on a mission (beach)

mission beach - wongaling beach

flights to cairns

virgin australia - good deals $245-$265 one way deals

car hire - cairns airport

round trip with the usual suspects - compare prices at vroomvroom

sugarland car rentals has offices in cairns and mission beach, and lets you drive point to point

(there is a $50 drop off fee either way but that's still cheaper than keeping a car for a week to 10 days)

south from cairns mission beach

article, divine mission, in the age/smh, 4 july 2010

wongaling beach, about 5 km south of mission beach village

44 koda st, mission beach is a compound of 6 cottages, a few of which are available for rental

5/44 Koda Street, WONGALING BEACH

ka-koda 6, 6/44 koda st mission beach

one of 6 bungalows offering a carefree, relaxed atmosphere on a shoestring budget ($120 a night for 3 nights)

dixon's beach house

94 kennedy esplanade, south mission beach ($120 a night for 3 nights) absolute beach front holiday house

the holiday accommodation site that lists this house has photos showing mission beach the morning after cyclone yasi, and several weeks later - showing the signs of recovery

the best way for them to recover is for tourists to return to town, Recovering after Yasi but 'open for business'.

locals have launched something called the butterfly project to help attract tourists, Mission Beach to spread its wings with joy

Mission Beach is a butterfly haven and the community have always talked about butterfly trails for visitors and things like that...The Butterfly Project will see hundreds of handcrafted butterflies hanging from trees, letterboxes, fences, anywhere visible from the road.

it's a lovely idea

mission beach backs on to a national park and there are lots of walking tracks in the area.the licuala state forest is home to the ulysses butterfly, which is an incredible iridescent blue

there's a

water taxi to dunk island but dunk island was badly hit by the cyclone and isn't in any shape to host day-trippers or resort guests.

visit the babinda boulders 68 km south of cairns

although they are haunted by aboriginal legend

swimming up and down

since i realised sydney (and nsw) have ocean baths, i've wanted to spend a summer swimming up and down the suburbs (and eventually the coast)

this blog, Swim Sally, Swim was part of my inspiration -

Northern beaches

I have a hope of house-sitting in the northern beaches (I know one or two possibilities) and spending a week catching buses and swimming up and down the ocean beaches located here (Google maps is missing a few)

 A handy checklist of pools and their facilities


Fairy Bower, Manly


This magical little rock pool is perfect for kids and is graced by two sculptures known as the Oceanids. It is situated on the cove of Shelly Beach, so the water is always calm. Fairy Bower is one of a few pools which have a pump system that draws sea water into the pool. Take the ferry over to Manly and follow the path from the Corso around to Shelly Beach.

The enchanting, triangular Fairy Bower Pool was built by locals, for locals, in 1929. It's located alongside Marine Parade, between Manly and Fairy Bower. Adding to the magic are sculptor Helen Leete's Oceanides (also known as the 'Manly Sea Nymphs'), two curving creatures on the pool's edge. When the surf's up, they look a bit like dancing aquatic spirits. Try taking a dip at sunrise, sunset or even after-dark.


Freshwater Rock Pool (50 m)

Warringah council maintains 6 rock pools in the area, and this one is situated at the northern end of Freshwater Beach. It’s a 50m lap pool, perfect for kids who want a proper swim without the size constraints of many rock pools and without the waves and traffic of the ocean. Similar to Newcastle’s Bogey Hole, it has the structure and security of a man-made pool but with all the gorgeous scenery and natural elements of the beach.

North Curl Curl (25 m)

Curl Curl's exposed, east-southeast position makes it one of Sydney's most exciting but dangerous beaches. The southerly swell surges in, driving waves to heights of 1.5 metres or more and powering hazardous rips. Lap up all the action from the safety of the North Curl Curl Rock Pool. Carved out in the mid-1930s, it has a natural floor and rocky platforms for sunbaking (slip, slop, slap, please). At high tide, access is only available via coastal walkway.
 

Dee Why (50 m)

Dee Why Rockpool is perfectly located right near the promenade along the beach. With natural sandstone and concrete walls, this 50 metre pool has a special toddler area. It’s well maintained with plenty of shallow water for splashing around. There are toilets and showers close by.

Queenscliff (50 m)

Collaroy (50 m)

North Narrabeen (50 m)

Mona Vale (30 m)

Newport (50 m)

Bilgola Rockpool (50 m)

Bilgola Beach forms the floor of a steep coastal valley. It's one of the Northern Beaches' most secluded spots. For an adventurous walk in, take the South Bilgola Headland Walk, which starts at Newport Beach, winding its way through tea trees, bottlebrushes, paperbarks, casuarinas and cabbage tree palms. Alternatively, park just off The Serpentine. You'll find the eight-lane, 50-metre rockpool at the beach's southern end, affording spectacular views of the 60-metre-high Bilgola North Headland.

