Heading further south to the South Coast and the amazing Jervis Bay. We parked at a lovely caravan park in Huskisson right on the beachfront, surrounded by many boomers, nomads, pensioners, whatever you call them. Really nice people, but what striked me in particular was the way they looked at our young children, with so much love, kindness and longing for the old days. What this really tells me is we should embrace these years while the kids are young, spend as much time as possible with them, and enjoy it while we can. Time flies, and before we know it we would be boomers ourselves, we would be the ones looking at young families with tears in our eyes, reminiscing old memories.

The park was filled with native Rainbow Lorikeets, beautiful and colourful species of parrot found in Australia. They are probably used to being fed by hand, so while they are very friendly they are also demanding their meal with no hesitation. After spending quite some time with the birds and making sure they are all well fed, we got off to the beach. The bay is stunning with turquoise water and quite a few resident dolphins, so there is always something to look forward to. Oh, apparently some “friendly” types of sharks also visit the area on occasion, so not to be mistaken with smiling dolphins…

We spent the following day on the beach, but not any ordinary beach – Greenfield Beach – a little bay surrounded by lush green trees which almost reach the water, leaving only a stretch of white sand. Magical! Being here outside of school holidays means we got the beach to ourselves. The kids built castles and tunnels in the sand, we jumped into the clear blue water, and ended up back at the nextdoor village Vincentia for late lunch. Back at the caravan park, we tried to get some rest and a cup of tea, but the kids somehow had more energy to ride their bikes and announce that today was their favourite day.

Next day turns out to be a wintry day with showers, but we didn’t mind since our youngest turned two years old today, so we had all the reasons to celebrate. We did a day trip in Booderee National Park on the southern end of Jervis Bay. This was the first drive in muddy conditions, across the bush through gravel roads and more white beaches. However, as the rain settled in the afternoon, we went back to the caravan for a birthday celebration with homemade chocolate muffins, candles, songs and presents.

Our fourth day in the area had to be a sunny one, so we went back to the National Park (entry pass gives you access for 48 hours). Started at the botanic gardens known to host red-belly black snakes, then a few stops along the way till we got to Murrays Beach right at the edge of the park. So many beautiful beaches, but you just can’t get enough of that – Murrays turned out to be stunning with its calm turquoise water, a couple of dolphins who popped up to say hello, and a single kangaroo on the sand. After a long picnic on the beach we wrapped it up and went back to the van to start packing up. I suppose this is a learning process, and until we get the hang of it and organise the caravan in minutes, at this early stage it still takes a bit of time. Compared to where we were under a week ago, with a full-on overflowed caravan, we’re in a much better place now. Overall, four relaxing days in the south coast, nothing to complain about really.