Last week, we ran away…up the coast to East Gippsland, to the sleepy little holiday hamlet of Marlo. We did absolutely not much at all, much to my husband’s chagrin, I had to remind him that was exactly the point of Summer holidays. We slept, ate, fished, ate some more, rode our bikes along the coast and ate some more.
Matt’s work brings him to this part of the world regularly, but I’m not an East Gippsland aficionado like him, so close to us really but far enough from Melbourne that it’s fairly quiet and untouched still even in the Summer holidays. And everyone has a boat. But I’ve told Matt there is a better thing than having a boat…having a mate with a boat! Flathead was caught, abalone was devoured, my bestie and my baby girls tried to be friends (maybe?!) and the rain only dampened our spirits for one day. Can’t complain about that. I can’t lie that it did cross my mind a few times that if Matt were working on farm still we may not be able to enjoy a Summer holiday such as this, he used to be chasing irrigators all Summer, calving all Spring or Autumn. Grass is always greener though, sometimes quite literally.
So relaxed and slow was the pace we thought it time to share our baby news with the world. Thank you for all your kind comments, emails, messages and loveliness. We felt the love ten fold. I think we’ll be back again next year Marlo, with another wee camper in toe as well, to create more Summer holiday memories with our little growing family and extended village. Life’s good.
Reen says
We lived in Orbost for eight years so Marlo was our playground every summer holiday. Such a beautiful spot, and yes, even in the middle of the school holidays, you can have a whole stretch of the beach to yourself, and the water! So crystal clear. My preferred spot was in the estuary, just near the entrance, the water was pristine and quite often we were the only ones there. Also safer with little ones. The café at Marlo, near the park, does amazing coffee and hot chocolates. And lots of great walks to do. East Gippsland really has so much to offer, Cabbage Tree palms discovery walk nearby, you can drive up Mount Raymond and get a great view of the area. There’s the rail trail starting in Orbost which is fantastic. And a great park (Forest Park) right next to the mighty Snowy River, in Orbost. Did you go to the Marlo Pub? Because standing on the deck watching the sun set is a must. I could go on, but I won’t, Orbost and Marlo hold such fond memories for us, it’s where we bought our first house and became parents. I’m glad you had such a lovely time, it is worth going back, for sure!
Emma says
It’s a lovely part of the world. Husband loves East Gippy and probably wishes we were a bit further that way (too close to Melbourne here!) The estuary definitely looks like the goods for a kiddie beach, will definitely do more of that next year hopefully when the weather behaves a bit more. The bike paths were great in Marlo, and yes we did dinner on the deck at the pub (before a massive pooslosion incident and no baby change table at pub, my only complaint, lawn out the front sufficed!)
Anne@GritandGiggles says
Oh, that picture of Eleanor playing in the sand and Matt in the background with arms crossed just sums up his wish to be doing something. Is your Eleanor an ‘Ellie’ like my sister’s Eleanor is? It sounds like you had a lovely break.
Emma says
She hasn’t really got Ellie/Ele yet but when we named her we didn’t mind if she did. My nieces and SIL call her Nelly/Nora/Nellynora, and sometimes I call her Nor or refer to her written as Ele (in text msg or something) but 99% of time she’s still Eleanor.
Prue says
As someone whose husband did succumb to the lure (pun!) of the boat, yes, it is always better to have a mate with a boat. TRUST ME.