Escape from the city to Nelligen

Having downsized to a small Sydney unit, retirees Noni and Stewart are feeling restless. They're keen to find a coastal home which caters to their passions and has ample space for the family to come and visit.

They checked out our beautiful South Coast, and where did they end up buying? In Nelligen, of course! - or more specifically, at 16 Currowan Street in Nelligen.

Hamptons-inspired? Last time I looked, Nelligen was a long way from the upmarket seaside area on New York's Long Island

And what's the best thing about the property? Well, it's just a few hundred metres, as the pelican flies, across the river from "Riverbend":

(Just kidding; the property also has ample under-the-house storage space for Stewart's stuff :-)

To watch the whole episode on ABV TV's iview, click here, then from the next page click on this image of Noni and Stewart.

Noni and Stewart with presenter Del Irani

(If you don't want to waste your time at Malua Bay or Congo but escape straight to Nelligen, fastforward to around 32:40).

A three-hour escape

The Boatshed is almost an institution in the Bay - a culinary rather than a mental one - and we went there for a meal of oh-so-freshly-caught grenadier with salad and chips, and also to check out the "Escapade" which our Sydney friends Tong and Suzanne will board next weekend for a three-hour cruise on the Clyde River.

I've offered Tong my Seniors Card for the $45 concession fare which should be okay as long as he answers to the name of "Manfred" in a German accent, and doesn't mention the war.

Anyway, we will hoist the flag and await their passing at "Riverbend" at a quarter to one as we sit on the verandah and raise our glasses filled with "Chateau Cardboard" in a royal toast.

PNG's Independence Day 16 September

 

It was in the dying days of 1974 when I received an urgent telegram from TOTAL - Compagnie Française des Pétroles to fly to what was then called Burma to take up a new position as chief accountant in their exploration office in Rangoon.

I was at the time working in the Territory of Papua & New Guinea, putting the finishing touches on Air Niugini's internal audit department, as the country was hurdling towards independence the following year. When the then Chief Minister Michael Somare - soon to be Sir Michael and Prime Minister of the independent country of Papua New Guinea - heard of my impending departure, he expressed his regrets that I wouldn't be there for this momentous occasion. "However," he said, "the least we can do is make our Independence Day the same as your birthday."

And so it came to pass that my birthday and Papua New Guinea's Independence Day are celebrated on the same day each year.

P.S. Of course, if you believe this, you'll probably spend the rest of your life doing a convincing impression of a cabbage! ☺

 

Of course, I couldn't resist photographing them

 

I discovered these prints pinned to the wall of a home in the Bay. Could I resist photographing them? Of course, I couldn't! All I have to do now is track down where they came from and if there are any more of them.

 

Nelligen and the Clyde on YouTube

A random collection of YouTube video clips of Nelligen and the Clyde River
(although not by me as I own neither a video camera nor a drone)

Drone Flight Over Nelligen

Etta cruising the Clyde River at Nelligen

Nelligen video postcard

Litchi Waypoint flight over Nelligen

Nelligen Clyde River - Early morning drone flight over houseboats

Clyde River at Nelligen

Big4 Nelligen Holiday Park

Wotz @ Nelligen

Up and down the Clyde River ...

... which is famous for its oysters:

And then there are always the upper reaches of the Clyde River. 'Pristine' is the word you're looking for:

Don't forget to take a cruise on the Clyde all the way up past "Riverbend" to Nelligen:

And just 8km or an easy ten-minute drive down the Kings Highway is Batemans Bay ...

At Innes Boatshed in the Bay:

... and the rest of the unspoilt South Coast:

 

And, as a finale, here's the full-length movie "Oyster Farmer", filmed on the Hawkesbury River north of Sydney rather than the Clyde, which is a pity as the Clyde is so much cleaner and more scenic than the Hawkesbury. Anyway, enjoy the story!

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A hot air bnb in Nelligen (I've got no idea where to put the hyphen)

 

Our not-so-old Chinese friend is coming down to Nelligen again. We always offer him our guest cottage to stay in but Tong prefers to be a bit more 'up-market'. While on past occasions he's been slumming it in Room 101 of the Esplanade in Batemans Bay, we're trying to convince him that a stay in the country is even better.

And how much better can it get than staying in Nelligen with a Chinese host? Wendy - that's the Chinese host although I bet she also has a more Chinese-sounding name - along Runnyford Road offers accommodation for couples as well as a beautifully fitted-out luxury caravan. The views from both these accommodation choices are something to die for (in which case the cemetery located directly across the road may also come in handy).

As Wendy explains, "澳大利亚新南威尔士洲(简称新洲)南海岸地区 - South Coast NSW - 地理位置在澳大利亚著名城市 - 悉尼的南部,与澳大利亚三大城市:悉尼,墨尔本和首都堪培拉三角形相接,距首都堪培拉1.5小时车程,距悉尼3.5小时车程,距墨尔本6.5小时车程｡美丽的新洲南海岸地理位置独特,她在澳大利亚东海岸线上的南端,把新南威尔士洲和维多利亚洲独特的海岸线风光上下连接贯穿一体,把澳大利亚海岸线上的森林风光与内陆的牧场景色和谐地交绘整合了起来｡如此绝妙的地理位置和极具代表性的风景环境,无论是天造还是人为,新洲南海岸都不愧为澳大利亚自然风光的荟萃地,是来澳度假观光的必到之地｡ 新洲南海岸地区属于海洋性气候,一年四季气候温和,湿度适中,阳光充足,天蓝草绿｡夏天,海洋性季风由东徐徐而来,很少有闷热低压潮湿的天气｡ 冬天,阳光明媚,日照充足,温暖如春,没有寒风酷雪,夜间最低温度也在冰点以上｡春秋,风和日丽,雨水适中,出门只见绿地不见风沙｡而且南海岸地区的森林覆盖率也是澳洲最高的,国家级自然保护公园比比皆是,利于长寿健康的负氧离子丰富,堪称天然氧吧｡如果说澳大利亚沿海地区的气候环境很适宜人类居住的话,那么新洲南海岸地区无疑是澳洲本地居民梦想的退休天堂和理想的休养度假地｡"

What more can I say?

 

P.S. The end of a dream: Wendy's B&B was one of a dozen houses in the Nelligen area that burnt down during the New Year's Eve bushfires in 2019:

The history of Nelligen

 

Click on images to enlarge

The above pages were taken from the excellent newsletter published by our local Batemans Bay Heritage Museum which is worth a visit and well worth supporting. If you wish to become a member, click here (... and if you are a bibliophile like me, you'll love their pre-loved bookshop!)

 

The History of the Corn Trail

 

Click on images to enlarge

The above pages were taken from the excellent newsletter published by our local Batemans Bay Heritage Museum which is worth a visit and well worth supporting. If you wish to become a member, click here (... and if you are a bibliophile like me, you'll love their pre-loved bookshop!)

 

Memories of a Nelligen childhood

 

Click on images to enlarge

The above pages were taken from the excellent newsletter published by our local Batemans Bay Heritage Museum which is worth a visit and well worth supporting. If you wish to become a member, click here (... and if you are a bibliophile like me, you'll love their pre-loved bookshop!)