We arrived here with a sigh, we had been ready to move for a few days, it didn’t feel right still being at Nambucca Heads after the kids left.
South West Rocks is a pretty place of chirping insects, tall trees, sunny bay beaches, colourful ice creams, people in bathers, hidden rivers and creeks and happy voices. On our first full day here we visited a historic site at Trial Bay, it was the ruins of a gaol built in the late 1800’s. The prisoners were used to build a break wall, which was never completed; the gaol was then used again in world war one, for German interns. I loved the fact that I could just take in all the information without having to take notes like I would have had to for a school excursion. I love to visit and learn about historical places like that because I love to know how people lived back then and what conditions were like for them. My favourite part was looking inside the cells that the prisoners and interns were kept in. The gaol was tall and towering (even though it now doesn’t have any roofs) with black iron gates and tall stonewalls.
We then visited the Smokey Cape lighthouse, which had magnificent views of turquoise ocean and blue sky.
After our visit to the lighthouse we had lunch at a pretty little café that doubled as a bed a breakfast. It was one of those cafes that had un-matching tables sitting outside under shade umbrellas and sitting on a pebbly ground, inside there was lots of artwork and some shelves that you could buy coffee and preserves (stuff like that).
We then decided it was time for a bit of beach and headed to Trial Bay beach, which was calm, and pleasant, after a swim there we decided to also check out a more local beach, Horseshoe Bay, there was a little more swell there, but it was messy, rough and crowded, we had a nice swim anyway. We also found that there was a kiosk at Horseshoe bay that sold two-scoop cones of ice cream for $2.50, Bargain!! While we were eating our ice cream Mum decided that her New Years resolution was to try every flavour of ice cream at the Gello Bar (back in Brunswick). I told her that New Years resolutions should be about ways to improve your lifestyle or something that you’ve always wanted to do and never thought you could achieve, or something that you really need to do and so its your new years resolution to do it. But then we agreed that it actually was helping people, the owners and workers at the Gello Bar who will earn more money.
Today we went for a bit of an excursion to Hat Head, where we decided the surf was no good (too small) and continued on the Cresent Head, it was a nice little town and the beach was good, but the water had turned cold due to the wind direction sweeping in the cold currents. Dad still went out hoping to catch a few waves, I think he caught one or two.
This afternoon it was back to Horseshoe Bay for another swim and another $2.50 two scoop ice cream.
I’m looking forward to when Zac comes back up next week, but also enjoying now. I’ve learnt that now is the best thing to think about when you’re on holidays, and now is the best time to enjoy things. And now is great.