Camping at Jervis Bay

The white sands of Chinaman's Beach



Dawn at Collingwood Beach



Don't worry - it's a dolphin!




Some of the children playing at Hole in the Wall Beach







Beach Babe!



Fitzroy Falls on the way to Jervis Bay



Andrew, Graham and Richard take part in the Krypton Factor!


We spent the Easter long weekend at Jervis Bay, camping with the Stevensons and the Leifers. Easter has a reputation here for being a bit wet and it didn't disappoint, but having said that, my dad sent me some pictures of the snow in the UK and we had to admit that although it drizzled a bit, it was never cold, and in fact on Easter Sunday it was boiling and we all got sunburnt.

The whole area of Jervis Bay is National Park, and when you get there you can see why - white sand beaches and the clearest, greenest water you've ever seen. Add to this dolphins, stingrays, lots of kangaroos, and good restaurants and coffee bars, and you have a near perfect destination for a holiday. The fact that it is only about 3 hours south of Sydney is also a big plus, although the route down there can be tortuous in terms of traffic jams. Not for us though - we avoided the coastal road for as long as possible, taking an inland route then cutting across Kangaroo Valley (which was really beautiful) and stopping at Fitzroy Falls on the way.



Joel at Hole in the Wall beach




George digging!

Highlight for me was definitely getting up at dawn with Nicky and Graham and going down to watch the sunrise over the beach whilst dolphins played in the surf. Seeing a huge (about 3 metres across) stingray in the water at Chinaman's Beach was slightly marred by the fact that all the children were in the water and not taking much notice of our frantic attempts to get them out.....the stingray actually passed within about a metre of them!

Camping is great fun, but very labour intensive, and as a result I am not sure I would want to do it without being in a group of families. With 6 adults to cook, wash up, put up and take down tents, and lots of children to keep each other amused, it's doable. Not sure whether it would be fun with just the 4 of us though....

Mum and Dad arrive tomorrow, and then it is go go go for a month. We have next weekend in the Blue Mountains, and then the following Friday we all fly to Melbourne to spend a week at a bush resort. Then Andrew and I will be staying on in the city for a couple of days while Mum and Dad and the children have 4 days back at Jervis Bay. School breaks up for Easter for 2 weeks on the 11th, and then it won't be that long before we are flying back to the UK for a bit of a holiday. The cricket season ended yesterday, with George's team, coached by Andrew, finishing 3rd on the table, and the netball season has just begun. I need a rest!!

Enjoy the photos!