happy either, so we decided to go back to the surf area next to the Caravan Park. Which we could have walked to if we hadn’t chosen to drive around the peninsula for the last 3 hours. 

The boys surfed, Kayla buried herself in the sand and I watched a group of seals out beyond the breakers. 

After tea, we joined the remaining families and went for a final walk down the beach, snapping some photos and reminiscing. 

Tomorrow we leave, which is timely considering the forecast for rain from midnight tonight and generally horrible weather. 

A day on the boat

From about 4pm yesterday afternoon, the wind was howling and the possibility of getting out in the boat was looking pretty slim. Even at 7am this morning the wind was still rattling the van, but I took off anyway with Tyler and Dylan hoping the forecast was correct and that it would be calm in another hour or two.

Sure enough, by the time we arrived st Coobowie the wind had slowed right down and by the time we got out on the water, it was perfect conditions. 

Dylan was bursting out of his skin to do anything that would make his mum’s stress levels rise, so he was beaming when Peter got him to stand in the edge of the boat to put the roads in the top holders, followed by sitting up the front of the boat 

We stopped at the first location and both Tyler and Dylan managed to get o pull in a couple of whiting before Peter and I had even put bait on ours. A few more and then as quickly as it started, they stopped biting. We tried a few mor spots with limited success, before heading off to Marion Reef. We hooked up on a big variety of fish such as Trevally, Sweep, God and Leather Jackets as well as a small undersized Rugger Snapper. 

Time was slipping away so we shifted to one last spot in slightly deeper water on the reef and hit the jackpot. 3 big snapper, a snook and a dog shark caught by Dylan finished off a great day. 

The trip back, the cleanup, the filleting, and the 1 hour trip back to camp, meant we didn’t get home till 9pm where 2 very tired but happy kids crashed, soon followed by their very tired dad. 

A whale of a time

The combined thought for today was that we would split the young ones onto the sheltered shallows with the Kayak (proudly donated by Darren Wasley)  whilst the older kids, some responsible parents and mysel climbed over the dunes to try and catch some waves on the not so sheltered side.

We agreed that would be after lunch so we (Tracy, the kids and myself) went to a he shallows on our own for an hour, throwing the Wahu ball around and me generally creating mini Tsunamis each tme I dived into the 1/2m deep water playing around with Tyler. 

As planned, after lunch we headed over the dunes where the kids had a whale of a time body boarding with the mid sized waves. 

Speaking of whales, I couldn’t just stand by and watch, so I stripped down and went in with them all, showing how gracefully a 1/2 ton carcass could ride the waves in until the sand started ripping the skin off my belly well before the rest of me started getting close to coming ashore. And no..... you are not getting to see pictures of that. (Do I hear sighs of relief???)

It was a great fun afternoon that ended with some very over cooked ham steaks on the Weber, thanks to the 50 knot winds that picked up and tried its best to blow out the Weber. 

I decided it was going to be too late uncomfortable to sit up tonight, so I put a movie on until I couldn’t stay awake any longer. 

Tomorrow the boys and I are heading to Coobowie to catch up with Peter for a hopeful day in the boat. I am seriously doubting it at the moment with this wind trying to blow every last bit of sand off the beach and into the Sahara Desert. Let’s see what the morning brings. 

On our own

The reality of camping with a dog set in today. Marion Bay is on the edge of the Innes National Park, which has a total ban on dogs entering. So when the group of 9 families with their collection of 26 kids decided today would be spent exploring the coastline, it became very apparent that someone had to stay behind with Taz. As Tracy drove away with the kids, I quickly realised that someone was me. 

I spent the first hour walking him up the beach trying to get him used to water more than an inch deep, but he wouldn’t go near it.  I did find a spot under the jetty where he nearly got his legs wet, but the rolling waves were just too much for him. 

When we got back, I had lunch and was sitting lifeless in my camping chair, when Taz suddenly got interested in something behind me. Turns out a 1.5m brown snake decided to slip past the rear feet of my chair as if he owned the park. (Right at that moment, he did, by the way). 

I flew out of my chair, changed my undies and followed it to make sure it went into someone else’s van so that I could sleep tonight. I watched it slip under the neighbours annex and after poking my head in and seeing all the bedding and mattresse, I raised the alarm with them. When it finally decided to poke its head out again, we managed to steer it away from all vans and into the bushland between us and the beach. 

That was my signal to settle in for the afternoon with a strong drink. I now had the second biggest fright of the day when I couldn’t find my bottle of Bacardi. After 10 or so frantic panic-stricken minutes, I came to the conclusion that it was in the boot of the car with Tracy and the kids (hopefully the kids don’t find it first). So guess who not only syed back at camp, but also had a dry afternoon.?

More walks wothTaz on the beach and talking to Marty who had come back early thanks to a faulty car alternator passed the afternoon away until the family arrived looking very pleased with themselves and having good memories from the day. 

The Weber was fired up for tea, then we all gathered for the communal drinks and “talk shit” sessions until we couldn’t stay up any longer. 

I managed to get a few more photos of a very tired Taz who was loving the additional attention. 

It seems we are going fishing at 6am in the morning. That’s the plan anyway (is it wrong I am secretly hoping Dylan will sleep in?)

Joining the gang

Despite all my best intentions, we didn’t quite leave as early as planned. I was going to wake myself up at 6:15 and be on the road by 7:30. Kayla comes into the bedroom at 7:20 and calmly wakes us up asking if we were still going on holiday. Whoops. 

We were finally all done and on our way at 8:45. Not bad really 

Taz was relegated to his bed in the boot of the car and was not allowed to climb over us all thinking he owns the place. That was the plan anyway. Once again, he proved that even the best laid plans are made to be broken and soon made his way to his favourite observation post between the two of us sitting up on the centre console. Tracy tried her hardest to ignore him and read her book, but he eventually made his way onto her lap for the last hour of the trip to Marion Bay. 

We got to the park at about 1pm and were greeted by a good spread of other families who we were joining for the week and what seemed an entire gaggle of kids. After setting up the van and telling Dylan no to his 15 requests to go fishing, we joined the group for a walk to the beach and to let the kids have some time in the very kid friendly surf. 

This was very different from the water in the bay directly in front of the park where it was about 30cm deep at the most and probably a temperature of 30 degrees. 

Just before 5, we made our way back to camp and had a late beer o’clock gathering, before becoming responsible parents again and cooking some tea for the kids. 

It was at about this time again that Dylan started pestering me to go fishing again. I reluctantly agreed, regardless of the thunder and distant lightning and ever increasing wind. Against my better judgement, I got to the jetty with Tyler and Dylan eager to catch anything, however with the wind gaining enough strength to blows the freckles off Dylan’s face, and the impressive lightning show threatening to turn  all 3 of us into a charcoaled chowder, we called it quits and headed back, put the kids to bed then wandered over to the group for another social bevvy or two before calling it a night. 

Not sure I am looking forward to a week of 25 kids running crazy throughout the vans, but I think they are.