A few months ago we decided we needed to do something very different for Christmas, something very Australian. As opposed to hunkering down in our little house in Melbourne, doing basically what we do every day, we decided to head out to a beach and celebrate Christmas with a wiggle of our toes in the sand. Linton's expert research quickly discovered a gem of a place called Cape Schanck on the Mornington Peninsula a mere 1.5 hours from Melbourne. And thus we were decided - it would be a Cape Schanck Christmas!
We booked ourselves into the Cape Schanck Resort which judging by the pictures and price was a notch or two above our usual accommodations. Oh well, we thought, this would be a little indulgence to make up for...something. After wrestling a rental car out of the very busy local Europcar office, I proudly parked in front of 254 Macpherson in a very bright, almost neon blue, Jeep Patriot. An interesting choice for our adventures given the fact we had all of Christmas, four big bags, fruit and wine for 17 and a very small Christmas tree to try and cram into the space the size of a large bathtub! After cursing a bit and thinking that a bag or maybe a kid might have to be left at home, we were off on our Christmas adventure, with Colin and Alex practically sitting on top of each other and Linton with her knees by her chin.
Trying new routes is always an interest area of mine and despite Linton's initial misgivings we successfully negotiated our way down to the resort area in no more than 90 minutes. It is amazing how quickly you can get out of Melbourne and into the countryside. Not like in Toronto where you can be driving east or west for an hour and still feel like there are suburbs looming just behind the concrete sound barriers. The Mornington Peninsula is surrounded by ocean with rolling hills, wineries, golf courses and resorts and we immediately took a liking to what we saw flying by our windows.
The Cape Schanck resort is owned and run by the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria and if one is a member there is a considerable discount on rooms and amenities like golf...so we became a member. Our condo was a two bedroom, three bathroom, three flatscreen tv affair that we agreed could easily be our home. We did not have an ocean view (boo-hoo!) but were on the eighth hole of the golf course. After prying our luggage and the children out of the car and playing with the condo for awhile, we drove over to the rec centre for a little ping pong and a play in the very cool pool. Realizing there were more presents than time, we allowed the boys to open some presents before dinner and then settled in to our very own family Christmas dinner complete with crackers and carols on the i-pod.
Being a golf resort and with the opportunity practically slapping me in the face, I booked the first tee time for Christmas Eve morning. With Colin by my side and a set of clubs I could never afford to own back home, I was in heaven as I sent my opening drive 220 yards (almost straight) down the first fairway. I had just paid the equivalent of $60 Cdn. for 7 balls, a bag of tees, clubs, a pull cart and green fees! This was the way golf should be! With the course to ourselves Colin played all the par threes and several of the fours and played very well. He has a natural swing and if he doesn't try to kill it like his old man, he could be a very good golfer. We had a lot of fun, a few pars and even a birdie, and got back to the Condo in time to see Allie still in his jammies. Perfect.
The afternoon was one of our Australian sightseeing highlights as we explored the area of the Cape Schanck lighthouse. This is the very southernmost tip of Australia and the actual cape is something to behold. Linton and I felt it rivalled Africa's Cape of Good Hope we had been fortunate enough to see in '98. An incredible boardwalk takes you several hundred metres down to the ocean and everywhere is a picture postcard view. We tested the capacity of our digital memory stick snapping merrily away at every turn. But for a few surfers and a gaggle of other tourists the place was virtually deserted and I wondered that if this was in Canada - like a Peggy's Cove - there would be tour buses as far as the eye could see.
Then we were off to the bay side of the peninsula where again we serendipidously found paradise in a beach, laying out our smoked salmon sandwiches and bag of Doritos while the kids played in the gorgeous blue water. This was what he had come for. A hot, sunny beach on Christmas Eve. Knowing a little about the 40 plus cm of snow Toronto was receiving we once again felt fortunate to be here - but strangely thinking of home.
After maxing out on the sun (was it possible?) we were back at the condo opening more presents - actually most of our presents - prior to having dinner at the resort. Dinner was quiet in a semi-deserted dining room and I think we were all eager to head back to get in our jammies and hang our stockings. With cookies and carrots in place for Santa and the reindeer we all went to bed with visions of more memories to be made dancing in our heads.
No comments:
Post a Comment