Region Salvages Lost Break
Illawarra Mercury
Tuesday June 12, 2007
IT was the briefest of respites, but hundreds of people in the Illawarra and Southern Highlands took full advantage of yesterday morning's glorious sunshine.
Like bears after a long winter hibernation, out they came in droves to claim a fleeting remnant of a long weekend.By mid-morning coastal leisure tracks from Helensburgh to Kiama were cluttered with cyclists and walkers, anxious to soak up a few rays and put behind them one of the wildest and wettest Queen's Birthday holiday breaks in living memory.Outdoor seats in coastal coffee shops were at a premium.It was the same story in the Southern Highlands."Until the rain came back about 1pm, every coffee shop in town was full and it took my wife and I ages to find some space," Bowral resident Dale Jones told the Mercury.Others simply sat and chatted on grassy seaside knolls.In meteorological terms, one man's trash can be another's treasure.The cyclonic weather pattern which turned the Hunter Valley into the state's worst-ever disaster zone spread south to create a surfing nirvana.Scores of surfers took to the water as the best swells in months rolled in."The surfing drought is finally over, and boy, are we loving it," Sandon Point Boardriders Association contest director Jason Gava said. "We've had perfect 10-footers yesterday and today for our annual competition. It's the biggest surf of the year and ends six months of virtually no waves at all in this region."More than 50 surfers were in the water about midday at Wollongong's North Beach.
© 2007 Illawarra Mercury