Only four weeks to go until our big trip up north, so we decided to head down to the Mornington Peninsula for a couple of nights to work out the final details of what we're going to need to stay comfortable with every convenience, whilst getting used to have b***** all storage space.
My mum's aunt had a holiday house at Blairgowrie and we used to stay at least once a year up until our early 20's. We used to walk through the campground at the bottom of Stringer Rd on the way to the beach and I always wished we could stay right on the beach.
For a fantastic $40 per night for a powered site, we woke up looking at the water. Whilst the weather wasn't fantastic, we still managed to have several walks on the beach and the kids played in the shallows in low tide.
There's so much to do around the area, we could have spent an extra couple of days exploring. A highlight was morning tea at Sorrento Fine Food for a taste of their "World Famous Vanilla Slice" - super rich and creamy, and I had the $8 lemon curd tart which was awesome. The kids loved their little cupcakes too. Thoroughly recommend it - however expect a fairly hefty bill. Worth it for a special treat.
We drove down to Sorrento Back Beach to look at the man-made large rock pool with a great ledge for jumping in. Somehow it looks a lot smaller now. Can't wait to come back here when the weather is a bit more inviting.
Friends, Emma and David, with their daughter Amber came down and joined us for lunch and it was wonderful to see the kids all having a splash.
Dinner on one night at the Portsea Pub was ok though nothing special. There was a big wedding reception on which was highly amusing to say the least - everyone frocked up in their tightest bulging tafeta frocks and suits with sneakers. The best part about that Pub is the great lawn overlooking the bay (beach is now closed off as invariably non-existent). Various kids had a wonderful time tumbling down the slope.
Back at camp we met a lovely couple next door who had a boat/caravan all rolled into one. They'd spent 5 weeks last year cruising the Hawkesbury and gave me a guided tour of their vessel. I must say I'm looking forward to meeting many other interesting people on our journey.