Art's Farm - Day 10: Kiama to Patonga

A bit of a personal day today.

Remembering coffee with my Dad

Left Kiama with all of its gale forced winds from the west and followed the M1 (the Old Princess Highway) to Wollongong and climbed Mount Ousley. As a kid, I remember when this road was considered a shocker by some and most white knuckled driving it. We near sprinted up it today. Somewhere near Thiroul, we veered off on the Appin Road in order to get to Campbelltown and the combination of bypass roads that would take us across western Sydney and on to the M1 again heading north.

The first sentimental detour was driving on through Campbelltown and back to Camden for the first time since my Dad died. We had trouble finding a park, settling eventually on the playing fields that lie between the river and the township. From there we walked, at Sue's suggestion, to the little cafe located behind the Council chambers, now called The House of Art. It had been a favourite place for Dad and I and one I would regularly bring him to during my visits. We had coffee. Its still a nice cafe but in other hands and different but that mattered little. He was there with us.

We hiked back to the car and had the smoothest of runs along the M7, with traffic moving smoothly at 100km/h all the way. The nice surprise came the end of the M7 - technically we were on the M2, but only just - with entry onto the North Connex. Wow, what an improvement this made to the trip. No stop start traffic on Pennant Hills Road. No traffic lights. Brilliant.

Somewhere back before Camden, Sue booked two nights at Patonga, a small beach community south of Umina. When Umina runs out, you climb and wind around Umina Point and then the fun starts. The road get steeper up and then even steeper down, as hairpins around a narrow road take you ever closer to the water. When you reach Patonga, its just this small patch between Patonga Creek and Brisk Bay. To add to the fun, The Hawkesbury River rounds Pacific Head and spills into Brisk Bay and on into Broken Bay. Its beautiful but its very small.

The office staff dropped the bomb on arrival that they had made an error in booking when Sue rang this morning. They had booked us in for tonight AND LAST NIGHT. Apparently they didn't think it a good idea to ring and let us know before we made the hell-raiser decent into sleepy Patonga. Oh well. What can you do?

The dangerous track to
"their" rock

After a set up and a quick bit to eat, we drove back to Pearl Beach and parked the car at the northern end of the beach to make the walk along the at time treacherous walking track which runs under Umina Point. At places, the track is badly washed away into steep drops to rocks and ocean below. Weed grows close to the track concerning you with what might lurk there. Rocks and rough surface make for multiple trip hazards. To top it all off, the Council has erected a large sign asking walkers to turn back as the rocks in the cliff face above represent a threat extending as far as death.

The amazing fact about this track is that it used to be the road access to Pearl Beach!

We walked on.

After ten minutes, we found their rock. In early October in 1945, Mum and Dad came to Umina on the honeymoon. Just a week in an old beach shack. On one of the seven days, they came to this spot. Dad posed on the large boulder with all of its unusual markings and colours and Mum took the photo. In 2019, its where my brother and I chose to scatter their ashes. Some where wild they said. Could be anywhere better really? 

Today's photos

I had wanted to climb down to the rock as Arty and I had but the tide was high and there was to much tidal wash to be safe so I just stood above. I read them each a poem and then one for both of them, thanked them and then left them to their wildness.

Driving into Umina, we looked in Norman Street to see if any sign remained of the house they stayed in but its mostly modern flats now. One two places may have been from that era but who's to know?