Kioloa Kapers

Kioloa00
Kioloa01 Kioloa02 Kioloa03 Kiloa041 Kioloa04 Kiloa05 Kioloa07 Kioloa08 Kioloa12 Kioloa10 Kioloa11 Kioloa09

29 November 2022 / Story: Valerie Reed; Photo; Anda Clayton

MX5-ers go south to the Eurobodalla Botanic Gardens

24 November 2022

 Our South Coast chapter’s latest excursion was to the Eurobodalla Botanic Gardens, just south of Batemans Bay.

As usual, we met at the Heritage Bakery in Milton for a coffee, before taking off in convoy for the Gardens. Taking part were our trusty and highly efficient conveners and tour leaders, Brian and Anda in their red ND, along with Bill and Jan, Illawarra members with their yellow NC, Kim and Fred (red ND), Graeme and Anne (dark grey ND RF), new member Maggie (rust coloured NC), Ian with his white ND RF, Rose and friend Sophie (silver NC) and Ian and Valerie (red ND).

 It was a really enjoyable and stressless trip, along the main Princes Highway, but the weather was picture perfect, allowing us to go topless. As most of you would know, the road winds through mostly forested or farming land so was very picturesque.

We arrived at the Gardens with time for a stroll before lunch. I had not been to the Gardens for some three years, when they were all but destroyed in the fires that swept through this area. The plants and trees were green and lush after all the rain, but you could still see the scars of these terrible fires in the scorched bark of the tree trunks – now finally splitting and ready to peel off – and some burnt, dead branches still not quite hidden by the abundant new growth. It was great to see such renewal. Numerous walking tracks exist in the park and while we could have spent hours wandering and exploring, alas lunch waited for no man.

There is a lovely café in the grounds, The Mossy, and we enjoyed being able to eat outside. Yes, it was even warm enough to enjoy sitting in the shade! The food was really nice and the company, of course, was even better.

After lunch, there was enough time for another stroll, where we happened on a really innovative kids’ playground. With no-one else around to see, the big kids in our group relived their childhood by trying out the slippery dips, swings and roundabouts!

After a brief visit to the Gardens’ shop, it was time to head home. All in all, it was another very happy and memorable MX5 outing.

 Valerie Reed