4 Stray Katz: Getting wet and wild with their cousins

Narooma, NSW

Friday 8^th– Thursday 14^th April

The theme of our time in Narooma was definitely water – rainwater, heated recycled water, salt water and brown river water!

We hadn’t planned on getting to Narooma until Sunday but when we left Tathra on Friday it was WET! We tried a couple of campsites on the way, but the recent rain had left them soggy and muddy. With more rain predicted we decided we’d be a lot more comfortable in a caravan park.

On the way to Narooma we enjoyed some excellent fish and chips at Bermagui and Daniel fell in love with the sourdough from a local bakery (so much so that he drove back there with Nick, once they’d arrived).

To the kid’s delight, the caravan park at Narooma had an indoor heated splash park with a water slide. We were very grateful for this as the rain continued Friday afternoon and ALL DAY Saturday. There were rivers running down the streets in the caravan park and we had to wade through huge puddles to get to the amenities. The ground was so muddy and wet it was easier to wear no shoes! The splash park and spa were a godsend and we managed to have fun despite the incessant rain.

On Sunday we awoke to beautiful sunshine- a perfect day made even better knowing that Nick, Mandy and the kids were arriving today. We spent the morning at the beach (however the waves were too wild so swimming was not allowed), then the kids waited patiently for their cousins. There was much excitement when they rolled into the caravan park.

Over the next few days:

- - We went to see the resident seals who bask on the rocks just a short walk from the caravan park. You really get to see (and smell) them up close.

- - We walked/rode to the Bar Beach, where a few of us braved a swim. The water was still very brown from the recent stormy weather so it didn’t look inviting, but it was lovely once you were in.

- - The kids spent time every day in the splash park and spa– they LOVED it. Jackson ended up with a split eyebrow from a vigorous launch into one of the slides and an unfortunate impact with Emilia’s elbow, however this didn’t stop his enthusiasm.

- - The kids rode and roller-skated around and around and around the park, enjoying the freedom with their cousins.

- - Jackson and Mack spent hours fishing using home-made hand lines to catch bait fish and then using these to try for some larger fish. They got a few good bites, which kept them keen.

- - We all went to Handkerchief Bay where the kids floated down the inlet, played with the thousands of soldier crabs and tried to catch all the small fish in the river.

We thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Nick, Mandy, Ruby, Mack and Willow – so much so that we didn’t want to leave on Thursday. After the kids spent the morning go-karting around the park and having ‘one last turn’ in the splash park we left Narooma about 11am, to begin the journey inland for Easter.

It was a challenging, but picturesque, drive through the hills to the northeast of Canberra. We stopped at dusk in a roadside stop near Cowra, before leaving early the next morning (Good Friday) headed to Goobang National Park, near Dubbo, for a bush Easter.