Heylo Nelson Bay

Idyllic beachside getaway- just before winter sets in! Well, that's exactly what Nelson Bay proved to be for us!! 😬 it's a two hour drive from Sydney, we set off on a Saturday morning. We were to drive through Newcastle and hence pre decided to stop there for lunch. With Tu dozing off as soon as the drive started it was a straight chatty drive right into Newcastle. A quick check on TripAdvisor said Paymasters was the best place to take a toddler and expect some good food n great service. Naturally that sounded too good to miss!! 😬 got there at around 12:30 and true to its reviews we had a sumptuous  meal and a great time for Tu. She simply loved the butterbroccolini and its how a staple part of her diet! A toast to Paymasters for introducing her to it!😁

It's a pretty restaurant and a cosy one with a great view. Ample parking space on a weekend! Tad pricey but totally worth it! This drive in for lunch has piqued us enough to say we surely want to come back on a dedicated trip to Newscastle someday! Hopefully soon enough 🙃

We had seen an Aldi when driving in and needing several things from there we drove back for a small shopping detour. An Aldi always makes you spend more than you intend to, but never lets you regret.. So true to that principle I stocked up on food for breakfast, some of their award winning French wine and some scrumptuous snacks!

Soon enough, we were on our way again just as Tu dozed off and after a pleasant drive of an hour we reached our destination -Marty's at little beach. Lovely hotel that was right near the Nelson Bay Lighthouse. An added bonus was it was right in the middle of two beaches- Little Beach and Shoal Bay. Even as we unpacked, Tu started insisting on going to the beach and that's when we realised we had forgotten our swimwear!!! 😞 Nonetheless her enthusiasm prodded us to carry just a beach towel n head to Little Beach. The hotel was connected by a nice pathway 

Tu was thrilled and entered the waters with great gusto screaming "let's go deeper" much to her dad's apprehension. 😆😆😆Even as Aj's frown deepened her grin widened and all in all it proved to be a rather hilarious evening in the beach for us!!😂

We played in the waters till the sunset and then rather reluctantly walked back to the hotel. After a quick dinner Tu blissfully slept while AJ and I sipped on a glass of wine each on the beautiful balcony that overlooked the pool! Can't praise the hotel property enough! Two spacious rooms with a nice drawing room and a balcony to boot. It suited us perfectly well!! After some light hearted conversations we called it a day eager to explore the surrounding beaches the next morn!

I normally hate the fact that Tu is such an early riser except when we are on a holiday!! The next day when Tu poked me in the eye with a cheerful "good morrrninggg" I truly echoed her sentiments and dished up some wheatbix for her breakfast! Once done we decided to walk to Shoal Bay and what a beautiful bay this was!! We spent the next couple of hours playing in the waves much to Tu's delight!!

It was almost like we had the bay to ourselves and we couldn't have asked for more!! As the waves raged at us a rather squealy Tu gurgled up in laughter and we took turns in playing truant with the waves!! 😆 finally at around eleven we headed back to the room. Tu had her lunch and took a nap when AJ and I caught up on our lunch! I must confess, Nothing quite works up an appetite like a morning spent at the beach!!

 

It's always amazing how after you have a child everything follows the child's routines! You wake up when she does, you eat after she sleeps, you go out when she is ready and at night when she sleeps you say hallelujah and spend a couple of desperate hours trying to lead a carefree existence watching any drabtv  sitcom even if every nerve in your body is screaming tired and begging to sleep!!! 😆😆 I guess that's the bane of every hopeful parent-hopeful of saying life is still fun and yes I do everything I did before I had a child!! 😜Anyways, getting back to my travelogue, once Tu woke up we decided to go to Gan Gan Lookout! Just as we set out it started raining, none the less by the time we reached it had stopped and we got to see some breathtakingly beautiful vistas from this rather easily accessible view point 

Once we got done here we decided to drive down to Fingal Bay Beach. Yet another fantastic beach and proved to be very safe for Tu. She enjoyed shooing the gulls and watching them bathe in the waters. This  was another couple of hours of frolicking in the waters!!

