Beachcombing at The Farm

Wasn’t the long weekend gorgeous? Such lovely weather around my way.

After spending Sunday lazing on the couch, I giot active on Monday with the youngest.

We drove to a place called Killalea Beach in Shellharbour. Except no one calls it that. It’s known as The Farm and it got its name in the 1960s because the only way people could access the beach was by paying a fee to walk or drive through a working farm.

It’s a spectacular spot. So fabulous, in fact, that it was named the best beach in NSW and second best beach in the country on Tourism Australia’s Best Australian Beaches list for 2024. Coincidentally, the Best Australian Beaches list is curated each year by a bloke called Brad Farmer!

The Farm is also regarded as one of the state’s best sites for surfing and was formally declared the Killalea National Surfing Reserve in 2009.

As Brad describes it: “The Farm at Killalea Regional Park covers 250 hectares and is home to remnant rainforest, a scenic lagoon and many endangered flora and fauna.

“It still enjoys a natural, development free panorama from the foreshore and waves, which is what makes it unique.”

The youngest and I walked about 10,000 steps through the rainforest, past the lagoon, along Mystics Beach and up some very steep stairs back to the carpark.

Such a nice way to spend the day and burn some calories before lunch.

We rounded out our adventure with a trip to the Waterfront Tavern in Shellharbour for lunch. I enjoyed my steak with bernaise sauce, chips and salad, while the youngest tucked into salt and pepper squid.

It was wonderful to get a few hours with the youngest. We don’t see too much of each other these days due to her working every weekend.

I was very sad to hug her and head home, but I was also grateful for our time together. Hope you had a good weekend too.

Song of the day: Vance Joy “Riptide”