Wollongong Harbour

We arrived into Wollongong at a quarter to six in the evening, after our ten hour passage from Jervis Bay. After first tying up to the public mooring and finding that it wasn’t deep enough for us, we settled on rafting Cool Change next to several old yachts tied to the side of the wharf. The harbour was calm and still and after a month on swing moorings in Jervis Bay, it was a welcome change to be on a boat that remained flat and relatively unmoving. We placed a row of fenders between Cool Change and the adjacent boat to protect them from banging into each other. To get off our boat we clambered over the two boats next to us and then up a huge tyre to reach the wharf. Still a lot easier and quicker than having to use the tender to get to shore! Wollongong put on a spectacular sunset to welcome us and we walked into town, enjoying being somewhere new and different, to get some take-away for dinner.

We spent five days in Wollongong, enjoying some beautiful sunshine and warm weather. There were plenty of people out and about, at all times of the day. There seemed to be almost a festive atmosphere, with the sunshine and the people everywhere – or maybe that was just me, feeling so grateful to be somewhere new and sunny! Some locals we met who usually walk every day said they have never seen so many people out walking. Probably because most other forms of exercise have currently been cancelled or restricted. People were out walking, swimming, surfing, stand-up paddle boarding, kayaking, and getting take-away coffees and meals, but doing so according to social distancing principles. It was nice to see. We feel that NSW has got the balance right and are very glad that we are here and not in Victoria at the moment.

Each day I would go for a walk along the beach and then do some yoga or meditation on the sand. Matt has started running again, and would set off for his five km run each morning. We swam at the North Wollongong Ocean Rock Pool, a gorgeous little swimming hole, a couple of times, but it was usually pretty packed with people so generally we preferred to swim near the harbour. Disappointingly, the Continental Pool where I’d been looking forward to enjoying a hot shower was closed as well. I’m not having too much luck on the hot shower front!

Feeling a bit peckish one afternoon, I began heating up some leftover chicken curry for a snack. Matt came downstairs, saw what I was doing and announced that he would like some too. As there was only a very small portion of curry leftovers I now had to try and bulk it up a bit to feed the two of us. I had the genius idea of combining the curry with some taco leftovers. Fusion cuisine at its best! I added the chicken to the taco shells and topped them with sour cream and half a precious avocado. It looked and smelled delicious and I popped each taco into a bowl and carried them up the stairs to the cockpit.

Well, that is what I attempted to do. Somehow, I managed to fall up the stairs (yes, up!) with a bowl of food in each hand. Food went flying and I landed heavily on the floor, hurting my back, knee and ankle. In shock and amazement I lay on the floor, somewhere between laughing and crying, while Matt regarded me with a mixture of concern and amusement. The boat must have jerked just as I was walking up the stairs, and not holding onto the railings as my hands were full, down (or up) I went. I was mostly upset that my delicious snack was ruined and now all over the floor of the cockpit, until I realised that the window into our bedroom was open. Yep, some of the food flew through the gap and ended up on the cushion and the sheets below. And do you think it was the taco shell, sour cream or avocado that went through the window? Of course not! It was pieces of chicken curry, brightly stained with turmeric and now brightly staining the cushion and the sheets. You can’t make this stuff up.

So after soaking and scrubbing the stains out of the cushion, while Matt cleaned down the cockpit, I hightailed it to the laundromat and washed the sheets. It’s lucky they were due a wash and a change anyway. A video call with the always entertaining Aden and Stella cheered me up while I was waiting for the laundry, as did the lovely G&T I had when I finally made it back to the boat and could relax. I could have worse problems to deal with!

There are many beautiful tracks and trails around Wollongong that I had been looking forward to exploring, however almost all of these walks were closed due to coronavirus restrictions. We did find one trail that was still open, and so on Saturday we caught the free shuttle bus to Wollongong University and from there hiked the Mount Keira Ring Track. The walk took us to the Mount Keira Summit lookout with sweeping views of the coastline and views over Wollongong and Port Kembla. Part of the Illawarra Escarpment, the track is very steep in parts, and passes through a range of terrains, including beautiful rainforest. The signage is a little confusing, with lots of little tracks, either not marked or confusingly labelled, all over the place, but with the aid of good old Google Maps and the Map My Run app we managed to find our way. We hiked the 10.6 km loop in four hours.

Matt has been doing lots of photography and is getting pretty good, I reckon. Here are some of his best photos of the harbour at night, taken over several different evenings.

And so we move on from Wollongong, excited to continue our journey north. Next stops will be Port Hacking, Botany Bay and Sydney Harbour. Hope you are all happy and healthy. Look after yourselves!

Act as if what you do makes a difference. IT DOES!

William James