Illawarra Folk Festival, Bulli 15 -19 Jan 2014

Have been looking forward to this for a long time. Peter decided to pull back from his heavy involvement in the running of the festival, so we had more time together. We camped in a corner of the festival site facing the bush and had no trouble from anyone. Saw some great acts and some funny sights. It really is an amazing festival, put on entirely by volunteers. There were some great acts – too many to mention but the photos will give you some idea of the variety of activities.

Vincentia 10 - 12 Jan 2014

Drove down to Erowal Bay looking for a spot to camp, but this turned out to be a tight little fishing spot with nowhere to stop, so we continued up to Vincentia to Plantation Point, which was a large grassy area with plenty of room for camping. On one side of the point was a good surfing beach with soft white sand and on the other was a sheltered bay that felt like someone had heated the water. We have met a lot of backpackers driving around in old vans and for some reason they have all been French – nice enough people and they welcome any help. Saturday night was very hot night, tempered by a sea breeze that died off to a dead calm in the morning. Went for an early morning swim to cool off then left for Huskisson markets, which were fairly ordinary, then up to Nowra for some supplies and the home. We are catching up with Tony and Ali tomorrow, then up to Bulli for the Illawarra Folk Festival – hurrah!!

Sanctuary Point 8 - 9 Jan 2014

Drove through Vincentia and down to Sanctuary Point and after the tourist orientated towns, we seemed to have entered a time warp into the 1980’s. The Sanctuary Point shops – with dirty and empty stores, were fairly depressing (maybe it was the cloudy day) but the saving grace was a wonderful cake shop that had delicious (real) meat pies – worth coming just for them! Went for a drive around St Georges Basin and camped at Ron Brooks Reserve right on the water. We walked along the reserve for a few Kms through thick bush, which Nicky enjoyed. Woke up late after a very peaceful night to a grey, cloudy day, however it was still perfect having breakfast next to the lake – we were the only people here in the morning and the water was dead calm. After a relaxing day, we moved around the point to another large area right on the water. Went for another long walk north along the lake past lots of empty holiday houses that reminded us of Woy Woy. The land is pretty flat here and the water is very shallow, so it doesn’t attract the prices that we saw in Huskisson.

Huskisson 6 – 7 Jan 2014

Got up early and headed down to Huskisson where we stopped for breakfast at Moona Moona Creek. This is a beaut spot with broad traverses of sand and crystal clear water. As it is sheltered from the southerlies, it is a popular spot for families. We went for a swim and decided to camp there for the night. Next day it was overcast and so we moved around the point to be closer to Huskisson shops. We walked into town, had a coffee and delicious chocolate cake (the diet starts next week) and wandered around. The place was packed with tourists enjoying their holidays and it gave it a festive atmosphere. There are a fantastic number of beautiful beaches in Jervis Bay. In the afternoon we had a swim at another sheltered beach, before the rains came – didn’t feel like summer!

Jervis Bay - Tomerong 5 Jan 2014

On the spur of the moment, we decided to head down to Jervis Bay for a few days – the weather was good and we wanted a break after a hectic Xmas and New Year. This time we didn’t take the car as it would make it easier to mosey around the many inlets and bays. Drove down in the afternoon and camped in Tomerong State Forest. It was a bit of a tortured track leading in and one that we wouldn’t have done towing a car, but we found a cleared spot that was surrounded by thick bush and despite the thousands of cicadas we had a peaceful night.

Home Again 25 Nov 2014

An uneventful trip home, except for the rain – not a good welcome. Nicky was very happy to see us and the garden looked great. Heather (the other Heather) had done a fantastic job of looking after the place and it was a pleasure to be home. We always face a dilemma when we get home – we really enjoy living in our house, but also love being on the road – the freedom, the fascinating people we meet and the spectacular scenery – a first world problem!