EARLY DAYS AT MERRY BEACH

P:-) and I spent 6 nights camping in our little caravan at Merry Beach on the South Coast of  New South Wales. It is about 3 hours south of Wollongong, the city where we live.( I love camping although I'm not sure that camping with electricity is actually camping! It just seems too luxurious.)

We had a great campsite, right next to a creek, and with a view of the beach. Below is a picture of our caravan when we arrived, before it was set up.

Our caravan folded down

A number of curious kangaroos came and watched as we set up camp. The kangaroos tended to come around in the late afternoon and stay around through the night until early in the morning when they would disappear. Occasionally in the middle of the day one would hop through the camp.

Curious kangaroos.

It doesn't take long to set up. We have a very simple little caravan. The roof pops up and the beds slide out the ends.

Our caravan set up.

 On our first morning we were greeted with this picture of ducks on the creek. This was the view of the creek and the sea from under our awning.

Ducks on the creek

We arrived on Monday afternoon and on Tuesday we had to back track up the coast to the town of Ulladulla, so P:-) could pick up a prescription. Ulladulla means 'safe harbour' in an Aboriginal language. We had a delicious lunch in a cafe overlooking the harbour.

The edge of Ulladulla Harbour.

There were lots of these birds (shown below) around our campsite- not quite as large as a chickens but still quite large with nasty looking red  beaks. Back home  I later identified them as Purple Swamphens. It seems that this species while native to Australia, is widely dispersed around the world.

Purple Swamphen in the water

Purple Swamphen  investigating water out let.

These birds were quite at home with humans and I think they would have appreciated some hand outs but it is not good to feed wild birds unless you have the right food.

Watching a Purple Swamphen from under our awning.

Ducks were prolific and roamed throughout the camping area. They especially liked to roost by the swimming pool at night and made quite a mess.

Ducks behind our van.

A variety of birdlife passed by our campsite including Fairy Wrens, Magpies, Sea Gulls, Native Pigeons and Willy Wagtails. All these birds provided an interesting parade and we found ourselves watching them literally for hours.

Interesting sites

1.

Photo source

 Click here to see some great pictures of a loft-style houseboat with a green terrace.


2.

Photo source

Click here to read a really interesting article about living in a car.