Holidays!

I know my blog is meant to be about wildlife rehabilitation mostly, I haven’t really been doing a lot of it lately. We’re nearly into Winter, and things start to slow down in many ways. Spring is a busy time of year for wildlife rescues. I thought I’d share our holiday to Mallacoota, Victoria. A stunning place to visit and I’m positive I’ll be revisiting sometime soon.

When it’s on in our family, it’s on! I feel like a term at school is like a race. I’m running at warp speed initially maintaining good distance and making good headway, surviving the half way point I’m feeling good though a little tired, on the homestretch I’m absolutely exhausted, stumbling to get to the finish line. I’m hanging out for a break.

As I write this I’m presently half way through Term 2. I have a mid-year concert to organise and I find myself questioning our exceedingly busy lifestyle once more. My girlfriend sent me a tweet wanting to know if I was a ‘one off’ blogger! No! No! No! I think writing about a holiday while I’m back at work just makes me want to leave again! Flat out with not much time in-between, here I am writing at 4.30 in the morning.

Living for the holidays is no way to live, but I find myself doing it every school term. The first term for 2011 was no exception. Miserable through term 1, I passed the half way point and was happiest knowing that soon I would get a two week break to be me.

The first half of the holidays involved no ‘set work’, but I still ran around like a blue arsed fly from point to point, and all the while dealing with dreaded paperwork. I knew we’d be heading off on a holiday and it really did keep my spirits high.

We headed off to Mallacoota, located in the very eastern part of coastal Victoria. Three nights at a beach front caravan park and then we’d move on to an unknown campsite in the bush with friends later in the week.

I travelled with my daughter Bec in my car. My husband Greg and our son Robbie, travelled in the ute with the camper van. My car doesn’t tow so we had to take two vehicles. Bec and I talked about what we wanted to get out of our trip away. She wanted to fish, and find shells. Not any normal shell but a shell with a story. I just wanted to go through a day without thinking about work or any other grown up issue. I also wanted to see wildlife and spend quality time with my family, doing fun stuff.
The first day involved 5 hours of travel and quite a few stops for food. I stocked up on my favourite Fry’s Turkish delight and other essentials and we continued to Mallacoota. Upon our arrival we unpacked the car, settled into our camper and got our bearings. We walked along the beach and cooked dinner.

I thought I’d share my favourite holiday happy snaps with you all. This one is certainly top of my list. We spent two days fishing from a jetty at the lake near the caravan park. It was great fun as the fish were biting and it was a constant source of entertainment for us all. Not to mention the time we all spent together talking and laughing. The weather was beautiful, no freezing southerly wind, a calm and quiet few days on the water. We used prawns for bait and those Bream were pro’s at sucking the flesh right out of the shell straight from the hook! We caught loads of undersized Bream and threw them back before Bec caught this beauty 
She was so proud of herself and this little guy was delicious. As I look back while I write this, I wonder why we work ourselves so hard each term before allowing for timeout at the end. We really do have to get out more but our schedules are choc a block with work, school, gymnastics, dancing, taekwondo, sleep and everything in between. Yes I’m seriously a little sad at the moment. Anyhow, next pic.


I couldn't write about our trip away and not include a photo of Robbie.  So I thought I'd share this one.  The photo has to be the same size as Bec's but obviously the fish doesn't. Can you see it?  Hilarious.  Yes we threw it back.

Bec and Burgo decided to try a spot of surf fishing first thing on our second day at the park. They couldn’t wait for Robbie and I to get ready and they didn’t want to eat breakfast so they left early. I stayed back to eat and gradually open my eyes! Rob and I were about 30 minutes behind them. When we finally did get out we headed towards the beach and down a huge flight of wooden steps to the inlet. There was a small body of water that went up to your thighs deep, that you needed to cross to get to the surf. It was early and Bob wanted me to carry him. I said ‘No way!’ He didn’t want to get his pants wet, so I told him to take them off and carry them, there was no one around and he could put them back on at the other side. It was still very early and I hadn’t passed anyone on our way down to the water. Bob was just about to drop his strides when with precision timing a man appeared from around the jagged edges of the cliff face with a ‘Good Morning!’ So close to catching Rob starkers, he asked if we were with the man and his daughter who were out fishing. I replied that we were. He said that he was at the top of the stairs waiting to take photos of the sunrise, when he noticed Greg carrying Bec across the inlet and quickly took this pic. He grabbed our email details and sent this to us the next day. It’s another favourite pic. I love it because it depicts these two beautiful people so perfectly. The water representing emotion and life, Bec’s dad carrying her across it, lit with the colours of a beautiful morning. Thanks Gerry, nice to meet you and thank you for taking such a gorgeous photo.

The next day I was determined to get a photo of the sunrise. Mallacoota is located in a National Park. There is wildlife a plenty and so many species of birds that I really was in heaven! Pelicans were in abundance, rainbow lorikeets, galahs, black swans, kookaburras and so on. Anyhow I got a couple of beautiful shots (well I think so anyway) and I enjoyed my 40 minutes of quiet time watching the day break. These two photo's are so different and yet taken only within a few minutes of each other. 

Pelicans are such a majestic and beautiful bird. Watching them land and take off is a delight, and the way they can soar through the air while they seem so heavy is amazing. They are inquisitive and a real treat to photograph. This guy was very interested in our fish and we did throw him one out of guilt!

The Point Hicks Light House is an hour’s drive from Cann River. Bumpy, windy roads for a good fifty minutes and then you round a bend to see a huge sand hill that seems to come out of nowhere. We continued to the lighthouse car park and walked 2 kilometres to get to the lighthouse. We’re not usually up for doing tours but in this instance we thought we’d give it a go. It ended up being a highlight of our holiday for Greg and I. The kids didn’t want to drive there so we left them with friends and did it on our own. They missed out big time.

Our tour guide was so lovely and personable and happy to tell us about this amazing structure. We heard the ‘usual’ ghost stories and were told of the people who had been there before us. The hierarchy system for the families who called Point Hicks home in the early 1900’s.

We found the building to be in such beautiful condition and it’s position on the coastline was divine. You can holiday in the lighthouse keeper’s quarters. Now that would be cool. Placed on a rocky outcrop, with seals frolicking in the heavy surf below, the lighthouse was a beautiful place to visit. I could have spent all day there. We were even allowed into the huge turning lens, it was an experience I’ve never had before. Wow!

So what did I gain from this holiday, apart from a well deserved break?  Quality family time and moments captured by photographs that will stay close to my heart.

Bec managed to find two beautiful shells with a story of happiness, togetherness and a beautiful trip away. I’m not sure where our next trip will take us but I have a feeling that now we’re just about into Winter, we’ll be heading up north. Just got to get through the next 5 weeks! Wish me luck.