Your own piece of paradise by the sea
- Posted By Trish Goodlet
Having your own piece of paradise by the ocean is a dream to which many of us aspire. There are so many benefits of taking that step and turning a dream into a reality. To sleep to the sound of the waves crashing on the shore and to wake to birdsong call of nature, here bliss is found. The Otways are renowned for their natural beauty as the majestic ranges sweep down to the ocean. Dotted throughout the shire are sweet little hamlets of beach and bush homes. So, just what are some of the benefits of making an Otways home your reality.
Many of the permanent residents of Apollo Bay and surrounding towns have begun their journey here by investing in a holiday house. Some would say the good life starts right here. Kick off the weekend with an early knockoff on Friday, head out of the city and when you hit the hills roll down your windows and breathe. It’s the smell of space, of nature and of freedom.
I always remember as a kid, [in a car full of kids, pets, parents and holiday provisions] keeping sharp watch as we came around the bends above Skenes Creek, straining our necks to be the first to call out “I see the sea” - it was a moment of pure joy. A moment when memories are made. Which brings us nicely to the number one reason for buying a holiday shack by the beach, it’s all about memories. Family holiday memories that will last a lifetime.
Piling out of the car in a tangle of stiff limbs it always felt like we had travelled far and landed in a different place. A place where different rules applied. [By the beach our main rule was to be out the house by nine and back before dark! Getting out before nine was easy as the beach was calling. Back before dark was only a problem if we’d gone rambling over the hills and gone way too far before turning for home]. We’d race to the back door, charge into the shack that dad had built, claim our bed and sit with whimsical smiles on our faces. We were back, back in the shack.
Memories these are what dreams are made of. If buying your little slice of paradise creates an album full of family memories, then maybe it has fully achieved its goal. On a side note, I set out to write a five-hundred-word article on all the benefits of buying a holiday house in the Otways and I haven’t managed to make it past memories. My beach shack memories could fill a book and one day they just might. So, get out there, buy your holiday home and start making family memories of your own. Hopefully in the next article I’ll get to a few of the more tangible reasons for taking the step to owning your own piece of paradise by the sea.
Words: Pete Goodlet