Tanja to Mallacoota

It was time to farewell the farm. The rain was setting in somewhat & we were eager to hit the road. 

Before we left we planted a red cedar to signify Baby A's birth seven months ago. The tree was a gift from my mother & has a healthy headstart. The big kids had fun teasing its roots & watering it with water from the creek in the rainforest gully. This tree will soon take off & A can visit it in years to come. 

While we packed our daughter, P, who overheard A's cries, realised he was tired. A few minutes later I came back in the shed to find that P has rocked A to sleep in her arms and this is where he slept for forty-five minutes. 

Farewell Tanja!

We had a short lunch stop on our way to Mallacoota in Pambula at Wild Rye's before heading to Mallacoota - a fabulous bakery where we stocked up on sourdough bread (& pies for lunch). Our favourite pie was the beef in red wine. Erin, the barista, made a great couple of coffees too! 

Bega River

It was a warm day yesterday but we had to get in to Bega to get a few jobs done so we planned to break up our trip with a dip in the Bega River just up from its junction with the Brogo River. We took some lunch down to the picnic tables under the trees before jumping in the water. After all the rain the river was flowing enough that we could float down in the rapids. 

The kids & J had fun jumping off the bank (& tree) in to the rapids then floating downstream. We imagined people have been visiting this part of the river for as long as there've been people living in that area. What a great way to cool off!

Baby A slept through the whole thing but the rest of us had a ball. 

Tanja

Tanja is situated alongside and within Mimosa Rocks National Parks on the Far South Coast of NSW. The first thing you noticed about the vegetation is the tall spotted gum forest. 

Joel has many memories on Tanja Hall. His dad used to run the local movie night in the hall and he attended other functions there. Back in 1997 I was seeing a gig at the hall (after being bridesmaid for a friend's wedding). Joel happened to be staying just up the road and was also at the gig. We recognised each other and got chatting. We both have vivid memories of this night and it was why we decided to have our wedding reception in the hall when we were married in 2007. The tiny hall was packed with our friends and family and rocked as everyone danced in a traditional bush dance. 

We decided we'd have a fortnight on the farm after we left Sydney just to get out things in order and recover from the stress of packing up our house & finishing work. We needed to replace the leaf springs on the truck, set up the annexe and work out what we can without (& reduce our load) too. 

And this is where we woke up this morning. How's the serenity? Can you see the roos grazing in the paddocks? 

Easter

What a stunning day today here on the Far South Coast. 

We started our morning at sunrise (a reasonable 0630) with an Easter egg hunt. Fortunately the Easter Bilby left a map! 

Our second Easter egg hunt was with friends I met when we were 4 at playgroup - and now our kids love playing together! 

Was a great gathering of food, extended family & conversation. There's nothing better. 

We stopped off at the river to show the kids where J and I used to swim as children. 

Were heading back to Sydney soon. Will be a shock to the system. Our kids have run free for the past week down here - playing with mud, sticks, grass, riding the quad bike and exploring. *sigh* 

narooma weekend getaway

Our kids had a ball in Narooma last weekend.

It was another stunning Far South Coast getaway. My blog post about Tilba markets is on its way!