House Sit Number 1

Highlights	Less of a highlight
The house - both	Weather – Will, Kate just a little
The dogs – Bonnie – both Shady – Kate more so, I think she’s a lady’s dog, Will’s a little frustrated that he hasn’t won her over yet	Stand Up Paddle Boarding – order me a kayak next time - Will
Emerald Beach walk - both
Stand Up Paddle Boarding - Kate
Indigenous tour while on Paddle Boards - both
Gifts left by home owners – both

We rang our house sit owners to say we were on the way for handover, a little earlier than expected, as hanging out at the caravan park wasn’t a huge amount of fun and we’d already pulled up at Moonee Beach (a gorgeous spot – more of an inlet than a beach but lots of people snorkelling, paddling etc.) had a coffee and a wander around.

Moonee Beach Inlet

The owners were very welcoming and grateful that they had someone to take care of their two black labs, 2 fluffy rabbits and one very docile blue tongue lizard. And we were gobsmacked – we knew it was an acreage but oh, what an acreage. It feels a little like our own private resort – swimming pool – hence the weather being on the not highlight list – it’s about 22 degrees but a little windy – not nearly as cold as South Gippsland 22 with wind, I’m still outside now at 4pm in a t-shirt and ¾ length pants, but not quite hot enough for a swim this arvo.

Looking back over Emerald Beach

After being introduced to the family and the pets and getting the run down we left again to give the owners time to get packed for their holiday. Will and I took the opportunity to visit Emerald Beach, which was just gorgeous. We walked up over a hill which gave us a great view out to sea but with wind that nearly blew us away. We read about the early light housekeeper and visited their headstone before returning to the more sheltered beach, where we wandered for a while. Will and I then headed in to do a shop and grab some lunch before heading out to our residence for the next 5 days. We were very happy to spend the rest of the day becoming acquainted with the dogs, reading (thanks Rick) and generally relaxing.

Looking towards Moonee Beach

I have noticed that I over think things when booking places or experiences (organising house sits really has been a challenge LOL) so when I read about a Stand-Up Paddle board experience with an Indigenous tour guide, I pressed book straight away. Lucky I did because with the wind and cooler temperatures we would have talked ourselves out of it and missed a great experience. Thankfully high tide wasn’t at 7am as predicted on booking form, we had until 8.30am to be at the meeting point. Due to some hiccups with their booking system they took us out when there was only the two of us, usually they don’t go if the group is under four. I said to Ronan, our young (over 18 but not sure by how much) Indigenous guide that Will would be fine – he can balance on a skateboard, motorbike etc, I’d be the challenge. Ronan said go with what works, sit, kneel, stand up, just see how you go.

Before we started Ronan welcomed us to County in local language, his mum is from here and his father from Cairns. He has learnt about the local area through uncles and his boss. After the welcome he showed us some bush tucker and asked if we knew what bracken fern could be used for. “Yes,” I confidently said, “great for bites”. He agreed but also told us that mosquitoes won’t fly across it, so the elders used to put it at the doorway of their dwellings, under baby cribs or burn it on fires – something to keep in mind next time the mossies are out.

It was quite windy but Ronan knew that the next few days weren’t going to get any better, so we decided to go ahead. Off we went, Will and I kneeling our way from the boat ramp down the river. I was just behind Ronan with my left leg starting to feel the ache from kneeling for so long when I heard a splash behind me. Will’s legs had started to hurt too so he’d decided to try standing – lucky the water was quite warm. We continued along, spotting mullet jumping and having rests now and then where Ronan would impart local knowledge. “Do you know which tree you’d get fresh water from around here?” Turns out it is the Paper Bark, they have hollow roots that hold filtered water, or by finding the coffee rocks as they filter the salt out of the water too. The limbs of the mangrove were used for hunting boomerangs, and when you look at them you see they are the perfect shape.

Ronan gave us a rest on a sandbank and chatted for a while. It was decided that this was the spot for me to try standing up, I’d lean on Will on one side and use the oar on the other, up I went and there I stayed!! At times all I could do was laugh as the wind was too strong, I wasn’t going anywhere but no way was I getting off and walking. My arm muscles probably aren’t going to thank me in the morning for being so stubborn but I loved it! I eventually reached Will and Ronan, who were examining artifacts, axe heads and scraping tools. I sat on the board, legs dangling in the warm water while Will stood waste deep and we chatted about the changes to the local water ways due to the impact of marinas being extended and so forth.

It was time to turn around, the wind was too strong for us to make it around the point but I didn’t care – I was happy to turn around and try standing again. This time it was decided I should try on my own, up on one knee and then the next, I was up and away. “Blood hell,” or something similar I heard from Will “you can do it better than I can!” Boy, did I smile. Soon it got too much for Will, he couldn’t be outclassed by anyone, so he gave it another go and up he went. We both stayed up until we made it back to the boat ramp. Along the way we saw a sea eagle, I saw it dive and we all saw it carry a mullet away. We spotted a stingray just cruising by “There’s a good reason to stay afloat,” said Will.

Photo taken after the excursion
and the hair is still dry!

Unfortunately, due to Will’s height and lower back issues he never felt comfortable on the board, whereas I took to it like a duck to water. For me the hour and a half paddle was finished all too soon. After thanking Ronan for our experience we headed home for warm showers and morning tea. While Will was showering I decided that as I was in my bathers and they were already damp I should go for a swim in our private pool. It was refreshing to say the least but the longer I stayed in the more enjoyable it became.

Before leaving home I researched each of the locations we are staying at so I left Will reading the suggested tourist activities for the area around Coffs Harbour while I warmed up in our ensuite shower. It was decided that a trip to the Forest Sky Pier was in order. We headed off to lunch at a Sapphire Beach café before taking a drive up through the banana and avocado plantations. It was a lovely afternoon with some more wonderful views and a little wildlife spotting.