beach bumming in Apollo Bay…

What a day!!! Everywhere in western, southern and eastern Australia there was a mini heat wave that translated into 40 to 45 degrees (Celsius!) and very high fire danger in many areas. Close to Adelaide there were some bush fires already burning, and they could flare up in the other regions too. Lucky us, still staying in Apollo Bay on the ‘Great Ocean Road’ at the ‘Seafarers’ Motel’ and only suffering mid thirty degrees heat. The breeze off the ocean made it bearable. We decided to stay in for a bit, do computer updates and some housekeeping, i.e. laundry …

Later in the afternoon we decided to go down to ‘our’ beach just below the motel and chill out. Decked out in bathing gear, hat on, SPF 30 suntan lotion on the skin and a shirt draped over the shoulders to be on the safe side (“slip, slap, slop” as the Aussie slogan goes) we went down to the yellow-white beach and the turquoise waves. The sand was so hot you could bake an egg on it – our feet too… We walked along both sides of the beach, feet in the cool water – east and west – until the rocks on either side prevented us from going any further, too many barnacles on them!!! Back to our bay and into the water. Nice and warm but not too bath-tubby. Sigi went in first, I did the watching for any shark fins on the horizon! Then it was my turn. We had a splash and were glad to have taken a slow day, postponing our intended trip to the Rainforest in Otway National Park to tomorrow.

After beach bumming we went into town to shop for dinner at the local Food Mart. Got some salad ingredients, pasta and sauce and a nice balsamic vinaigrette in a bottle. We were already getting a bit tired of eating out every day, therefore the home cooking tonight. Usually breakfast and lunch are homemade anyway, if staying in a motel with the amenities of a kitchenette, but even dinner out can become too much of the same every day. Had a great meal on the patio with a super Australian Shiraz by McWilliams and an even better view! That’s the life! Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, everybody is running around like a hen with the head chopped off for last minute preps, and we are COOL!!!

YEAH!!!!