The drive down was stunning, a 6-hour pootle south down the Pacific Highway; a mixture of ocean views and National Park shade. We plugged in the iPod, belting out triumphant tunes along the way.
Nick's Auntie lives in Dalmeny, a pleasant village near Narooma with a high population of retirees. She worked in the Department of Foreign Affairs for many years, in the Diplomatic corps, and has lived all over the world, including Russia and China. Her dinnertable conversation is hilarious, I could listen to her stories for hours, and she has a strong will and cheeky manner which adds sparkle to the stories.
We did lots of vegging about, eating good food, reading books and talking nonsense. We also drove around some nearby towns and villages, taking in some interesting coastal rock formations and a cheese factory where I bought some lovely chutney. Nick even let me do some driving, as I am still yet to get my licence. There are no traffic lights in Narooma so it was pretty easy practice.
The lowlight of the weekend was being bitten by a giant bluetongue lizard -- I foolishly tried to move a twig from in front of it to get a better picture! Also when we took a walk on a deserted beach in Narooma, there were dozens of dead birds scattered along the beach, which was slightly creepy.
On Saturday evening there was a huge storm, and we took refuge in the restaurant at Narooma Golf Club, watching the lightning over the ocean through the panoramic windows.
Six hours might seem like a long time to drive for just a weekend away, but as I've mentioned before, Australians have a completely different concept of space. On the way back we took the King's Highway inland, and stopped off in Canberra for lunch with some friends. A lovely weekend away!
cx
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