Mollymook News
editor Ken Banks
Plan a night of fun at the Mollymook Golf Club with all monies raised going to the StoryFest Schools program.
Details are: Thursday 16th March: Arrival 6.30 pm for a 7.00 pm start. See pic below for more information.
StoryFest Trivia Night
Guests recently stayed at Mollymook Beach Waterfront during January for three weeks. They loved eating out at our best restaurants, not once, but on many occasions experiencing the BEST that Mollymook Milton Ulladulla offer. They loved Gwylo, Small Town, the Rick Stein Restaurants, the Altar Bar and their surprise was Small Town Provisions. So impressed were they with their accommodation at Mollymook Beach Waterfront, on departure they gave the proprietors, Ken and June a ‘Gift Voucher’ to Small Town Provisions.
Ken and June were amazed, they took these following pics to illustrate the beautiful lunch they enjoyed, accompanied by fine wine at ‘Small Town Provisions’.
Food quality and service; 10/10
Address: 1/49 Wason Street, Milton NSW Web: Small Town Provisions
Salt Paprika Squid. Awesome!
Adventure swims along Narrawallee beach and Bannister Head are open to all Mollymook swimmers and friends. The setting is beautiful Narrawallee beach, clean water, protected, a great challenge with the possibility of seeing sea life in the clear waters.
Details are:
For more information contact Greg , Kathryn &/or Sue at the beach.
Up coming Narrawallee Adventure Swims, scheduled for March 2023
Dolphin display at Mollymook Beach
Tourist from Sydney staying at Mollymook posted their January 2023 review on Google mentioning the “gorgeous view of the ocean where we saw both surfers and dolphins riding the waves”. They enjoyed every minute of their stay, not only the beach but the many other places to visit in the surrounding areas on their trip as well as the fantastic local restaurants.
On departure, they wrote saying; Yes, we will definitely be back!
For an extensive list of things to do in the Mollymook, Milton Ulladulla area, click on the link: Destination Mollymook Milton Ulladulla
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Mollymook Ocean Swimmers, 2022-Ladies. (Pic credit Simone)
Sue writes; “After much excitement and anticipation the night had finally arrived : the Annual Girls Night Out for the Mollymook Ocean Swimmers. Despite not being the balmy summer’s evening one would expect the cool and blustery conditions did not dampen the spirits and fun of the nineteen happy partygoers.
A lovely night of chatter, laughter, reminiscences and friendship, enhanced by pizza and assorted cool drinks, was enjoyed by all gathered on Bannister Headland.
Meanwhile, on Narrawallee Headland the boys had gathered for a night to rival the girls festivities. Beer and wine flowed, enhanced by a terrific BBQ and salads supplied by the Hospitable Host Ian McLeod.
It is truly such a unique and special blessing to be a part of the Mollymook Ocean Swimmers – whether as a die-hard swimmer or as a friend or partner of these crazy year round swimmers. Nights like this bring it home and reflect the strong and enduring friendships amongst the swimmers.
Thank you and a Merry Christmas to all”.
ARTfest is a community event that celebrates the vibrant arts community in Milton Ulladulla. Resurrected this year after a two year hiatus due to covid, it also showcases the musical talent and great food and beverage venues we are so lucky to have. With many free and some ticketed events this is the longest ARTfest so far and gives locals and visitors a smorgasbord of arts experiences from which to choose.
The website has all the details and program brochures will be widely available in the coming week.
Web for more details: www.escapeartfest.com
Escape Artfest
Ken B., Mollymook Beach Waterfront: Editor for Mollymook News, Destination Mollymook Milton Ulladulla and Mollymook Ocean Swimmers
Raymond provides this invitation to the Milton, Ulladulla String Orchestra.
“Save the date: Sunday September 25, 2022 from 3.00pm to 4.00pm at St Martins Anglican Church, Ulladulla the locally formed ‘String Orchestra’ will hold their inaugural live performance”.
It will be followed by a lovely afternoon tea and opportunity to meet members of the orchestra. (A gold coin donation)
Ken B., Mollymook Beach Waterfront: Editor for Mollymook News, Destination Mollymook Milton Ulladulla and Mollymook Ocean Swimmers
Homeless file image
Swimming at the Ulladulla sea pool recently, just before dawn, I saw a couple exiting a 2-man tent. They packed their meagre belongings into an old pram and moved on. This was not the first time I had witnessed this in our local area.
As I reflect, I look back with disappointment that I didn’t reach out and offer some form of assistance.
Speaking with swimming friends, it seems I am not alone in my concern. One shared the story of regularly viewing homeless people appearing at the harbour, as the evening closes in. Others have related their experiences. In each case, the question is: What might we do to make a difference in the lives of these fellow locals?
Earlier this month there was an article in the Milton Ulladulla Times on the work that the ‘Safe Waters’ registered charity is doing for the increasing number of homeless people in our local area’. I consequently made contact with the ‘Safe Waters’ team at their facility in South Street, Ulladulla and got an update on their new ‘Highway Shelter’ nearing completion on the highway just south of the Ex-Servo’s.