Avalon

Whale Beach (25 m)

Palm Beach Rockpool (50 m)

My favourite pool: Palm Beach rockpool, NSW (Guardian) 

The Barrenjoey Breakers prepare to dive off Palm Beach Rock pool

 My Love Affair with Sydney’s Ocean Pools (Live Life Twice blog)


 Pittwater's Ocean Beach Rock Pools: Southern Corners Of Bliss - A History (Pittwater Online News)


 The Ten Best Ocean Pools in Sydney (Concrete Playground)


 Gallery: Rock pools of Sydney (Australian Geographic)

South of South Head

open to new experiences

in 2017, it would be good to try a new cheap eatery once a week

here are a few to try ...

Spiral Beans 539 Plenty Road, Preston	NORTH Japanese Yin Yang cooking V, GF, raw, local Mon-Fri 8am-3pm Sat & Sun  9am-4pm Dinner Tues-Sun 5.30-9.30pm
Laksa King 6-12 Pin Oak Crescent, Flemington	WEST Malaysian laksa and hawker style Only closed Christmas Day Happy Hour 5-6.30pm
Wonderbao  4/19-37 A'Beckett Street, Melbourne	CBD Taiwanese bao - steamed bun Fried silky tofu gua bao
Martha Ray's 85 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy	inner NORTH Casual cafe fare eg Breakfast Roll Omelette with Donati’s Streaky Bacon and our House Made Tomato Pickle, Or Vegetarian Style
The Grand Trailer Park Taverna  87 Bourke St, Melbourne	CBD American burgers
Radio Mexico 2A Mitchell Street, Northcote	NORTH Fresh Mexican
Thaiger Shop 16, The Walk Arcade 8 Causeway Lane	CBD Thai style burgers "POU-NIM" BLACK BURGER Crispy softshell crab, granny smith Asian slaw, caramelised onion, capsicum, lettuce, Thaiger Mayo and tangy dressing
GAMI chicken & beer 100 Lt Lonsdale Street, Melbourne / Shop G, 535 Lt. Lonsdale St (Healey's Lane), Melbourne 370 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy 78A Acland Street, St Kilda 840 Glenferrie Road. Hawthorn	CBD NORTH EAST SOUTH Korean style fried chicken
The Dojo Ramen Bar 333 High Street, Northcote	NORTH Ramen, & tempura JFC- famous recipe karaage fried chicken  Tempura Butterfly tiger prawns/Seasonal vegetables
Göz City 50 Lonsdale Street (Madame Brussels Lane), Melbourne	CBD Gozleme
Moroccan Soup Bar 183 St Georges Road, North Fitzroy - also Moroccan Deli-cacy, 313 Lygon St, Brunswick East	inner NORTH soup - vegetarian no alcohol on site
Jinda Thai 1-7 Ferguson St, Abbotsford	inner EAST Thai including pork meat balls - a secret family recipe - with a pepper and garlic sauce food is great, service not so much - visit when relaxed and happy
Delhi Streets 22 Katherine Place, Melbourne	CBD Indian street food
Hawker Hall 98 Chapel St, Windsor	SOUTH Malaysian and Singapore style hawker market dishes
Jemima's Southern Fried Chicken 202 High Street, Northcote	NORTH southern fried chicken! delivery available but better to walk up the hill and back
Otsumami 257 High St, Northcote	NORTH Kani-age - deep fried soft shell crab marinated in soy, mirin, ginger & garlic the gyoza are good too
HuTong Dumpling Bar 14-16 Market Lane, Melbourne	CBD Chinese dumplings
Babajan 713 Nicholson Street, Carlton North	inner NORTH Turkish cuisine   Breakfasts include Almond Keskul (pudding) with cranberry and almond granola, seasonal berries and Trout Spanakopita. Lunch includes BBQ Lamb Kofte with white bean piyaz salata (and many of the breakfast items). There are also "Ottolenghi-esque" salads at the counter
Dr Morse Bar & Eatery 274 Johnston Street, Abbotsford	inner EAST fancy pub food sustainably sourced, and there's a big beer garden
The Moor’s Head Rear 744 High Street, Thornbury	NORTH "inauthentic" (Middlie Eastern pizza)
Green Refectory 115 Sydney Road Brunswick	NORTHWEST cafe, with all day breakfast and comfort food The "'breakfast stack' is bacon, tomato and haloumi topped with spinach, basil and a poached egg all piled on top of potato patty the size of a cloud and surrounded by a moat of tomato relish that tastes like it was preserved by people who've been living off the grid for decades" (The Thousands) They also have a selection of freshly baked cakes, including pavlova
Loop Roof Level 3, 23 Meyers Place, Melbourne	CBD standard bar food - sliders, chips, popcorn oysters ... all with a view
Simply Spanish 116 Cecil St, South Melbourne (South Melbourne market)	SOUTH best paella in Melbourne (and the non-Spanish world, September 2016)
Sourdough Kitchen 172 Victoria Street, Seddon	WEST bakery specialising in sourdough breads (and croissants), pastries, sausage rolls, pies, plum jam donuts
Olympic Doughnuts 51 Irving St, Footscray (Footscray Station)	WEST hot jam doughnuts have been sold by Nick Tsiligiris from his iconic van since 1979.
Cornershop 9 Ballarat Street, Yarraville	WEST across the street from the Sun Theatre, and they serve ricotta hotcakes!
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