Staycation

We were meant to be flying to Maui to spend 10 days chilling in the sun. Another chapter of the travelling handbag – where I get to travel with Deb on a Stampin’ Up! adventure and hanging out with friends from around the world. And we had organised a motorcycle ride with friends around the iconic Hanna highway in Maui. But like so many things this year the trip was cancelled.

While the trip was cancelled we decided to still take the time as we really needed the time off. And even though Deb’s classes were just starting back up following the lifting of restrictions … we had already blocked out the time so we were going to use it.

Unfortunately this year there isn’t going to be an exotic overseas location, or gliding through ice drifts on a cruise ship, or wandering ancient streets of places we had only ever read about. No, this year is much closer to home. This year we had a staycation.

Well mostly.

I’m not good at staying in one place, and holidaying at home isn’t a holiday. All you do is look around at all that stuff you’ve been putting off.

Getaway to Kiama

As restrictions in NSW had lifted we booked three nights accommodation in Kiama as we have only ever passed through Kiama or just stopped for lunch. So we were going to take this opportunity to chill and have a good look around.

Whenever you mention Kiama people always mention the blowhole near the lighthouse. While the weather was relatively calm you could imagine what it would be like in rougher weather.

It’s actually quite a rocky part of the coastline

As I mentioned before I’m not very good at just staying in one place and unfortunately our accommodation didn’t really have anywhere to just sit and put your feet up so we jumped in the car and went exploring.

Saddleback mountain lookout

Minnamurra

Shellharbour

As the name suggests the Shellharbour beach contains a lot of shells. My daughter asked us to collect some small shells if we saw any as she makes jewellery out of them using resin. So we spent some time just hunting around and collecting a few shells for her. Below are some examples of necklaces she has made using what she has found. I’m trying to encourage her to setup an online store as they look great.

Illawarra Fly

On the way home from Kiama we stopped in at the Illawarra Fly treetop walk inland from Jambaroo. Again another thing we knew about but never stopped at. Not really for those who don’t like heights (up to 30 metres off the ground) but it is very secure and it’s a great walk out in the tree tops. This provided great views of the both the forest and all the way back to the coastline. From the knights observatory tower (45m high) provides an even better view. This reminded me about the Valley of the Giants treetop walk in southern WA, which is around 40 metres above ground, also highly recommended.

A couple of quick rides

I had originally planned on getting away for a bigger ride during my time off before going back to work. The plan was either a few days on the road staying at pubs, or an IBA distance ride to break in the ST1300 and earn it an IBA number plate surround. However, a number of things worked against me and those plans never came to fruition, so instead I opted for a couple of afternoon rides.