I was so encouraged to see the range of local businesses and local people involved in supporting this charity. Some volunteered their time, others provided voluntary work via provision of their trade skills, others were/are giving financially, small and large.
It confirmed for me that the needs in our local community are real, and that the success of ‘Safe Waters’ is dependent on us, members of the local community being involved, however we can.
To this end, I encourage you to check the information (links below) and consider how we may be able to contribute according to our individual circumstances where possible to the work of Safe Waters.
Link to their web site: Safe Waters
The Board of Directors are people of integrity; Link: Board of Directors.
Link to their Achievements since opening.
For transparency, their ‘Charity Accreditation’ and ‘Annual Income/Expenditure’ can be seen on the Government ACNC web site.
Ken B., Mollymook Beach Waterfront: Editor for Mollymook News, Destination Mollymook Milton Ulladulla and Mollymook Ocean Swimmers
A big hello to everyone at home. Well, we are now in Coffs Harbour, on the downhill run to Narrawallee. We plan to be back at the end of the month, so keep that rain at bay. Not to rub it in, but we had 82 days straight with no rain and only hit a couple of hours of rain once we reached the Queensland Coast at Agnes Water/1770.
The highlights of the second half of the trip have been exploring the underground town of Coober Pedy; an interesting place both geologically and socially! Alice Springs and both the West MacDonnell and East MacDonnell Ranges were wonderful, although we arrived there just as the first “polar blast” hit so swims in the waterholes were not so enticing. The water in these waterholes was 19 degrees but the air temp left a bit to be desired! Magnificent scenery and breath-taking gorges of course.
We rode our bikes around the base of Uluru, and did the Valley of the Winds walk at Kata Tjuta/The Olgas. These were both really good, however the rim walk around Kings Canyon trumped them both. Another highlight of our time in Central Australia was seeing a herd of about a dozen wild camels, not to mention plenty of wedge tail eagles, brolgas, bustards and the ever present whistling kites.
A visit to Devils Marbles/Karla Karla en-route to Tennant Creek was fascinating, with so many large boulders weathered over time and giving the appearance of casually scattered marbles. From here we crossed back into Queensland and headed to one of our favourite places in Australia, namely Gregory Downs. This is an absolute oasis in the desert of the Gulf Country , complete with a gorgeous swimming river lined with pandanus and palm trees. The water here was an unbelievable 24.5 degrees. And no crocs, fresh or otherwise!!
Next we travelled across the middle of Queensland through Winton, Longreach and Emerald. At Winton we visited the billabong believed to have inspired Banjo Paterson’s Waltzing Matilda, a political piece really, commenting on the great Shearer’s Strike of 1891. Winton is also famous for the discovery of dinosaurs bones, we reckon our grandchildren would be fascinated to see these fossils and the signs of a fossilised dinosaur stampede! Along this route we also passed through the town of McKinlay, made famous by Crocodile Dundee and the Walkabout Hotel.
Longreach has both the Stockman’s Hall of Fame and the Qantas Museum. We spent a few interesting hours at the Stockman’s Hall and particularly loved the live show they put on with stock horses, dogs, sheep and even a Brahman bull. Very entertaining and informative. A sunset river cruise and bushman’s dinner was likewise enjoyable but we decided to save the Qantas Museum for next time.
Carnarvon Gorge was a further highlight of our travels, and we did a 27 km walk right through the gorge and up into each of the little side gorges. Amphitheatres, Aboriginal rock art, waterfalls, cycads, cabbage palms, moss covered walls, multiple river crossings…it had it all.
We eventually hit the Queensland coast at Agnes Water where Chris was hoping for a surf. The boards had been strapped to the back of the motorhome for nearly three months but alas, the ocean was a millpond! I can happily report that he has managed to get some decent waves here on the Coffs Coast and we head to Crescent Head next, then Seal Rocks, Newcastle and Cronulla so hopefully he returns home a happy surfer. As for ocean swimming, well, not a lot happening on that front. We will both be needing lessons when we return haha. We have done plenty of walking and many excellent bike rides, and I have done a couple of Park runs.
Well, that’s about all for now. We have missed you all and will be super excited to see all your smiling faces at the end of the month!!
Much love, Sue and Chris
Sue and Chris provide an update on their glorious trip together. They write: “We are currently on our way to Coober Pedy, so I thought it was about time to send a few photos and give an update on our trip this far.
Annette Chapman has been an integral member of the Southern Shoalhaven community for decades.
Her Fire & Rescue service of over 20 years has included prevention and training – conducting home fire safety checks for the elderly and disabled, visits to local organisations to deliver the fire safety message. Her dedication to volunteering with Surf Life Saving as an active patrol member, trainer, assessor and committee stalwart is second to none, her assistance and knowledge continues to ensure Mollymook SLSC is one of the most efficient and successful in NSW. Annette is an outstanding nomination for the South Coast Woman of the Year award and this is a well deserved accolade.
