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R & R in Jervis Bay

Our first two days in Jervis Bay were ones of enforced rest and relaxation as a change arrived bringing rain and showers. Huskisson is a good place to be if it is rainy and you have only your feet for transport. For a small town, it has a vibrant centre with an interesting mix of old and new architecture. Coffee shops with outdoor tables give the main street a cosmopolitan air, while the Husky Pub and the quaint little weatherboard cinema are a reminder of times past. We spent one rainy afternoon watching a movie in the red velvet interior of the cinema. Rain also gave us the chance to bring websites up to date, check on emails and finish off a good book.

When the sun returned, we decided to go on a dolphin watching cruise. It was interesting in that it gave us a good feel for the size of Jervis Bay with its 60 plus km of shoreline and we were able to get close to the spectacular cliffs of Point Perpendicular at the northern entrance to the bay. Unfortunately, the Jervis bay dolphin pod did not feel like cooperating with the tour operators and remained elusive. It also reminded me of the angst I feel in mass tourism situations – it seemed very alien to the overall concept of our trip. That afternoon we went down to one of the pleasant white sand beaches to laze on the beach, swim and snorkel around a nearby reef at Tallapa Point – simpler pleasures are always the best.

The 100m vertical cliff of Point Perpendicular and its lighthouse

Late afternoon on Huskisson Beach

One difficulty of a walking trip is a restriction in mobility. Booderee National Park has been one of our favourite places for a long time, but the Bherwerre peninsula on the southern shores of Jervis Bay extends out too far for a simple day walk. However, it was Sea Week and Pro Dive in Huskisson was offering guided snorkelling trips as part of this. We took a trip with them out to Murray's Beach, a beautiful isolated spot at the eastern end of Booderee. The minibus passed through areas of the Park that had been burnt in the devastating bushfires of last summer – it was sad to see the burnt out camp ground at Greenpatch – a place with special memories of camping with family and friends when we were younger. Fortunately, the area immediately around Murray's Beach had not been affected and the serenity of the place was still present.

Murray's Beach - Booderee National Park

Jervis Bay is also a Marine National Park and, despite the relatively large swell, the snorkelling was great; we were guided over reefs, kelp and sea grass beds, harbouring fish species of varying shapes and sizes, rays, a wobbegong shark and, best of all, the elusive dolphin pod paid us a personal visit. Nello, being a much better swimmer than I, powered ahead and could hear the dolphins communicating underwater as they passed within 10 m of her. Slower and deafer, I could but share her pleasure.

We actually saw the dolphins on every day except the one for which we paid to have that privilege. Were they trying to teach us a lesson?

Snorkelling on the reef

Wobbegong hiding in kelp bed

Sea anemones

Nudibranch grazing on seaweed

Jervis Bay sunset


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