South West Rocks is one of the nicest towns we’ve visited.  We had the day off here today and we are really pleased we came to South West Rocks.

Last night we joined a collection of grey nomads (what is the collective noun for grey nomads?) in the TV room and watched the political coup unfold.  I told the group the BBC called Australia the ‘coup capital of the world’.  Most were gathered in the TV room to watch the State of Origin match and all but one supported Queensland although none of them were from QLD.  It was a fun night.

South West Rocks (SWR) is 15km off the highway which makes a 30km round trip for us to visit this town.  Probably the fact it is 15km off the main road has saved the town from the rampant development we’ve seen in other towns.  There are no obvious apartment blocks or shabby 1980s retail developments that have spoilt other towns.  There are no fast food chains and we like the fact the town has held onto its character.  SWR is a popular destination for downshifters (Australians call them sea changers) which in our experience means good coffee.

This morning we did some laundry and watched the political TV coverage.  There was a light shower of rain and the weather didn’t look great.  Once the laundry was finished we dressed up in rain coats and walked through town and along the beautiful 4km beach to the Trial Bay Gaol.  After five minutes walking we stripped off the jackets and walked in shorts and t-shirts.  On the beach it got warmer and warmer and we were quite hot by the time we arrived at the gaol.  Visiting an attraction like the gaol is not normally our ‘cup of tea’ but so many people had recommended it so we felt we had to see it.  We are pleased we did as it was interesting.  The Gaol was built in the 1880s to house prisoners but was abandoned then reinstated to house Germans of Australian heritage during WW1.

After walking back to town, we had lunch then relaxed for what was left of the afternoon.

It’s been a nice day off in this great wee town.  It was worth cycling the extra kilometres to visit South West Rocks.

Highlight of the day:  Walking along the beautiful beach to the gaol.

One of the best beaches

Will in the gaol

South West Rocks Trial Bay