I was invited to do a whole day iPad training session at a school in Batehaven, which was pretty exciting for me. Liz and I have been talking for a couple of years about the possibility of moving south, getting away from Penrith and buying a place with a little bit of property. I know… call us Treechangers, or Seachangers or whatever. It’s more than a pipe dream, because we’ve talked a little bit about funding it, and we’re planning to look at locations later this year, but not a lot more. So, begin asked to drive the four hours down from Penrith to Batehaven sounded like a fantastic chance to have a look around. Serendipity.
My first thought was that our instincts are right on the money. I left on a Monday afternoon, heading south as the sun was setting. It had been a clear, if cold, day in Sydney, and it was beautiful to see the sun setting behind the hills, and flashing through the trees as I drove south. The traffic gradually thinned out as I headed past Picton and then Wollongong, and soon I was alone on the winding roads and tree-lined hills. As far as driving goes, it’s great fun. Lots of steep descents and climbs, overtaking lanes, and enough curves and twists to make you think about what you were doing – and barely a motorway in sight.
It was full dark by the time I made it to Batehaven, and I felt I was almost alone in the world, accompanied only by the bobbing yachts as i drove through the town. I checked in at a local motel. The morning – just the morning – made the whole trip worthwhile. I can’t sleep well in motels, so I was up early and I could walk across to the beach to take a photo of the sunrise. It was cold, and the grass crunched under my boots and the frost created a crystalline pattern across cars’ windscreens.