We set off from Shellharbour on the 12th March, heading further south, and the weather was looking a bit bleak.  The further we went south the bleaker it became and we were begining to think we should have been staying where we were!  We were heading to Batemans Bay, which was a 3 hour drive.  Peter had arranged that we would call in at Nowra and see someone about some pins for the legs of the caravan.  We were surprised that the population of this town was 35,000.  With roadworks and drizzly rain he had decided if it wasn't easy to find, we were giving the place a miss!  Fortunately the majority of the industrial area was on Princes Highway.  Whilst I was waiting for him I talked with one of the ladies in a shop nearby and was told we should have been calling into Jervis Bay.  She said it was a lovely spot.  It will have to be some other time though, as Kevin and Val had continued travelling on to find a coffee spot.  By now you know how important that morning coffee is!  The Nowra stop took a lot longer than we intended!  Peter was talking (he didn't know I could see him and he didn't appear to be in any hurry), so I found someone to talk to and then he couldn't find me!  Oh well you get that!  Missed out on our morning coffee we did!  It also took us a while to catch and up with K & V!  They had their coffee and got on the road again.   We caught them up just before Ulladulla.   We thought Ulladulla could be our lunch stop, but Kevin couldn't find the right place for a pull over, so on he went.  So a late lunch at Bateman's Bay it was, and by then the rain had finished. The rest of the day was lovely.  The population of Bateman's Bay is 17,500 and the town has been built on the Clyde River.  Early industry in the area was timber and dairy farming, but these days it is mostly tourism.  We stayed in the suburb of Batehaven, which is a little bit further around on the coast.  It is said to be the "Gateway to the Bays of Beaches" and we certainly found that was the case.  There is Casey Beach, Surf Beach, Guerilla Bay, Malua Bay, Mosquito Bay (didn't go there), Lilli Pilli Beach, Mossy Point and Broulee Beach.  We took a drive further south on Saturday 15th to Moruya, with our picnic lunch.  This is the central location for the region.   It is also the town where the Council Offices for the Eurobodalla Shire are.  It was market day on the edge of the Moruya River and after we had our little 'poke around' for a bargain or maybe a fix, we went out to the head of the river and found a spot near the Surf Club to have our lunch.   The coastline is so rugged down the east coast, with numerous small bays that provide nice spots to swim and surf.  We haven't noticed that the surf is huge, so it appears to be a great coastline to learn the sport or maybe it is more recreation!  We went home via the coastal George Bass Drive and called into all the little towns and beaches named above.  Just as well we did this on Saturday as the next day was the main event of the 'Challenge Triatholon'.  Batemans Bay were hosting the event in 2014 and George Bass Drive would be closed.  Part of the 90 km bike leg was down to Moruya and back on the coastal drive.  They also had to cycle into Mogo and out again.  When I checked out the swim leg of the triatholon, I couldn't believe how far they had to swim!  It was 1.9 kms, but it sure looked further than that!  I just had to go back and get the camera and take some photos of the bouys out in the bay.  How can anyone swim that far, cycle 90 kms and then run 22kms.  They ran into the shopping area of Bateman's Bay and then back out to the caravan park and then back into town.   The action was definitely happening all around us!  The guys had got their heads into their purchases from the book stall at the markets.  So it was Val and I that checked out the lycra as they came in from the bike ride and set off for their run.  Some were very colourful!  I did feel for them and question why there is a need to put the body through so much pain!  But we do need a challenge from time to time and for some it is a physical one!  Now I know what you are thinking!!  Why has Pam entitled this blog "Toing and Froing to Mogo"?  Well Mogo is a little town 12 kms south of Batemans Bay on Princes Highway and we spent a fair bit of our time going down or through Mogo!  Mogo is rather a cute little town with all these quaint little shops that attract the tourists.  Peter bought a pair of Ugg Boots whilst Val and I were checking out a few shops.  The two 'lads' did have an icecream before Pete's shopping too!  How much do you think Ugg Boots are these days?  $220.00!!  He spent far more than me!  But then I made up for it the next day because Val and I went and had a photography lesson with Andrew Carter who has his studio in Mogo.   Andrew is a vet and he has always loved photography.  Last September he decided he wanted a change, gave up his vetinary job and opened his studio in Mogo.  His wife is a pharmacist and owns three pharmacies in Batemans Bay, so I guess he can make such choices!  He specialises in landscape photography and his work is very, very nice.  He sells prints internationally and provides photography lessons.  He hopes to expand the classes to weekend getaways.  One of his prints grabbed my attention at the Tourist Bureau.   The photo was taken up on the escarpment on Kings Highway to Canberra, just as the sun was coming up on a frosty morning.  It is spectacular.   It was so beautiful I picked up Andrew's brochure.   Val was keen to also share the lesson!  If anyone is interested you can check out Andrew's work via http://carterlandscapephotography.com.au.  The print I have been referring to is called "Frozen Dawn".  Peter and Kevin dropped us off (so it was back to Mogo again) and Andrew took us back to Batehaven after we had put to practice what we had learnt!  Our photo shoot was in 'Guerilla Bay'.   Hopefully we can now get our cameras off 'Auto'!  Well some of the time anyway!  We also visited the Gold Rush Colony tourist attraction in Mogo.  Can't say that it ticked my box, but the guys liked it and many school children visit and learn of the gold rush days.  The guide went on a bit, but he did give me the tiny bit of gold he found when he was demonstrating how to pan!  Peter panned and found a bit more after the tour.  Certainly can't make a necklace from it though!  Actually you can hardly see the specks in the little bottle.  The things you do when you are a tourist!!  We all smiled when the guide told us about the 'Clarke Brothers' that were wanted for murder and had quite a price on their heads, way back then.  The guide emphasised that it was 'Clarke with and E'.  We all smiled because they definitely won't be able to fit into Nicole's family tree!  She used to say to people she was Clark without the 'E'.  Now she has to say "Batten with an E"!Tuesday:  Last day in Batemans Bay, so why shouldn't we go to Mogo again!  We had been there the last three days!  So on Tuesday we went to the Mogo Zoo.  Mogo Zoo is privately owned and was well worth the visit.  It relies totally on donations, corporate sponsorship and admission fees to fund the zoo.  It is one of only two zoos in Australia to exhibit White Lions.  Canberra is the other zoo.  Unlike most small Australian zoos, Mogo Zoo focuses on exotic species.   It has had success in breeding programs for endangered species.  I got some great shots of the animals at this zoo.  Now I have had some lessons and know how to operate this digital camera, I don't have to upgrade at all!  I used my zoom lens and with Andrews tip, Val and I got the camera off auto, put it on AV.   If you put the aperture as low as your camera will allow, you will be amazed at how you can delete the fence from the photos.  Sometimes it takes a while to get the camera to focus, but it is possible and the photos are fantastic!  Well we were pretty chuffed with our efforts. Well that's Batemans Bay, Mogo and the Eurobodalla Shire.  Glad that we decided to spend a week on this part of the NSW coast.  The caravan park was lovely, apart from the ducks and what they do!  I enjoyed lots of walks along the beach of the Bay.  Especially the sand between my toes! 

Peter had the car serviced and was very happy with the service he received!  Time to go over those mountains again and have our first visit to Canberra.  Really looking forward to visiting the ACT.  20 photos