We stepped out and washed up in the showers right at the parking lot and packed Tu into the car to again realise we were all famished!! We went in search of food and all we could get was some potato fries and coffee. After we gobbled that up we decided to hike a small trail at the end of Shoal Bay- even as we started we realised it wasn't going to be easy with Tu. So we decided to push her in her stroller... But in about ten mins when the skies opened up a rather torrid rain in us we were filled with regret at this attempt!! It's amazing how Mother Nature always finds a way to remind one of how insignificant our firmest of attempts to outwit the forces of the earth are! 😑Anyways, we ran to a nearby street and hastily took cover in some good Samaritans car park! AJ chivalrously offered to find a way to go bring the car, which he did in about half an hours time while Tu and I waited in the car park. I anticipated someone to come and shoo us away but luckily no one did! Finally we got into the car and went to the hotel too tired to attempt anything else! But just as we got there Tu dozed off and like I mentioned earlier we tended to follow her cue. We decided to drive on in order to let her sleep a bit, the day's adventures had tired her out considerably!! Some on the fly investigation lead us to the sunset point and we witnessed a rather glorious sunset even as she snoozed!

Smitten by the place and reliving all the beach adventures we headed back to the hotel. After the usual routine of giving Tu her dinner and putting her to sleep AJ and I caught up on some tv time before we crashed as well! There is nothing better than a sleep well earned- after all wasn't that the only point of any vacation?? A dream full of memories 😆

The next  morning we had an early breakfast and headed for a walk to the lighthouse! It was a public holiday and hence the cafe at the lighthouse was closed!! What a pity!! 😞If only we had realised we would have made this trip the previous day!! the grounds was beautiful and we sighted several birds including lorikeets, honey eaters and others!

As we headed back we stopped at a cafe on the marina and I downed some yummmm pancakes for breakfast while AJ had his meal of bread toast and omelette 😆

 

As we walked back to the hotel we caught sight of a rabbit on the grounds and Tu enjoyed chasing it some distance. Soon we were all packed up and ready to head back home!  Tu promptly dozed off in the car and by the time she woke up we were near the lovely Norah Head Lighthouse. Just as we reached it Tu asked for some yoghurt and even as she gulped it down in a hurry she threw it all up!! Worried and wondering if she was ok we pulled up at a nearby beach...this is the tricky part with being parents. We had to ensure we stayed calm even as we got very worked up on if Tu was ok, what caused her to throw up etc. She did have a bad cold and a huge wave of guilt hit me with the thought of whether the beach play had been too much of an indulgence??! We parents always tread dangerously close to guilt trips that attribute every life event of our child to our own actions!! The beach itself was lovely providing a faint view of the lighthouse at the far end and after waiting for over thirty mins we were sure Tu was ok and it was just a freak incident!

As I looked at the horizon the lighthouse beckoned and for a fleeting minute there I felt a sense of calm in my own solitude! It never ceases to amaze me on how incredibly influential even a single instance of a beautiful frame in sight can be! This is the essence of whatvtravelnprovides me with- my own momentary escapes into a far away place that comes back from an expedition dripping wet with beautiful memories!! 😬😬👏🏼

We decided to drive on to the lighthouse and what a beauty she proved to be! White and gleaming, standing proud in a backdrop of azure shades! The lighthouse could be a snippet from Greece almost!

Even as we walked up to the far end we were mesmerised at the beautiful beach below

we walked down and made that Tu's lunch point. To her delight one of the visitors came down with three golden retrievers and Tu couldn't stop grinning!! She loves dogs and had a great time watching them and running after them and the few gulls she could see. We walked to the far end of the rocks and spent another hour or so here!

Finally heading back to our car, we stopped at the cafe at the entrance to buy ourselves some veggie wraps for lunch. Once done we headed straight back home!! It had been yet another great vacation! Only pity being it had come to an end!! But this bright vacation had indeed left us rather happy high.Blue  waves, soft sands and white lighthouses, all make for a heady holiday- one that revives you enough to make you come back to your daily routine with a grin ! 😬😬

Now comes the tough part ... Waiting for my next vacation 😑🙃😊