Our Christmas tradition is to have a family gathering on the day, the timing of which is sometimes complicated by the multiple family nexus following marriages. The next day, most of the family take off for the south coast, leaving me to hold the fort. But I do try to take a day off and go down for "lunch". This year, that day was December 30th. It avoids the mad rush back to Sydney for the fireworks on New Years Eve, but I can still see all the family while they are there. And so it was this year. Except this year I rode down. And very pleasant it was too, with little traffic.
Bendalong is situated right on the coast, with large bays on both sides of the headland. This is the north side, looking about NW. A somewhat typical holiday scene over the Christmas holidays.
The scene from the same beach, but this time looking roughly NE. The distant shore of the bay is about Sussex Inlet, and the other side of that headland is Jervis Bay.
The Bendalong headland. The camping area is on that headland, but fairly well protect from the weather by the topography - the land slopes down from the eastern end - and the trees. The park also includes cabins with all mod cons.
There had been a fire at the base of this tree, which is almost on the beach. And this shows one of the amazing characteristics of eucalyptus trees - when the bark is burned in a fire, they throw out new shoots all over. It's quite a sight to see a forest of blackened trees with trunks turning green just a short time after a fire burns out the area.
2009