Sunsets (Marramarra Lodge)

And the day, dear reader, continued to be unpredictable as far as the weather was concerned. The skies were grey and the cloud moved fast. One minute we had sunshine, the next rain. As a result, the planned walk on Palm Beach up to Barrenjoey was abandoned as was my hope of chalking up 15,000 steps today.

It was only an hour's drive (ish) to the pick up point at Mooney Mooney which meant we would get there very early. The aborted morning beach walk had thrown out the timeline for the day. Brooklyn, I thought. We should stop in there. A lifetime ago we spent a magical winter's afternoon with Lyn and Wayne at the Angler's Rest Hotel. It was the only time we'd been to Brooklyn but I imagined we'd be able to burn an hour or so there.

Not quite. The rain had returned, discouraging any attempt to sit on the front verandah of the pub. A café, I thought. Ah, no. Well, if there was one it remained elusive to me. So after a few minutes of deliberating we hit the road again and in 10 minutes were sitting in the drizzle at the car park at the Mooney Mooney boat ramp, our designated pick up point for Marramarra Lodge.

And there we sat. Jayne read her book and I walked laps of the car park in between the rain showers. As 2pm approached, we gathered our bags and walked to the wharf just in time for another rain squall to sweep through and dampen our spirits a touch. The launch arrived, we boarded and sat back for the 20 minute ride to the lodge where we were greeted by Shona and a glass of 'champagne'. Despite the weather, the setting is rather idyllic. The 'tent' that is our accommodation has full length glass sliding doors that open to a magnificent view of the Hawkesbury River. We are secluded and private and no more than a 2 minute walk to reception.

Looking in from the deck

There is a complimentary bar fridge in the tent, that curiously, does not stock wine. The lodge itself has a fully stocked complimentary refreshment area, but you can't get a bottle of wine to enjoy on your deck overlooking the river. We repaired to the lodge and had a couple of glasses of wine and played a British trivial pursuit game that Jayne found. Rather apt really, considering I believe most things British are trivial - commencing with the monarchy.

On the deck looking east

From the lounge

Looking south down the river

Dinner was 6:30pm in the lodge. It was a five course affair with amuse bouche to start. The matching wines were a semillon and a shiraz durif blend from Rutherglen. Must get back there again, we haven't visited that wine region for many years. The first three courses were excellent: zucchini flower, snapper in tamarind sauce and a basil, lime and champagne sorbet. Sorry no pictures. Once again we ventured out sans mobile phones. Daring aren't we?

That was where dinner peaked. Well as far as Jayne is concerned. The lamb which followed was not quite the melt-in-your-mouth experience that was expected and the mushrooms overpowered the lamb. The dessert, a salted caramel truffle doughnut (one of those chunky American numbers without the whole), was not light enough. Goodness, this is reading like a review in the SMH Goodfood Guide. 

Jayne summed it up by saying that Jonah's was an adult and Marramarra was a teenager. One was restrained finesse, the other not quite there yet.

But the view of the sunset from the lodge! Hence today's title, a Powderfinger number from their 2003 Vulture Street record.

No words, just pictures, although they still don't do it justice.

Post dinner it was back to the deck to enjoy the sounds of the river at night. Fortunately the wind had died down so we weren't subjected to the whoomp and flap noises as the wind billowed the roof and then dropped it. There was however a very lonely koel bird looking for someone to love. I hope he finds her soon because he was driving some of the other guests mad with his plaintive call. You haven't heard one dear reader? Of course you have, but just in case try this

Until next time.

Deep Water (Jonah's Palm Beach)

November 22, 1980

Well hello my dedicated reader. Who would have thought that I'd be blogging again in the year of Covid? I mean after Mollymook, what could possibly be of interest? Today we find ourselves on the insular peninsula, Whale Beach to be precise. Jonah's Boutique Hotel and Restaurant to be exact. We have been trying to get here for years but found it difficult to co-ordinate work commitments. My retirement and Covid seem to have solved any concerns. Jonah's, like many establishments had been closed and when opening was imminent, I checked their website daily and booked as soon as they were up and running.

