Anna Bay

I left the mountains and headed to the beach and hoped for better weather. And that is what I got. For the most part. After 2 trains and a bus, I arrived at my hostel in Anna Bay. The hostel was tucked away and not really close to anything. Since it was the only option I really had within my budget, I'm glad it was a nice place. Very reminiscent of Southeast Asia. They had structures throughout the property with paths through the jungle, or bush I should say. They also had the mosquitos. I thought I had escaped them for a bit. But due to all the rain and flooding in the area, they were out in full force. Fortunately all toilets were flushable.

Path to my room.

After settling in, I walked to the nearby Samurai Beach, about a mile away. I cut through a campsite and made my way through the bush, and eventually over lots of sand dunes to the beach. Unfortunately the sun was setting not on the water, so I didn't actually see the sunset. But I did see a naked guy. Yes, I did. The beach was pretty deserted and a guy had driven by me to one end of the beach. I was walking around taking photos and happen to glance over at one point and saw nakedness. I had to look again to be sure, very quickly, and definitely saw tan lines. It was getting a little late, and the sun was going down, so I wasn't sure the purpose of being naked at that time of day, but I won't judge. I decided it was time to head back before it got too dark, or before I got caught staring. As I was exiting the beach area, I did see a sign that said it was a nude beach. Hence the nakedness.

Clothing optional.

I met some people at the hostel and found that this was a popular place for Australians as well. There were people away for the weekend and on vacation with their families. I met an Australian guy who actually had a car and offered to drive me around the next day to check out the Nelson Bay area. In true Australian hospitality. We got some breakfast in Shoal Bay, hiked a little in Fingal Bay to check out the views of Fingal Split and Island, made our way back to One Mile Beach to swim for a bit, and then lastly to check out Soldier's Point and Salamander Bay. A pretty good day exploring the area. 

Checking out Fingal Bay.

For dinner, I hopped on the bus with a couple of girls from Scotland, and got some fish and chips in Nelson Bay. We hung out and had a couple of drinks, including some hipster beer. I called it an early night and headed back to the hostel via the last bus. They are pretty infrequent, I was tired, and I wasn't prepared to pay for a taxi back to the hostel. 

Fish, chips, and hipster beer.

The following day, I mixed up the day with some beach time and some exploration. This German girl was staying in my room, and we headed to One Mile Beach together. The day was gorgeous and as we made our way through the sand dunes, we could see it would be an incredible day. The day before was a good day for exploring since it was a bit overcast, but this particular day was a great beach day.

Sand dunes in Anna Bay.

And the water was clearing up. After all that rain, the water was a bit murky, But not so much any more. The water was a bit cold at first, but once you were in, it was so refreshing. The beach and water reminded me a lot of home. Just the landscape was different. I'm used to long stretches of beach. Here, the coastline is full of small bays, most of them with sand, but not all. The various points between the bays are typically pretty rocky and depending on the tide, could be a bit dangerous. The waves were a lot of fun, but the bay is pretty shallow, about waist high, for a good ways and where the waves broke.

The Tasman Sea.

After a few hours, we decided to go check out Worimi Regional Park, a crazy landscape of just sand. It was pretty incredible. You felt like you were in the desert. Until you look off to the left and see the Tasman Sea. They do camel rides and sand boarding. I already rode a camel, so didn't need to do it again. I thought about doing the sand boarding, but we really didn't have time. I was on the fence about doing it, so was ok either way.

Endless sand.

We hit up the grocery store and got on the next bus to Nelson Bay. Since I arrived in Sydney, I've been using my Opal card, which sometimes is pretty expensive getting around, and other times not so much. I was able to use that to get to the Blue Mountains and Nelson Bay which is good. But traveling around Sydney, you can quickly use up the daily max of $15. But on Sundays, you pay $2.50 AUD, and get to ride as many times as you want. We were strategic in planning our day this way.

We got to Nelson Bay and walked through the marina and walked along the water to Inner Light, a lighthouse according to my map. The walk was pretty nice and we shared an Australian golden ale we we hiked along. After some beaches and a pretty steep hill, we reached the lighthouse. Or I should say light cottage. It wasn't what we expected at all. 

Light cottage.

But we got some great views of the surrounding area, so it wasn't a complete loss.

Yacaaba Headland in the distance.

We headed back to the bus stop, grabbed some Australian shiraz, and went back to the hostel. The hostel hosted ice cream night, so I chatted with some of the other guests. A lot of them were there with their children, which is a little different from the last hostel's vibe, but nice. It's a good place to camp out for a week. I stayed up a bit too late chatting, but got in a quick phone call to my sister and dad before heading to bed since they were just waking up. 

The following morning I spent a couple of hours at the beach swimming and climbing sand dunes. I then had to leave and head back to Sydney. But not before I met a guy and his cute daughter named Nirvana. Yes, Nirvana. But apparently not after the band. 

Climbing sand dunes.

My trip back was pretty uneventful and I took one last ferry ride across to North Sydney to stay with Brian and his family. I got to meet his wife and kids, and watch some of the Golden Globes (but after I already knew who won). The next morning I headed to the airport to hit up the next country. But no worries, I'll be going back to Australia soon enough to explore Melbourne and visit an old high school friend. 

Very helpful departure signs at the Sydney airport.

Off to New Zealand for a couple of weeks.