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Stage 12 - Sussex Inlet to Swan Lake

Having crossed Sussex Inlet we entered unchartered territory – this was a part of the coast that we did not know at all. Sussex Inlet is a quiet attractive town and, like many of the coastal villages we had passed through, had an old section, still with many original fibro beach shacks, and a new section of modern large brick houses. In this case they lined a series of canals, each with its own private mooring. We contemplated the transition of the “beach house” from a simple shelter for repose from fishing, swimming and other “beach” activities to a personal statement of style or size. Perhaps this has happened as our generation of baby boomers looks to retirement and sees the coast as a more permanent residence rather than a place to visit on weekends.

Cana estate at Sussex Inlet

Early morning tranquility

We left the village and passed through a kilometre wide stretch of old high dunes, covered with coastal forest. Descending the last dune we trekked down the soft golden sand of Cudmirrah Beach. The high dune backdrop, steep slope of the beach, big surf and stormy skies gave it a wild and isolated feel. Human presence was insignificant in this place.

....
From what far shore did this
barnacle encrusted coconut come?

Cudmirrah Beach

Approaching storm

Dunes of Cudmirrah

Swanless Swan Lake

Eventually we came to a gap in the dunes that led into the even smaller village of Cudmirrah, nestled between the surf and the quiet waters of Swan Lake. But something was amiss – had they got the name of the lake wrong? Not a single long-necked black bird was to be seen on the lake, not even a tutu-clad corps de ballet. We suspected that all the black swans might have flown to Lake Woolumboola for the swanfest we had witnessed a week earlier.

Rainbow lorikeet feasting on eucalyptus blossoms

With the threat of rain, we spent the next day at Swan Lake, exploring the shores of the lake, the fossil-rich rocks at the base of Berrara Headland, and being entertained on our deck by those colourful clowns of the bird world, rainbow lorikeets, as they feasted on pollen and nectar in the eucalypt blossoms above our cabin or visited us in the hope of a less natural hand-out. A rich bird life is one of the pleasures of the South Coast.

The clowns

The tentative

The inquisitive

The imperious


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