If there’s one thing that Chris loves and misses doing, it’s being able to jump into a car and just drive. In Australia, it’s the norm to hit the road on a little road trip, and a couple of hours later there you are at a lovely location, usually either sprawling hills and countryside, or beachside.

And so he was really keen to getaway on a mini family holiday with just our little family of four. We seldom (never?) get to spend a significant amount of time (ie. days) alone together as a family unit, so I was really excited.

It was our FIRST holiday together alone as a family!

 

Happy to report that we managed it 😉 The kids were surprisingly well behaved, and slept for most of the ~3 hour ride there and back. I think both kids really loved the quality time and dedicated attention they got from both of us, and it was a really wonderful bonding experience for us. Makes me realise we should getaway on these mini family trips every so often, to connect as a family.

The location was Merimbula, a sleepy little beachside town with… errrr… pretty much nothing to do 😉 It was just what we wanted, as we were after a very laid back and quiet mini holiday.

We made a pit stop at the Bemboka Pie Shop, which is on the side of the road as you drive past from Canberra <–> Merimbula. The town it’s in (Bemboka) has a population of………….. 350. Yes, that’s how small towns can get in Australia!

The pie shop is a little hole-in-the-wall, and a place where Chris said his family always stopped by at. It’s small, dimly lit, and sells an assortment of pies and sweet pastries.

And OH BOY THE PIES ARE GOOD!

I thorougly enjoyed my steak, bacon and cheese pie. It was small, but satisfying. Soft buttery pastry enveloping tender chunks of steak and bacon bits, with a dollop of molten cheese in the middle.

Ahhhhh…………….

 

 

 

 

We arrived in Merimbula to perfect weather. It was all crystal clear blue skies and fluffy clouds, and beautifully warm. The boys had a terrific time outdoors, and we did much wandering around the town’s little main road and by the beach.

 

We stayed in a 3-bedroom apartment. It was a splurge, but we wanted the space. We’ve realised now that when we travel, we require either a suite, or an apartment. It’s because Hunter HAS to have his own room and bed at night, or he simply can’t settle to sleep. And we need ample space for (soon to be) two toddlers running all over the place.

This apartment fit the bill perfectly. It was two-storeys, and the kids had a ball lounging around. Especially in the morning! They had such great fun playing around it was hard to get them dressed and out the door 😛

 

 

 

 

 

 

The food at Merimbula was really good – surprisingly. I thought we’d be stuck with lots of meat pies and sausage rolls and fish & chips and all that regular junk food.. and was surprised to be proved wrong.

Granted, we pretty much only ate at 2 cafes the entire time, because they looked the best, had the best view, and were baby friendly 😉

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We did a stint at the beach since the day was warm and gorgeous. The water was a divine crystal turquoise and we thought it’d be fun for the 4 of us to hang out at the beach.

Hunter thought otherwise.

Chris plonked him down on the sand and Hunter was horrified. He didn’t like the texture and look of sand on his feet since he was a very young baby, and that has never changed no matter how many times he’s touched it. He just finds it….. awful. He refuses to move or walk in the sand, and will just stand there WAILING until one of us gives in and picks him up.

So yep, that’s exactly what happened. Chris resisted picking him up to try and get him de-sensitized and used to it, but nope… he stubbornly refused to walk and wailed miserably. Oh well!