After a rip-roaring argument with Jess on the night of the 9th I spent the night on the couch. We don’t make for good drunks. She walked into the lounge on the morning of my birthday and made everything ok again though. In the height of her anger the night before, as I had threatened to leave, she blurted out that she had arranged two nights in a hotel for my birthday. Now she felt bad for spoiling the surprise, but I told her she needn’t worry because the location was still a mystery to me. She likes surprises.
Mom and dad called but unfortunately the biltong they had arranged hadn’t arrived.
At about noon we set off down the south coast in search of my present. We were heading in the same direction as Thirroul, but this time in our new jalopy. It wasn’t long before we were in Stanwell Park, which is along the Grand Pacific Drive.
Stanwell Park
It’s not quite like the GOR because it doesn’t hug the ocean quite so much, but it is pretty amazing. Not long after Stanwell Park is a stretch of elevated road which is impressive (it’s visible, but only just, in that photo above).
When we sitting at the look-out point a flock (?) of these little birds came wandering out of the long grass. They looked flightless.
Australian guinea fowl, possibly
After our first petrol scare we arrived at North Beach, Wollongong, and then soon after at our hotel – the North Beach Novotel. This was our view from our balcony:
View
We spent the rest of my birthday on the beach and then went for dinner down at a man-made harbour about a kilometre away. There were dozens of pelicans around and I’m still disappointed I didn’t take my camera. I think it’s the first time I’ve seen them and they are huge and wonderful birds.
The next day we went ten pin bowling and Jess vowed never to go bowling with me again because I’m too “competitive”. I was “shit”, is how I would have put it.
Gutter!
It was sunny the morning of our departure so we went down to the beach only to find it had been invaded by blue bottles.
Caution! Dead blue bottles
There were thousands like this...
Jess made a necklace out of them
I went for a swim to find that all of the blue bottles must have been on the beach because there were none in the water. Instead it was inundated with see weed. At times it was like swimming in meso soup.
On the drive back we decided to go via the Royal National Park, just south of Sydney. That turned out to be a good idea. It is a beautiful place with amazing forests and coastal walks.
14.5km walk, hmm
View from a few miles north of Stanwell Park
We discovered a deserted beach called Garie too.
Really good body surfing at Garie
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