Hi all,
We left Merimbula in the pouring rain this morning and thankfully had some brighter weather as we headed north. Eliza was in a bit of a grumpy mood in the car to start the day so we were glad it cleared so we could stop and let her stretch her legs. And no wonder - the poor girl’s nappy had leaked at 5am and she couldn’t get back to sleep for a while after I changed her.
After about 1.5 hours of driving we stopped in Narooma that Rob had visited as a kid. The rain cleared and we were able to head to a lookout and wharf area where we saw lots of seals lounging about and playing in the water which Eliza loved. Then we enjoyed an early lunch and a coffee at a cafe called Honorbread. Eliza had a grand old time here running around, waving at dogs and laughing at random people!
We continued on and Eliza fell asleep. Rob and I drove through Batemans Bay for a quick look and then continued up north, it got wetter again the further we went. I can imagine the beaches here would be absolutely stunning on a nice day, but we both commented on how exceptional the Great Ocean Road is compared to the drive up here which is all inland until you turn off for a coastal town. We are a bit unlucky weather wise as next week up here looks beautiful again, but our forecast out at sea looks pretty wet. It might change though and we can’t control it, so we will just make the best of it. Please cross your fingers for no rain in Sydney tomorrow afternoon though, as we need to walk Eliza to sleep pre cruise because we won’t have our car anymore!!
The weather was quickly put into perspective though after we passed Ulladulla and reached a red patch on Google Maps. We slowly approached a highway turnoff and police were present, and we realised the Princes Highway was closed ahead in both directions due to an accident. I mapped Rob onto a detour, but so began a 2.5-3 hour extra journey for us with a toddler. Nearly a hundred cars were parked already waiting for the highway to open but we decided to try the detour which turned out to be the right call, the highway was still closed hours later.
We along with many others drove on a sketchy dirt road in the middle of nowhere. We had a laugh when a McLaren and a BMW drove past us the opposite way. The guy in the Ford Fiesta in front of us did really well we thought. A stick caught under our car for a bit too which was stressful, but Rob pulled it out and our car was ok. We finally reached a proper road 1.5km away from the highway, but the queue to get back on was so long that this took another hour. For the first time ever I gave my phone to Eliza and let her watch a video on it - Ms Moni saved the day. We watch TV sometimes at home but she’s usually ok out and about with toys and food. Until that point she had been so good and so brave despite having been in the car for ages and the road being quite bumpy and probably scary for her. We were lucky we had made Narooma our lunch stop or we wouldn’t have eaten anything proper. She was happy learning about emergency service vehicles ironically!
We left Merimbula in the pouring rain this morning and thankfully had some brighter weather as we headed north. Eliza was in a bit of a grumpy mood in the car to start the day so we were glad it cleared so we could stop and let her stretch her legs. And no wonder - the poor girl’s nappy had leaked at 5am and she couldn’t get back to sleep for a while after I changed her.
After about 1.5 hours of driving we stopped in Narooma that Rob had visited as a kid. The rain cleared and we were able to head to a lookout and wharf area where we saw lots of seals lounging about and playing in the water which Eliza loved. Then we enjoyed an early lunch and a coffee at a cafe called Honorbread. Eliza had a grand old time here running around, waving at dogs and laughing at random people!
We continued on and Eliza fell asleep. Rob and I drove through Batemans Bay for a quick look and then continued up north, it got wetter again the further we went. I can imagine the beaches here would be absolutely stunning on a nice day, but we both commented on how exceptional the Great Ocean Road is compared to the drive up here which is all inland until you turn off for a coastal town. We are a bit unlucky weather wise as next week up here looks beautiful again, but our forecast out at sea looks pretty wet. It might change though and we can’t control it, so we will just make the best of it. Please cross your fingers for no rain in Sydney tomorrow afternoon though, as we need to walk Eliza to sleep pre cruise because we won’t have our car anymore!!
The weather was quickly put into perspective though after we passed Ulladulla and reached a red patch on Google Maps. We slowly approached a highway turnoff and police were present, and we realised the Princes Highway was closed ahead in both directions due to an accident. I mapped Rob onto a detour, but so began a 2.5-3 hour extra journey for us with a toddler. Nearly a hundred cars were parked already waiting for the highway to open but we decided to try the detour which turned out to be the right call, the highway was still closed hours later.
We along with many others drove on a sketchy dirt road in the middle of nowhere. We had a laugh when a McLaren and a BMW drove past us the opposite way. The guy in the Ford Fiesta in front of us did really well we thought. A stick caught under our car for a bit too which was stressful, but Rob pulled it out and our car was ok. We finally reached a proper road 1.5km away from the highway, but the queue to get back on was so long that this took another hour. For the first time ever I gave my phone to Eliza and let her watch a video on it - Ms Moni saved the day. We watch TV sometimes at home but she’s usually ok out and about with toys and food. Until that point she had been so good and so brave despite having been in the car for ages and the road being quite bumpy and probably scary for her. We were lucky we had made Narooma our lunch stop or we wouldn’t have eaten anything proper. She was happy learning about emergency service vehicles ironically!
We finally got back on the highway and headed towards Nowra. We ditched our planned stop in Jervis Bay as we were so late and the weather was still terrible. It’s a shame as we drove instead of flying so we could explore, but at the end of the day I’m just glad we weren’t the ones in the accident. Apparently a truck hit two cars and there’s been at least one fatality. We are all together and ok, our little girl is still happy and we had a full tank of petrol. And it would’ve been far worse if this happened tomorrow as we would’ve missed our cruise!! We will have to come back one day.
We let Eliza out at a shopping centre in Nowra so she could run around. Kmart was a big hit, we played with lots of toys and read some books before enjoying a double decker bus climb on ride then heading off. Despite the shocking weather we then decided to still stop in Kiama for a quick look at the blowhole, and we were so glad we did. The rainy and stormy conditions meant it was HUGE and really wild. It cheered us all up after a long, tough drive. Eliza got into a really funny mood here and ran around screaming with laughter, jumping in puddles, laughing at seagulls and climbing the stairs. We are so lucky she has such a beautiful disposition. She brings us so much joy. She had a t shirt on with a sun on it today and we kept calling her our little ray of sunshine and then she would point to her shirt.
Back in the car we set off on our final stretch to Corrimal, just north of Wollongong, where we are staying. We enjoyed some beautiful old buildings in Kiama as we left. Eliza had a dinner of champions of cheese and bacon rolls, corn thins, a banana and blueberries (luckily we had lots of snacks!). I had had some sushi in Nowra and Rob had some McDonald’s. The thought of going out after our long day was not appealing. We did go for a very quick wander to the beach as our cabin is 50m away, but that was it. I was going to try and quickly visit my friend Lisa in Wollongong tonight but we have had such a huge day and have only just put Eliza down at 9.30pm due to unpacking etc so late, so sadly it wasn't meant to be.
Tomorrow we drive early to Sydney where we will park at the airport and catch a train into the city to board our cruise ship. I’m hoping to be able to post again then before we set sail but it’ll depend on timing etc. So glad the traffic delays weren’t tomorrow or we would have missed our boat!!
Love to all,
Claire
Xoxox
Looks like it reopened at 4pm - I am glad we made the detour!!!
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