A New State Sunday 2/17/08

There are a couple days where we have one night stays and significant miles to go, and this is one of those. We’re back on fruit and brekkie bars this morning and the management at our motel seems pretty adamant about their 10:00 AM checkout. It is yet another perfect weather day so we walk around Lakes Entrance and check out the beaches. There is a walking bridge from town across the inlet to the spit of land that separates us from the ocean. On the inlet side is a swimming beach and paddleboat rental, and about 100 feet over the hill on the ocean side is the surf beach. In between is a building with changing rooms, snack bar and toilets. The surf beach is already bustling with dozens of kids in the 8-12 year-old range who are taking life-saving or surfing classes or both. They are all dressed in blue wet suits and one group of about ten is doing sprints on the beach followed by a belly flop on the sand. It must be important.

It’s about 10:40 when we get back to the car for an initial 3-hour stretch. We are away from the shore for the most part but this area seems to be all State or National Parkland and we find ourselves in forests with the sun peeking through the trees making it an easy and interesting drive. Even though mostly inland we get an occasional peek at the water breaking in over the rocks making an exploding transition from a deep turquoise to bright white.

Our lunch stop is Eden and we are back on the water. We take the road through town and down to the harbor where we find a couple of dockside cafes. It is tuna focaccias for both of us with a shared side of fries and we watch the sailboats that are dotting the bay in front of us. After lunch we walk the pier checking out the commercial fishing boats that have Sunday off—lucky fish.
We are now in New South Wales, our next state, and continue traveling northeast up the coast through a series of little seaside towns, each with it’s own charm and none overly crowded for a Summer Sunday. We decide that if you were a hard-working Sydney or Melbourne person it would be great to be able to zip down here for a long weekend of beach or boat time.

Our stop for the night is Narooma at a B&B called "Saltwater." It sits on a hill overlooking the river that empties into the Tasman Sea about a half mile away. We are greeted by our 11-year old hostess, Bianca, who shows us to our first floor apartment, explains the available dining options and dutifully checks on any possible allergies. About an hour later parents Lyn and Robert come by to introduce themselves. They were at the movie…"No Time for Old Men"…so left Bianca in charge. We tell Robert and Lyn that their movie was made by a couple of our home boys and we can also claim Bob Dylan and Prince which shows that a certain twisted point of view comes from 7 months of winter each year.

The parents have the same restaurant recommendations as the kid and at about 7:00 we stroll across the river into town. Just across the river we come across a flock of Gulahs, the pink, white and gray parrots we have seen before and they are obviously having a party. One suggested restaurant is closed so we find Aqua, a bistro with a screened porch looking over the water and one slammed waiter. We sit at the only table left in a distant corner of the porch but before we place our order we are able to move to the front row. Saphire…no, Mary had the Kingfish with "crushed" potatoes and John had the roast chicken served on bean puree, both nicely done. Our waiter is from Poland and has worked all over the world. He is intrigued by the states and wants to know if it is warm enough to swim in the lakes in the summer. He tries to continue the conversation but is getting the evil eye from the owner.

It is a leisurely 25 minute walk back with almost a full moon peeking through the clouds.

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