Christmas Trip 2019: Lakes Entrance

I slept quite badly (quite common for first night in the tent) and got up early to take Luna for a walk. The sun was probably just up and there was also a thick layer of smoke around the entire horizon. We walked down to the footbridge and over onto the beach and watched the red, smoke affected sun rise a bit higher, and played in the edge of the waves a bit. Back at the caravan park Amelie was awake so we had some breakfast and hung out in the bbq area. I started chatting to another mum who had been travelling with her husband and 3 young girls, and we shared stories about her trip and our travel experiences. Amelie played with the girls, and when Caitlin got up she played with the baby. Over the next couple of hours as we all gradually ate breakfast and relaxed, and the other family packed up their tent, Caitlin took care of the baby which they were extremely grateful for. 

The day was warming up and was forecast to be mid-30s, so we decided to for our walk mid-morning rather than waiting. We'd heard that there were often dolphins and seals at the actual entrance to the lakes (that gives the town it's name) so we sunscreened up and headed off. Once over the footbridge we turned to the right and walked along a sandy trail that snaked up and down the long piece of land between the lake and ocean. There were lots of birds and the occasional skink. The path was sandy and the air was pretty warm so some bits were hard going, especially up hills, but the view of the lake and plenty of shade helped it stay enjoyable. Tony and Amelie and I veered off at one point to see some historical buildings - they were being renovated and not really worth the trek up and down over a sand dune. We debated whether to try to meet up with the main track by walking along the lake shore, but worried that we'd miss the others if they came back looking for us, so went back up and over the hill. After 5 minutes or so we caught up with the others, waiting for us where the main path joined back up to the shore - a couple of hundred metres from where we had just been, so we definitely went the long way!

The path cut back inland and up a steep board walk to a large flagpole, which used to be used to signal water conditions to incoming ships. From there we walked down to the edge of the entrance channel, had a bit of a look at the old buildings there, and watched the fast flowing water for a while. Caitlin and Liam saw a dolphin as soon as they arrived at the water, it was gone by the time the rest of us arrived. Amelie and I found a boardwalk leading back towards the lake, Caitlin found one heading towards the ocean and could see seals just across the channel. We all went and joined her and watched the seals playing in the choppy water near the opposite headland, and then watched one that swam back and forth in front of us for a while. There were also a couple of dolphin pairs that we saw swimming through the channel. 

The entrance kept us entertained for a while, and we had a bit of a snack, then decided to walk back along the beach (it was 2.5km each way) and take advantage of the coastal breeze and being able to have our feet in the water. It would have been hot going back along the path, but on the beach side it was quite pleasant. The kids jumped off the edge of the sand dunes for a while then we started back. Walking on the beach sand was surprisingly difficult, even the wet sand was quite soft so we sank into it with each step - hard work on the calves and shins and achilles tendons. Along the way the kids found a small shark that had been beached and was trying to get back into the water. Liam kept Luna away and Caitlin ran back to tell me - I found a long stick that had broken off the sand dune foliage, and was able to gradually push him back into water that was deep enough for him to swim away. 

Once we reached the main beach, we all went for a swim in the ocean. Tony had a quick dip then walked back home with Luna, the rest of us swam for a bit longer. Amelie did really well in the waves that were a bit rougher than she's used to and the rest of us really loved being in the ocean again. We played for a while in the small puddles of water made by the waves on the flatter sand, then walked back over to the lake. Caitlin and I rinsed off in the lake although the sandy bottom was a bit slimy, covered in swan poo. As we headed back over the footbridge we saw there was a cleaner area we could have swum in - maybe next time.

Back to camp and we all had a shower in our little ensuite and relaxed for a while. The kids and I played cards (Kaboom) and Tony had a nap then read his book. Later in the afternoon Caitlin and I walked into town to go to an op shop - I needed a shirt with sleeves that I could wear over my swimmers, and Caitlin needed a new bikini top. We walked a long way and found the op shop closed early when we arrived. We popped into Target instead and I got a shirt, and then some food for dinner from Woolworths. The others met us back at the playground near the footbridge, we played for a while then went and got some ice cream. We sat outside the shop and enjoyed our ice cream then wandered back to camp.

Tony cooked sausages on the bbq for an early dinner. We were all pretty tired after our long walk. Caitlin took Luna for another walk along the lake edge, and we all had an earlyish night.