Holiday

Merimbula is an absolutely magnificent piece of coastline and ideal family holiday location. Dotted with glistening lakes and ocean beaches, it’s very easy to soak up the sun-filled days with swimming, playing in the sand and long, tranquil walks. And soak them up we did. The weather was perfect, not too hot, not too cold and not a drop of rain to be seen. My daughter delighted in jumping in the waves just as much as she did in paddling through the shallows of the lakes. There was plenty of opportunity for building sandcastles, burying toys and covering Mum’s and Dad’s toes in sand as well.

For Mum and Dad we took the idea of relaxation to its full heights, well as much as you can with an active toddler. There was lots of sitting on the deck, watching the ocean and indulging in a cold beverage or two, or three. We also enjoyed many walks along shorelines, by riverbanks and within national parks (with child happily seated in her backpack – for most of the time anyway).

It was also a fantastic spot for our daughter to check out some of the local wildlife (no, I don’t mean the kiteboarders and windsurfers). We hand-fed parrots and a kookaburra that decided to visit our cabin, although our toddler thought it much funnier to watch the seagulls fighting over the scraps. We also saw goannas in the national park and dolphins and seals during a cruise. I won’t mention any more about the cruise though. Okay, I will. That was the only lowlight of our adventure. An hour and a half out to sea we discovered she gets seasick. There was no vomiting but she screamed her lungs out for an hour straight. I felt so sorry for her, but also for the poor passengers on board with us. I never expected it, especially because she’s been on boats before.