Back when I was a mere youth, wandering the years between teenageship and adultage, Wollongong was pretty much considered a lonely outpost of civilisation, mainly inhabited by steelworkers and their offspring.
I remember going on a Rambo Weekend to Kiama once where four of us unsuccessfully tried camping. In order to get there, I’m pretty sure we drove through the Gong. This was in the days before big freeways and bypasses; just a spit short of the horse and buggy in fact. As far as I remember we were not especially impressed with the Wollongong of those far off days.
When we were touring with the theatre company, we often performed at Wollongong. I do not recall much about the place other than the amount of beer that was consumed and the beach parties.
20 years ago, one of Mirinda’s best friends, Adele, moved there. She had no choice, as her work required it. In that time she has married and had two children. She has never returned to civilisation. Today we paid her a visit.
The house has changed a great deal since I last saw it but they still live on the same plot. They have extended up and added a pool. Wollongong, too, has changed a great deal. Thriving, alive, cosmopolitan. It also looked absolutely gorgeous from the old Princes highway leading in just by the turn off for Sublime Point. This could have been because the day was beautiful and blue of course.
At Adele’s we sat and chatted with the family – I had a long discussion with Hamish about Hair Metal -v- real music – and we ate Molly’s collapsed gingerbread house. I commiserated with Dave about the loss of his squares and sheds, something he may get over one day.
We went to lunch at Diggies, a lovely little place on Wollongong Beach (the website is here) sans Hamish who went off with a chum. Diggies is highly recommended! Apart from the great food, they serve a selection of European beers, including Peroni. We sat in a room which overlooked the sprawling beach.
We had a lovely day, returning via the hospital to visit Claire, who was looking a lot better though her mood was a tad melancholy at times. At one stage, Mirinda told her to concentrate on her favourite things whenever she felt a bit down. Claire then asked for the pad and pencil. She wrote ‘Vic Sponge’ and grinned large.
