Eden to Narooma

It is only 191km from Eden to Narooma but we have been exploring and enjoying the area for about 2 weeks.

Along the way we have visited and explored the small towns and villages of Candelo, Merimbula, Tathra, Bega, Bermigui and Cobargo . We keep exploring by walking, riding or driving - the beaches, the forests, the bike tracks, the galleries, unusual shops and, of course, the gelato shops! In Bermagui we found the best gelato made from all the local fruit. I had plum and Chris had lemon. It was absolutely delicious. We also found the spotted gums in the area most unusual. Another highlight was chatting with the scuptor who made the most amazing artworks out of scrap metal. Chris really wanted the treble clef and I wanted the sea horse. Sadly they wouldn't have fitted in the caravan.

We have to admit that the southern coastal areas of NSW are worth visiting. We go from one bit of beauty to another. We couldn't have chosen a better time to travel.

Eden

We knew it would be hard to find another place like Mallacoota...but who knows? We have made so many amazing discoveries as we travel along.

Our next stop was Eden where we stayed in a beautiful caravan park on the edge of a lake. It is such a good time of the year to travel as most places are quiet and we almost have the parks to ourselves. It's cool at night and starting to warm up in the day.

We explored Eden on our bikes - lots of hills but we managed well. (We always think of Les and Ash and never complain!) We had some fun dodging magpies who were swooping down and viciously attacking us as we rode by.

Eden is a small fishing town on Two Fold Bay which is renowned for the spotting of whales migrating north and south. It has a lovely wharf, vast stretches of orange coloured, sandy beaches and awesome lookouts.

We walked in Mary McKillop's footsteps as we visited a restored church which has been made into a museum in memory of her mother who died in a shipwreck off the nearby coast. The new church nearby has an interesting "boat altar".

It was the best thing having our bikes as we were able to enjoy and discover all sorts of interesting spots.

The most beautiful place in the world...

I said to Chris that if I ever go missing he'll find me here in Mallacoota - on the far south eastern coast of Australia, in amongst green lawns, beach, lakes, the ocean, bush and forest.

Every tiny part of this place is a picture. Even the little village is unique - laid back and sort of hippyish. It got into our blood and what started out as a 2 day visit ended up as being 9 days.

Beauty, beauty everywhere!!!!

I met the little girl while having lunch at Lucy's - a Chinese lady who makes her own noodles using an old noodle maker from Shanghai. We spent a great afternoon at Lucy's as an open mic. session is held every Sunday and we heard some great singers and guitarists.

We absolutely loved our ride along the foreshore and hiring a little boat where we sailed into pristine wilderness on Lake Mallacoota. While sailing I noticed a beacon sticking out the water and nervously asked Chris what it was and he said "a tsunami warning beacon"!! Ha, ha. Well, JUST as he said it we hit ROCKS and gravel and we were grounded. With all our might and using some old oars we managed to set ourselves free. He won't be so funny next time!!!

Gipsy Point and Genoa Peak

Both these spots are in the Croajingolong National Park described as pristine, coastal wilderness. That is what it is! We could have believed we were the only people in the world.

Gipsy Point is on the Genoa River where the only other life in the area were the pelicans. The remoteness is awe inspiring.

Genoa Peak was way up in the mountains which we chose to climb. The higher we climbed, the further away from any civilisation we felt. We could spot the highest peak and decided that we knew why people wanted to climb Mt Everest. We had to keep going! Being at the top of a mountain and seeing the endless expanse of views was breath taking. It was rather cold too!