Ang Kalatas Volume III August 2013 Issue | Page 20

20 |

THE MESSAGE. BRINGING INTO FOCUS FILIPINO PRESENCE IN AUSTRALIA. www.kalatas.com.au | Ang Kalatas Australia | Vol. 3 No. 11 | August 2013

HEALTH, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE

Seeking golden beaches – Lawrence Hargrave Drive
Last month we left you at Bald Hill eating a hotdog while watching paragliders suspended in the air from their elongated, elliptical shaped chutes. Looking southeast from Bald Hill, golden beaches were visible. In our search for a perfect swimming beach, or a secret ?shing spot, we wanted to see as many beaches as possible in one day. The ?rst one immediately visible was Stanwell Park Beach. It was so inviting, we hopped into the car, drove down Bald Hill, and within a few minutes, were looking up at the paragliders wafting about at Bald Hill, while we wiggled our toes in the yellow sand. Like kids high on lolly water, we hurriedly took photos and drove over to Sea Cliff Bridge. This well known 665 metre bridge that was crossed by 16,000 people on opening day, is protected from corrosion with an electric current. Not knowing that, we walked on it anyway. That buzz we felt must have been joy and elation, being on a one of a kind bridge. And just before the bridge was Coalcliff Beach. The locals surf here and this is a patrolled beach when the surf ’s up. Seeing the sign that says that there’s a drop-off, it seems to be a perfect spot to ?sh! A few minutes up the road and we pulled up at Clifton Beach. We couldn’t help but notice the headland that looked like a human head was about to bite a ship! Beautiful – more sand and blue skies! More photos! Feeling a bit thirsty, we drove on and stopped at

MITCHELL BADELLES
OUT N’ BACK

Scarborough Hotel at Scarborough. This is the sort of pub where people who drive red Lamborghinis and red Ferraris stop by. Our ashy Commodore looked nerdy next to it but we weren’t here to compare cars. Inside the hotel was the Matthew Gillett Art Gallery. The one that really caught our attention was Mai Nguyen-Long’s oil on canvas painting entitled, “Accumulation”. The explanation was mentally stimulating – “empty object hysteria”. Look well into the painting and see familiar things, and their meanings. Book in for The Scarborough Hotel’s weekly sunset dinners every Saturday. Ring 4267 5444 for a romantic getaway. If you’re blessed, the whales will cruise past while you’re there. And you do want to keep off their garden – you’ll fall off the cliff! If you’re cold, sit next to the ?replace. We felt like driving a little bit more and we ended up on Austinmer Beach. The deep colour of the golden sand and the azure sea was really elating. It’s really an inspiring sight when blue skies and an orange sunset combine to reassure that we do live in a wonderful part of the planet. And guess what! Plenty of parking! It takes about an hour to drive to Bondi Beach and about

erman Lone fish

at Clifton

beach, N

SW

(Stanwell park beach in foreground and Seacliff Bridge in background)

15 minutes to ?nd expensive parking. For the same amount of time, you can have golden sand, clean seas and blue skies without the nuisance of looking for parking. If you didn’t pack your picnic lunch, the shops are near the beach. It’s starting to get warmer now. You should pack the family into the car to go out ‘n back to Lawrence Hargrave Drive. Take along your ?shing gear and your swimmers. You might want to swim or go ?shing. Remember to take your camera. There are plenty of photo opportunities. Your Facebook photos will get plenty of likes and comments. Enrich your memory, or satisfy your soul. This is one trip that must be taken.