Lightly Toasted

We had a short but lovely break at the enchanting picturesque Kangaroo Valley last weekend. Kangaroo Valley is situated between the regions of Shoalhaven and the Southern Highlands. Last weekend despite a rainy Friday out of Sydney and the late start on the motorway — the drive was really smooth all the way through and actually look less time than expected. Since we left late afternoon we couldn’t see much beyond the lights of our own car racing down the pitch black of the night but the meandering roads around the Morton National Park past the Fitzroy Falls and then on to the historic sandstone Hampden Bridge and then Kangaroo Valley is really breath taking. We took a little turn off the main street into the golf course which was going to be home for the next 2 nights. In the morning while we were making our big cooked breakfast we had a pack of kangaroos big and small… a whole little family of 5 that hopped along and came by almost to our breakfast deck and stopped to check out their new neighbours! It was a sight to behold how they came by to check on us as we made breakfast… not to mention a huge wombat came and stopped in the middle of the road as we were coming into the valley the previous night… The Wombat knew we were going to stop so it didn’t really hurry across rather stopped and inspected us and then shuffled away slowly into the bush across the road, ah life is so difficult! It made our day… and then to see wild kangaroos up so close - it was commune with nature in more ways than one. There is a very good reason they call this place The Kangaroo Valley.

Feel free to click on the images below to see a larger high resolution version of the image, it may take a while to load though.

We went over to the small town of Kangaroo Valley the next morning, a small stretch of shops and cafes with a pub called the Friendly Inn in the centre. We stopped at the Blind Toucan for scones and jam, very olde world charm. Warm, hospitable and the coffees were very good too. Across from where I was sitting there was a collage of paper cuttings mainly for the 50s. We indulged without a minute to spare. Here is one to tickle your funny bone:

Gay Gifts for the june Brides’ Kitchen tea by Gayware

Every bride will be delighted with a Gayware Gift. So practical so userful…

It was a fun experience reading through some of the ads and we had Doris Day with us Did I ever tell you Aje and Doris are close friends…

As we walked through the shops we bumped into Oshun Leye that caught my eye displaying botique artifacts, jewellery form India and it had an amazingly calming Saffron blue Rasa playing in the background. A very mystical blend of devotional songs from India. It evokes a great sense of passion and well being just being in the viccinity of this beautiful shop… the music and the ambiance of Oshun Leye transported me back to my childhood. A short little walk down the memory lane filled with smells, colours and sounds that I am all too familiar with and very fondly remember… A must visit if you’re in the valley.

We visited the lovely Fitzroy Falls later, and walked down to Jersey Point, had the weather and walking conditions cooperated we could have gone a bit further on but having rained a bit over the least few weeks the walk through the Morton National Park proved a bit more than a challenge and it was really cold! Later back at the Cabin D and I went for a walk with our cameras and spotted some very pretty but poisonous Mushrooms… They are called the Amanita Muscaria mushrooms. They grow in the redwood forests after a good rain. Don’t you think they are pretty?

. Later we drove higher up into some unchartered land still being constructed where sealed roads ended to get on top of a steep hill where we could enjoy the sunset. Just at the nick of time we managed to catch the last evening glow of the sinking vermillion orb. Nature puts on such a pretty display sometimes its even hard to describe the true canvas of the setting sun, let alone capture it.

On our way back the next day we visited Berry scaling up through a mountaneus meandering road that was nothing short of yet another Southern Highland magical drive, on to Kiama and back to home sweet home. Such a lovely weekend to remember. If you are visiting Sydney or live around here but havent been to the Valley I’d thoroughly recommend it for a weekend. Its way too beautiful to miss this magical place.