7) Going to the beach

During the Christmas holidays Jonathan and Siân took us all to the beach. We went to their favourite beach – Spoon Bay. It is about an hours drive from their house in Cowan but closer than a lot of the Sydney beaches and well worth the drive. We took the freeway and then on to the back roads so that we by passed the city of Gosford to get to the beach. After parking the car we walked a little way along a brick pathway and then down about 40 or so steps on to the beach. It was easy to see why this was their favourite beach. It is not a big beach but it is very attractive. On the north side there are some high cliffs that reach out into the sea and the waves pound ceaselessly against them. As the waves break against the rocks they are forced through a blowhole and a large spout of water shoots up into the air. Then there is a large pool rather like a spoon that I suppose gave the beach its name. South of the Spoon are many rocks that form many little pools of various sizes. The sizes and shapes of the pools change as the tide goes in or out. When the tide is very high the pools all vanish, as the rocks are completely submerged. These pool are such fun to explore, there is always something interesting to find there. Shells, fish, crabs, starfish, sea anemones, cuttlefish, sponges and many different kinds of seaweed. Claudia and Lauren particularly like these pools and make up wonderful games while they play there. Then the bay sweeps on in a large arch to Wamberal and then on to Terrigal. I remember the first time we went there Jonathan and Sian took us to Terrigal after our afternoon on the beach. We stopped at the fish and chip shop and bought our supper. We sat at the wooden tables and ate our food and jolly good it was too. Of course the seagulls came to investigate what we were eating and made it very clear that they were partial to a little bit of fish or a chip or two. Claudia and Lauren were trying to catch a gull. I asked them what they would do with it if they caught it but they were not sure. Their father had told them previously that if they caught a seagull he would give them $10 for it and so they were trying very hard. For years after that I remember them trying to earn the $10. Oh well I suppose it kept them all fit – the kids and the seagulls.

Spoon Bay from the view site