Shelley Hancock our local State Parliament member wrote: Annette Chapman is being celebrated with a Local Woman of the Year Award in recognition of the significant contribution she has made to the South Coast community and congratulated Annette on the honour, acknowledging her hard work for the region with an unflagging passion to make the South Coast a better place.
Minister for Women Bronnie Taylor congratulated the State’s Local Women of the Year Award recipients.
“These women are the backbone of their communities, volunteering their time and energy to make a positive difference,” she said.
“I would like to acknowledge their significant efforts to support their local communities and thank them for all the amazing work they do.”
The Local Woman of the Year Awards are one way the NSW Government celebrates the achievements of women as part of International Women’s Day on March 8 2022.
Annette Chapman (Pic used with permission)
Travelling Film Festival (TFF), the regional tour of Sydney Film Festival, will return to Ulladulla from 11—13 March 2022 at Arcadia Twin Cinemas. The program will showcase nine acclaimed feature films and two exceptional Australian short films, direct from last year’s Sydney Film Festival and other major international festivals.
Sami Kennedy-Sim to compete at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games (Pic credit: Sami’s web site)
2022 Beijing Winter Olympics: Sami Kennedy-Sim (our Mollymook connection with these winter Olympics) advised: “My competition date is February 17. I believe seeding is around 2:30pm and Finals at 5pm (Sydney time) but keep your eyes on the schedule via the Olympic Games Web site and 7Olympics (Channel 7). I will be travelling to Beijing on February 9th with my amazing support team. I am so proud to be in this position and I hope to do you all proud come race day – I will wave to you all on Channel 7!”
Channel 7 news announcement on January 22, 2022 quoted Sami; “I am so proud to have been selected to represent Australia at my third Olympic Games. Having an Olympics in a similar time zone to Australia means that I will feel connected with my friends and family – ski cross is on at prime time so I can’t wait to share this experience with everyone, I’m so excited.”
Sami’s family have a holiday home in Mollymook. I sent an email to Sami congratulating her on selection for this year’s 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games. She wrote back “Thank you for your warm wishes! It’s a very exciting time indeed! Have a swim for me (at Mollymook) – can you believe that I haven’t been in the water since last May! I even bought a new surfboard back in May 2021 and have surfed it once before everything went into lockdown when I was in the mountains!”
Sami’s web site link is: https://www.samikennedysim.com/ (Click on image below to enlarge for reading purposes)
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Waterbag Road, Mutawintji
Rescuing a lamb in trouble on the dirt road to Mutawintji
October 11, arrived allowing regional travel to begin. I immediately left Mollymook and travelled to the Mutawintji National Park. Exiting the sealed roads, you have about a 1 & 1/2 hour drive along the dirt Waterbag Road through numerous huge sheep stations, opening and closing cattle gates, other stations were separated merely by cattle grids en route to the Mutawintji National Park. Mutawintji is in Far Western NSW, approx. 130 km from Broken Hill and 350 km from Tibooburra. The ancient landscape of the Mutawintji National Park, is rich in Aboriginal history. Great bushwalks and camping under the outback night sky.
I returned via Boorowa. Every entry into Boorowa has signage; “Superb Parrot, Superb Country, Welcome to Boorowa”. In the past 30 years driving through Boorowa I had never seen a Superb Parrot. Neither had a friend who grew up in Boorowa. So I just thought the signage to be a bit of nice advertising. The weather was not good, I parked at the Caravan Park, awoke in the morning to showers and an overcast sky and decided to pack up and go home rather than stay a day. Then, SWOOSH! The noise of about 50 or 60 Superb Parrots went overhead and landed in this tree next to the caravan park that was heavy in blossom.
The following week in beautiful weather, blue skies, ideal for bird photography, I took off on another trip out West. My first stop was the Boorowa Caravan Park hoping to get some good pics of the Superb Parrot. The tree that had been heavy in blossom had been stripped bare. Not a Parrot to be seen. So I headed to Young, not far from Boorowa and came across flocks of Superb Parrot’s. Thereafter I headed to Grenfell, then Forbes, the following day to Cowra, back to Boorowa then onto Jugiong. Then to the Yass River and gorge area on the way home.
The following pics below, are just a few of the many bird pics taken. Nonetheless they will give you an idea of the different varieties inland as compared to here on the coast.
(Click to enlarge to pic)
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Citrus Catering – canapés: (L to R) 1) Yellow Fin Tuna, 2) Chipotle Crab Taco, 3) Caramelised Beetroot, Fetta, Walnut Tartlet and 4) Peking Duck Pancake. 10/10 for taste, variety and presentation. These canapes rank with the best I have ever previously enjoyed. They were amazing and we were able to enjoy them in the luxury of our own home.