Reader RAEGINA TAYLOR recommends Dalmeny via Brown Mountain as an alternative to the usual Batemans Bay area beach holidays Canberrans favour, sharing her tips for the trip as well as some other summer ideas for Canberrans.
Our summer = 12 weeks pregnant. We have spent most of this delicious season so far aiming to tire out our 17-month-old by visiting the many water holes of the ACT/NSW regions. The water has the added bonus of being cleansing and renewing for my baby bump, alleviating the associated discomforts of loosening ligaments.
We started off like many Canberrans, with a trip to the coast and to beat the traffic we departed our home in Belconnen (and the comfort of air-conditioning) on Christmas Eve, a move which seemed to bode us well as we had no trouble making good time pulling our caravan down (or was it up? My brain is a bit foggy at the moment with all these hormones) Brown Mountain, stopping at the fabulous Cooma Indian restaurant for lunch, as well as a sanity pause from the relentless ‘Best of the Wiggles’ that beat into our ears and poured (seemingly) positively from our mouths in efforts to keep our toddler happy on the journey.
Our destination was sparsely populated which suited us well. Who goes camping to be social!!? Yuin Country, Dalmeny is perfect to visit with kids because of the quiet but flowing lagoon that is set alongside rock pools, a humble park (complete with swings AND a slide), the well-stocked IGA and reasonably priced Michael’s takeaway. There is no need to try and wrangle the kids in and out of the car because everything is within walking distance, and if you go at a quiet time then the campground also provides a relatively safe and large space for toddlers to roam on the lush green grass.
Our freezer is well stocked with icy-poles this year because they can be had by all of the family, and they are also one of the only things I could stomach in the early pregnancy during the heat! Although we did stop by the handmade ice-creamery in Mogo village after a day at the zoo and our little man couldn’t decide whether the liked the Oreo (mum’s choice) or the choc mint (dad’s choice), licking each alternatively with vigour.
My partner and I returned to work today so yesterday we headed out to Uriarra Crossing one more time to enjoy the flow of the river, watch the dogs play and revel in the summer sun. It is a tradition to have at least one BBQ at the river during the season, and we are just biding our time for the crowds to dissipate after school holidays. We will definitely be continuing our celebration of current and older Aussie classics at the BBQ, and I have almost finished compiling a playlist including INXS, Tame Impala and Crowded House. Music is a big part of our experience of summer and we love to pull our instruments out for a bit of an evening session as the orange glow from the sunset shines through into our living room.
Ah summer.
Are you a fan of the far South Coast of NSW? Which is your favourite beach getaway? And what’s on your BBQ playlist?
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