Jonah's is our first stop and then we head to Marramarra Lodge on Fisherman's Point. Why, you ask dear reader? Well, this was a big year for special numbered events. Jayne's birthday and also our wedding anniversary; 40 years. I know! We are supposed to be in an overwater bure in Tahiti. Covid. Enough said. Tahiti will still be there when the world re-opens for business and we will get there, just not for this anniversary.

The "going away" outfit

40 years. A ruby anniversary. Being the romantic, I bought Jayne a pair of ruby and diamond earrings. I bought them even though I was pretty certain she wouldn't like them. They are beautiful and exquisitely crafted, but they are just not the style she would normally wear and real rubies aren't really red. And she loves red. So despite my head telling me no, my heart won and I bought them anyway. Well, 40 years of tolerating me, that is some achievement and it deserves recognition. On Wednesday, we're heading to the jewellery store to exchange them. 

First things first, let's deal with today's title. Richard Clapton, that icon of Australian rock, from the Goodbye Tiger album (1977, cheers Vince). There is a line, "sitting out on the Palm Beach road, I'm so drunk and the car won't go, my crazy eyes keep looking out to sea. Sunday drivers are cruising round, wish they'd all go back to town. What do they expect to find? Sure as hell ain't peace of mind." Let me explain, when I was a child, one of my mother's more bizarre methods of torture was the family drive - generally on a Sunday, attendance compulsory. We would be loaded into the back of the ute (we didn't have a passenger vehicle until early 70s) and then driven from the outer 'burbs to places like Palm Beach. Why? Damn fine question? So we could look at houses we would never be able to afford? To be envious of a lifestyle we would never experience? To make us more disenchanted with our humdrum existence? To establish our place in the pecking order? Who knows? But Clapton nailed it, sure as hell wasn't for peace of mind. And it was a bloody long drive from Campbelltown.

From the balcony

Jonah's is everything I thought it would be. The welcome was warm, the glass of champagne on the balcony was much appreciated after the drive. Particularly given Jayne's fetish for duelling navigation systems. She uses one on her phone and directs me, while the in-car system wants to take me down a alternate path. Very confusing and as frustrating as last night's rugby test match. However, we made it. The Bolly was lovely, the view superb and the greeting and walk through our ocean view was excellent. Then it was time to relax with more Bolly and while away the hours until dinner. The biggest decision for the afternoon? Should we breakfast in our room or in the dining room? Life is tough.

The room is beautifully appointed, king sized bed, spa bath, rain shower, wifi and has a balcony that faces due east. The sound of the waves from the beach below are very relaxing. I can't believe it has taken us so long to get here, but I think we will be returning. Instant wind down.

Dinner was superb. From the G&T with fresh cucumber and verbena leaf while we perused the menu to the dessert with accompanying sticky, and all points in between. The food was excellent: grilled prawns, pasta with spanner crab, john dory, chocolate mousse and spiced cake. It was three courses, we had the same main. Sorry, there are no photos, we dined without mobile phones. The wine? The cellar extends to 1100 different wines and, while there were some familiar Australian names, we opted to go with Guillaume, the sommelier's advice and had an aged pinot gris from Alsace. A perfect match for our food.

It was very pleasant sitting on the balcony after dinner listening to the surf on the beach below. A pity the weather wasn't being co-operative. It was cloudy and there were thunderstorms to our north and rain to the south. The storms were just far enough away to preclude us from having a light show over the ocean. 

Breakfast, after a restful night's sleep, was enjoyed in the dining room. The view is stunning - unimpeded by expansive, crystal clear wall to ceiling glass, looking out over Whale Beach. Not so good for the lorikeet that didn't see the glass and smacked straight into it while we were breakfasting. Then coffee, juice, fruit, croissant, granola and a selection of cooked food. Lunch will not be required.

Today we have a few hours to kill before we head to Mooney Mooney and then by boat to Marramarra Lodge.

until next time