Australia 2013 - Melbourne to Sydney road trip Day 2 - Mallacoota to Bermagui

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We wake up to a clear orange sunrise over the water, broken only by flocks of seagulls. The campground only begins to stir, and we have a leisurely and pleasant breakfast by picnic tables near the water. Back on the road, a wrong turn becomes a welcome detour, as we wade in shallow waters at low tide, the first ones to leave footprints in the sand ripples.

Up the coast the Princes highway finally meets the coast at Eden, and in our excitement we explore in detail the turnouts up to Haycock Point in Ben Boyd National Park: Pinnacles, Quondolo, North Long Beach, and Haycock Point. Pinnacles is a white and orange sandstone cliff face, which would be at home in Death Valley. Enroute a couple are staring into the brush, and point to an echidna, nosing the ground. We stand enthralled as the prickly animal pays us no head, digging for food. Further stops we enjoy colorful eroded sandstone formations and sandy beaches. This takes a substantial amount of time, and since there must be over 50 national parks on the way from Melbourne to Sydney, there is no way we can visit them all this way. In the future we only take time for convenient lookout points, and on the way to Bermagui we take no more turnoffs until we cross the bridge at Cuttagee.

Cuttagee was not something that stood out on the map, but on either side of the narrow wooden bridge were stacks of cars and many people playing in the shallow water of the lake just in from the beach. The hot sand squeaked under our feet, and the water was a crystalline green blue, like thick clear glass.

The caravan park in Bermagui was full, so we continued down the road to one of the parks in Wallaga Lake. However, we return to Bermagui for a hearty dinner at the pub and beer.

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