We're back on the road again (at last!)

Our lives in Canberra returned to (almost) normal last Friday with the removal of mandated mask wearing (with a few exceptions) and getting back to the 2sq metre per person rule in all hospitality venues - yay!. Ella and Abi both started back at school two weeks ago - although poor Ella was deemed a close contact of a COVID case at her Gym and had to go into quarantine, three days after school started. That was so hard!! So we're not free quite yet, it seems.

Anyway, we hit the road again last Friday, after a long COVID inflicted break, down to the south coast, via Cooma and Brown Mountain, to beautiful Mystery Bay, not far from Tilba Tilba on the Eurobodalla Coast. We knew the weather was going to be cold, windy and wet, but we didn't let that stop us. 

This was our first view of the beach at Mystery Bay on that cold and windy Friday afternoon ......

We were lucky to be invited by Rod to share a few days with him at his friend's beach house at Mystery Bay. It was a first time visit for all of us to this part of the coast and we felt very lucky to be invited, on many counts: just to go on a road trip to the beach in these "unprecedented times" feels special enough, and to find an available beach house to stay in is a privilege too - and to share it with family we haven't got to see enough of over the past few months is just wonderful too!! Niece Claire and Peter were also able to join us for our long weekend at Mystery Bay - which made it extra special too .......

We took these windswept portraits on Saturday afternoon at Narooma (about 15 klm north of Mystery Bay). It rained heavily most of Saturday - but it cleared enough by late afternoon for us to do a bit of sightseeing in the region.

Looking north to Kianga Beach and the Narooma Bar (entry to Wagonga Inlet from the Tasman Sea).

The swell was pretty big this weekend (around 4 metres at times!).

and looking south (with Monatgue Island on the horizon)...

The Narooma Bar came complete with a pair of photogenic fur seals .......

and the very Instagrammable "Australia Rock" ........

Rob took this close up of some very surreal flora on the walk down to the Bar (as in the marine Bar not the the alcoholic one).

Sunday dawned clear and sunny - if a little cool. We spent most of the morning enjoying Mystery Bay's spectacular beach.

The distinctive rock formations on the beach frame the views in a spectacular way!

And Montague Island (with its large fur seal population and clearly visible light house) looks quite close to us here at Mystery Bay.

We worked hard to get a close up shot of this "mysterious" cave at the northern end of the beach ....

Rod's friend's house was very comfortable for the five of us. We particularly liked the view out of the front windows - across the road to the forest (the edge of the Eurobodalla National Park).

Landscape with wine bottles .....

But the view from the back deck had a lot to recommend it too!

Sunday afternoon we walked north along the coast, through the really extensive camping grounds (one of the few remaining freestyle bush campsites remaining on the NSW coast) until we came to beautiful Billy's Beach, practically deserted by late Sunday afternoon .....

This morning we had time for one last walk along the beach in this beautiful place, before returning to Canberra.

COVID has taught us that there are so many wonderful places to explore in our own backyard. We plan to return to this one!!