Weekend Upddate

Made it to Bateman's Bay and Pebbly Beach, on the coast of New South Wales. It was a difficult 2-hour drive, with narrow winding roads and steep hills. At several points, the curves were so tight that the speed limit was 25 km/hr (15 mph).

But worth it. Bateman's Bay is fishing village at the mouth of the Clyde River, population 16,000:


There was a meeting of the Ogden Nash Appreciation Society:


We had lunch at a local place, which fries the fish they catch that day. We sampled the famous Clyde River oysters -- even the kids tried them. Everything was delicious.

From there, 14 km north to Pebbly Beach, over a bumpy dirt road. The road went on and on, to the point where we wondered if we had taken a wrong turn. Then down a steep winding hill.

This is what the other side of the Pacific Ocean looks like:

The signs said not to feed the kangaroos, but not many people pay attention. The roos were obviously accustomed to being fed, and all you had to do was hold out your hand and they would come right up to you:

We got a clear view of a mom with her joey:

It felt like we were on a deserted pacific island.

The one disappointment was the parrots - we could hear them, but couldn't see them. And forget about the shoulder pirate wannabe stuff. But while Susan was trying to get a shot of a bird feeding, I got a bit of a surprise:

This one was quite happily perched for about 10 minutes, no doubt waiting for me to bring it a cup of coffee and a donut. Here's another gratuitous shot of a colorful bird:

We were so impressed by the beach that we talked about buying some property here. Our interest was further piqued by a house on the market outside of a town called Braidwood. A real handyman special:

Maybe not.