By Nick Galvin
Summer break ... rock pools at Werri Beach.
We're lucky enough to live by the ocean. Our two young princesses spend a shameful amount of time arguing which of the four nearby beaches they will visit when given the choice.
So a fair question is: why bother with the effort and expense of going away for a beachside break when we could stay at home?
The answer is that we do it to get away from the housework and the gardening and the home office and the internet and all the other things that clog up everyday life.We go away to do simple things, such as play Monopoly, ride bikes, go walking, make pizzas from scratch, sleep in, fly kites, eat fish and chips - talk to each other, even.
It's precisely that sort of heavenly simplicity that Werri Beach Holiday Park is made for.
Werri Beach sits below the little South Coast town of Gerringong. But while Gerringong is all chai lattes, arty jewellery shops and ciabatta, the council-run holiday park just a minute's stroll down the hill is a world away.
The bulk of the accommodation is more than 250 individually owned medium-sized caravans, each with a lean-to annex. Many of them have evidently been the cornerstone of traditional family holidays for decades. One or two are sadly neglected but most are proudly maintained.
Many owners have opted to give their vans names. There's an Irene's Igloo and a Dos Santos. And at least one traditionalist has opted for the timeless Didyerbringyergrogalong.
The park is spotless, with a well-maintained pool, half-size tennis court, playground and basketball and volleyball courts.
Along the eastern side of the park is a line of 17 cabins, with just a quiet road between them and the beach, which is patrolled at peak times. Each cabin is individually named, mostly to reflect the fact that Werri Beach is a well-known surfing spot. We're in "The Shack", a twobedroom affair that is basic, modern and neat as a pin. There are also some surprising luxuries such as reverse-cycle air-conditioning, a spa bath and cable television in the lounge and a bedroom. Not that you would want to spend too much time indoors - this is very much an outdoorsy sort of place and much of the action is focused on the beach, which is where we head immediately.
It's idyllic. The sun is sparkling across perfect waves. Even I can see this is a top surfing spot and I toy briefly with the idea of learning to surf.
In my mind's eye I'm transformed into one of those men jogging effortlessly across the beach, wetsuit open to the waist with six-pack on show and a board under arm. Then I return to reality and remember I'm a 43-year-old bloke who grew up in a South Yorkshire pit village about as far from the ocean as is possible in England and with a six-pack that's much closer to a keg. Best leave the surfing to the experts.
But I can ride a bike, which is what we spend a large portion of the weekend doing, up and down the 1.5-kilometre flat bike track that runs along the back of the beach. It's perfect for the children and there are plenty of hills around to exhaust the adults.
High on Mrs G's list of priorities is a trip to Berry to "have a look around" (that is, shop) and I'm happy to tag along. Now, it's not so long since I last visited Berry, which I remember as a pleasant place to fossick in antique shops, but in the meantime it seems someone has snuck in and turned it into a parody of itself - full of crowds and shops selling kitschy imported clothes and trinkets.
We can't wait to get back to our little cabin and the bowlo that is very handily placed next door to the caravan park.
Apart from the fish-and-chip shop, the bowlo is the only eating option at the beach and we wander over on Saturday night. The portions are enormous and the service is friendly. The desserts, with cream and ice-cream, are disgracefully over-indulgent - and we finish every scrap.
Too soon we're heading back to the city, having fully used the 4pm checkout on Sunday. Back to the bustle of daily life and arguments about which beach to visit.
Weekends Away are reviewed anonymously and paid for by Traveller.
VISITORS' BOOK Werri Beach Holiday Park Address Pacific Avenue, Gerringong. The verdict Beautifully simple spot to get away fromit all.
Price $522 for a family of four on Friday and Saturday nights (two-night minimum stay). Between December 19 and January 26, the minimum stay is a week, from $1820 for two adults and two children.
Bookings Phone 1800 655 819 see kiamacoast.com.au/Werri_Beach.
Getting there About two hours' drive south of the CBD.
Perfect for Spending time together in the fresh air.
Wheelchair access No.
While you're there Eat a steak at the bowlo, follow the coast walk north or explore the rock pools at low tide.
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