Pearl Beach and Patonga

As part of our exploration of the little towns around Sydney, we drove up to Pearl Beach and Patonga. They are near the town with the unusual name of Woy Woy.

Pearl Beach and Patonga are at the northern end of the map.

More detail.

We travelled up the freeway from Sydney and then turned off to take the high scenic route to Woy Woy. We came across a sign saying scenic view and stopped. The sign did not lie, the view was scenic.

Woy Woy in the foreground. The parents of the famed comedian Spike Milligan moved to Woy Woy. Spike named Woy Woy as the world's largest above ground cemetery.

Marianne surveys the view.

We drove through Woy Woy and Umina to Pearl Beach. The moment we stopped at the beach, we went 'Ah!' It was beautiful and peaceful.

Waterfront properties.

Toilet block.

It's a tough life but somebody has to do it.

The shade was really dense under the pine tree.

Restaurant overlooking the beach. It's for sale at some unknown price.

Cafe culture. We discovered later that the flat above the cafe was for rent at $850 per week. Somehow I think the customers might object to my stereo system belting out a Mahler Symphony.

Street heading away from the beach. The whole town seemed to be teeming with vegetation and bird song. It was lovely strolling along.

There were quite a few large expensive houses.

A bus runs to Woy Woy a few times a day.

This sign was on the toilet block. Personally, my place of last resort would be out in the bay.

We then headed off to Patonga and stopped opposite this pavilion for the local cricket ground.

The cricket pitch in the distance.

An interesting collection of place names. The unusual ones are aboriginal names.

Patonga also has a beach. It's more protected from the ocean than Pearl Beach.

It's an active fishing town that specializes in oysters.

Large sandstone block.

That boat is a working boat, not a pleasure craft.

The fish and chip shop.

A very nice looking pub.

Patonga appeared to be more of  town than just a beach resort. Here is the War Memorial in the center of the town.

The shops have been converted into houses.

Marianne asked for a photo of the daisies.

The shuttle bus. I initially presumed that it went to Woy Woy but it is for patrons of the pub who do not want to drink and drive. What a wonderful idea.

We had a good feed of fish and chips that I really enjoyed. Two pieces of fish and a medium chips cost $23 but the pile that appeared was much more than we could eat.

We drove around Patonga which appeared to be much poorer than Pearl Beach. It seems unlikely for such a beautiful location, but there were still lots of older cheap houses that normally would have been knocked down years ago and replaced by McMansions.

Overall, we preferred the lush vegetation of Pearl Beach, but we enjoyed our visit to both places.