Continuing the story of my Merimbula trip. The previous installment is here and the next instalment is here.

On the second day, I set out for another afternoon walk. This walk also started from near the town centre, but on the other side. The Merimbula Boardwalk goes inland(ish) up one side of the lake. On this day, my plan was to go around the other way – from the town centre around to the bar where the lake meets the sea.

Coffee to start with this time

It was a bit warmer this day than it had been the previous day, and walking from my hotel through town without shade was a fraction on the hot side. Given my experience the day before, I took the precaution of having my coffee BEFORE starting the walk. I was actually running a few hours later than I had with the Boardwalk walk the day before, so it was well into the afternoon when I started. Something to do with a book I forgot to put down…

After my coffee break at a coffee shop in town, I walked around to Spencer Park, and up the steps to Rotary Park. It was actually a bit of a relief to reach the shady patch that is Rotary Park, and it’s lookouts. Rotary Park is literally just up the hill from Spencer Park, which you might call the town centre beach park. The lakefront past the actual town centre is all boardwalk and mangroves, but along a bit from there is Spencer Park, with an actual proper (lakeside) beach.

Djirringanj People’s Walk

From Rotary Park, an Indigenous experience walk (the Djirringanj Peoples Walk) extends along the cliff face around towards Bar Beach. Unfortunately it is very run down and at the first point where it descended down part of the cliff, only a few hundred metres from the start, it was closed. I was very disappointed I was unable to complete this walk, because it looked promising. Sadly, I also forgot to take my “proper” camera with me (yeah, I know, what sort of photographer am I, right?). I have a couple of photos taken from the lookout in Rotary Park with my phone, but that’s all from this day. Given the heat, I decided to bail out of further walks – I could have gone along the road above the Djirringanj Peoples Walk and reached Bar Beach that way – but I didn’t.

My original concept had been to complete the walk, and then stop in at the RSL Club for a later dinner. The longer evenings of daylight savings allow that. Having called off the walk, I got to the RSL Club a good hour and a half earlier than intended. It was busy with families having early dinners, but at the recommendation of the reception staff, I bought myself a drink and sat down by the windows to enjoy the view, browse my phone, and generally chill until a table was available. All in all, it was a good relaxing evening, even if not what I had planned.