The Garden of Eden.

Well my wish for both better weather and more excitement has come true! Our stay at Eden has been fantastic! We booked into the BIG 4 Caravan Park at Twofold Bay for the two weeks of the school holidays so the kids can make some friends and enjoy the resort’s Kids Club.

On the day we arrived at Twofold Bay, Sam and Will disappeared to the Jumping Pillow. They came back very excited to introduce us to their new friends. The walk to the Jumping Pillow and playground soon became a regular occurrence.  Most mornings the very first thing Zaccy would say was “jumping pillow?” and he would ride his little bike there, but I would have to carry him back because his little legs would be “too tired” to peddle after all that jumping.

From our beach we can see from Eden right around to the Naval Wharf and Chip Mill at Ben Boyd National Park. When we first arrived here there was a huge Navy shipped docked at the Wharf. Once the Navy ships leave, the Wharf is open to the public. So we went for a walk along it and got a really good view of a big ship loading up at the Chip Mill.

We spent a couple of days exploring Ben Boyd National Park. We had a picnic at Saltwater Creek, where we met up with kangaroos and a huge goanna. Then we went to Bittangabee Bay for a paddle. We arrived at the lighthouse at Green Cape at sunset. The sun setting behind the lighthouse was a beautiful sight and the views from the lookout were magical.

Ben Boyd was a Scottish born Australian Pioneer. He came to Eden when it was already an established Whaling town. He tried to make his fortune through Whaling but soon ran out of money and left the country. The Ben Boyd National Park was established in the 70s and is located near Boydtown and Twofold Bay. There are still remains of old buildings and some have been restored including Boyd’s house. Now called the Seahorse Inn, it is a beautiful building which shares the same beach as the Big 4 resort. I really enjoyed walking along the beach from our ‘home’ down to the Seahorse Inn and back again.

At Quarantine Bay there were two seals and three big sting rays swimming around waiting to fight the pelicans for scraps from the fishermen cleaning their daily catch.  When Zac saw the seals he thought they were dogs, and then got a very confused look on his face when they dived under water and he saw their fins. Very cute!

While I was getting pampered at the hairdressers, Dan took the boys to the Marine Discovery Centre on the wharf in Eden. They had a great time learning about marine life, pollution and were lucky enough to witness an octopus laying her eggs. The octopus had recently been rescued and the keepers weren’t even sure if it was female. So everyone was very surprised and excited.

Sam and Will were very excited to visit the Whaling Museum, because they had heard all about Old Tom from their new friends. They were surprised when they saw the skeleton of Old Tom and realised how big he was.  Old Tom became famous in Eden for helping the local whalers. He would organise the other Killer Whales to round up and trap the Baleen Whales in the bay, and he would then lead the whalers out to the trapped whale. In return they were rewarded with the tongues and lips of the caught whale. Incredibly when Old Tom died, the other Killer Whales left the area and Whaling ceased within a year.

Once again we have been surprised by the friendly people we are meeting on this trip. We began talking to our neighbours - two families from Bairnsdale, in Victoria - and visiting them at ‘drinkies time’ soon became a regular occurrence.

During the second week of our stay at Eden, the caravan park held Kids Club every morning. Sam and Will had a fantastic time doing arts and crafts there, and Zac and I enjoyed a few hours of one-on-one time each day.

Sam being Sam, organised a whole group of boys to convert the Camp Kitchen into an Art Gallery. They all spent a few days drawing pictures and collecting shells, which were then sold (to the parents of course) for a ridiculous amount of money. They then went to the Park Shop and spent their hard earned money on lollies and icecreams (KitKat Drumsticks).

Our stay at Eden has been just what the doctor ordered. We have had beautiful weather, great activities, good company and gorgeous scenery.