It’s been a looooong recovery from my stomach bug, but last week wasn’t all cramps and misery. I was lucky enough to spend five days of my convalescence in the most beautiful part of the world – Fingal Bay.
And I had great company too.
My fellow travellers included two sisters I’ve known (literally) since they were born more than five decades ago, my sister and a few good mates from my teen years.
As fate would have it, two of my sister’s friends married two of my friends, further entwining our relationship with each other and those around us.
And we all gathered at Fingal Bay for a holiday that included four sisters, various partners and a gaggle of adult children.
A few couples have been holidaying together at Fingal since 2014. We joined them for a weekend a few years ago, but this was supposed to be our first full week with the gang and I was keen to be there on the first night for sunset drinks on the beach.
But my stomach bug – a blocked sewerage pipe – had very different ideas.
Instead we arrived on Easter Sunday evening after the big drive north. Fingal Bay tricks you by being an unexpectedly long way from Sydney. After you turn off the freeway it’s at least another hour’s drive to get there.
After sunset, we gathered on our friends’ holiday apartment balcony for a group dinner, then I retired to bed early, where I slept fitfully due to being in recovery mode from my virus.
After much tossing and turning, I eventually curled up on the sofa in the living room, where I was discovered by my sister at dawn.
She was on her way to One Mile Beach for a swim and I jumped to my feet to join her. The water was gorgeous and it was such a lovely way to start the day, but I was a bit blurry and very glad to head back to the couch for a rest afterwards.
Other highlights of our trip included posing for an Insta-style photo in a famous rockpool in Boat Harbour (we had the place all to ourselves!), exploring a wild spot called Rocky Cauldron, walking around the base of Mount Tomaree and snorkelling near Nelson Bay.
One morning we watched local fishermen at work during the annual mullet run. The mullet run typically occurs from April to May, when massive schools migrate along the coastline. Nets are thrown into the water and dragged back to shore by 4WDs, filled with flapping fish.
They told my sister they use every single part of the fish – even the scales, which are used to make paint.
(The mullet run also attracts its fair share of sharks, with a few alarms going off during our holiday …. eeek!)
While I wasn’t really into eating during our visit, we did enjoy delicious prawn rolls at the Shoal Bay Country Club for our last lunch before heading home.
And on our last night we gathered at Barry Park for a toast to a great holiday.
On our final morning, DD and I took a quick spin to the southern end of Fingal Beach, waved goodbye to my sister from the hillside before making our way reluctantly back to Sydney.
I would 10 out of 10 would recommend a visit to Port Stephens. Such a gorgeous spot, filled with natural beauty. We can’t wait to return. I just hope to be in better form next time – there were so many adventures I didn’t get the chance to have.
Song of the day: Cliff Richard “Summer holiday”
housegoeshome 
Leave a comment