Lunch in the Gardens
26 February 2022 / Story: Anne Zattera; Photos: Anne Zattera, Anda Clayton
LUNCH IN THE GARDENS - EUROBODALLA
Thursday, 24 February 2022
A dozen of us started the day with coffee at Milton’s Heritage Bakery. We met our new South Coast members Ian and Valerie and warmly welcomed them to our Chapter.
The day started drizzly, all eyes on the sky. Will the rain hold off? Our northern friends had a very soggy start to their day so two little MX5s were left tucked up snuggly in their garages while their bigger and sturdier stable mates were taken out for today’s run. We depart the Bakery at 10.00am and head down the highway to Eurobodalla, tops up in the three MX5s just in case the skies opened up. Five cars, 10 people.
Driving through the forest to Batemans Bay was quite lovely with the overcast skies casting a dappled light, rain drops sparkling on trees. The sound of tires whooshing on wet roads.
In under an hour we arrive at Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Gardens. The smell of eucalypts is strong in the air, intensified by the rain. Lovely and fresh. Birds in trees can be heard. Ducks and their baby ducklings wandering on the manicured lawns in front of a stunning bird bath.
On New Year’s Eve 2019 bushfires devasted the gardens and wildlife. Since then, the staff and volunteers have rebuilt bridges, walkways, garden structures and other infrastructure. They have taken the opportunity to redesign and improve the 42 hectare site. Less flammable landscape material has been used to future proof the gardens.
We collect our maps from the visitor centre and start turning them upside down and sideways to try and get our bearings to work out which walk we should do first. A helpful staff member comes to our aid and points us in the right direction.
We wander on the Arboretum Track taking in the sounds, smells and beautiful vistas. We see kangaroos on one of the lawns. Trees with blackened trunks but recovering with lots of new growth. Winding paths. We stop to point out and comment on lovely plants or dragonflies hovering. A truly peaceful place.
We wind our way on tracks, up stairs, across bridges and find our way back to the main building. It must be lunch time. We find our table, order our food and do what we do best – talk and eat. Some of us then visit the gift and plant shops for the mandatory retail therapy.
Do we have time for another of the walks? No, it’s starting to rain. So, we head to our cars just in time to make a wet trip home.
Another lovely day taking in interesting sights with our MX5 friends.
