The next day was much cooler and quite windy. We hung around the caravan during the morning before going for a walk from the wharf around to Captain Stephenson's Point. Cormorants were sitting on numbered poles in the water, pelicans were searching for fish, the sun kept appearing from behind the fluffy clouds. When it was out, the rocks were redder, the water more aqua and the grasses more greener.
Next we drove back around to Bastion Point and went for a walk around the rocky outcrop. The waves were crashing in, the wind was strong, but the scenery was amazing. Nature's windy fury added to the drama of the scene before us! 
There were dozens of birds plummeting from the sky and diving down into the ocean... rocket propelled fishing! This is one of those birds: 
Back on the sheltered side of the point, Zac enjoyed the new post-fires lookout to take in the view.
We were getting use to the slower pace of life here in Mallacoota, the next day which was also cooler and windy we rode our bikes down and along the bike trail that follows Lakeside Drive around Bottom Lake (as opposed to Top Lake - nothing anatomical about the name). We went all the way to Bucklands Jetty before heading into town for a well deserved icecream! 
The following day we had a hire boat booked to explore the Top Lake for four hours. So at 10:30 we found ourselves at Bucklands Jetty with food and other supplies, ready for some exploration. The friendly hire company owners explained various sights that were worth visiting and they also pointed out the large number of jetties that are damaged due to the bush fires, which restricted our landing spots.
The first place we visited was a small inlet that has a sea eagles nest that has been there for over 30 years. We found the spot easily enough and the nest was huge! We were also lucky enough to see a couple of the majestic sea eagles! We hung around and watched for awhile. 
The picture below, you can see the massive next on the left, and one of the eagles in the dead tree to the right. It gives an indication of the size of the bird compared to the size of the nest.
We motored on and explored some more, ending up at Goanna Bay where there is a jetty undamaged. We successfully pulled along side and tied up the boat. There is a wood BBQ and we came prepared with sausages and matches! The kids did a scout around for some dry twigs and sticks and before we knew it we were feasting on yummy sausages and salad, all in view of the beautiful lake, the jetty and our 'ride' for the day. As we were enjoying lunch, Gemma heard a rustle and movement in the nearby bushes... and out popped a goanna. No wonder it's called Goanna Bay! 
We spent the remainder of our time exploring all the way up to Cape Horn Bay... purely so we can brag that we sailed around Cape Horn... Then on the way back to Bucklands Jetty we revisited the eagles as each of the kids had a turn of captaining the boat. 
A beautiful sunny morning as we have breakie and pack up!
Our journey home saw us staying a night at the Sale Showgrounds - a cheap option at $25 a night (compared to most caravan parks which are well over $50 for five of us). It has new modern amenities and is quite popular. We did laugh at this sign... if it was show time how could you choose between the carrot cake pavilion or the tiny tots?
It was a great few hours - luckily the winds of the past two days dropped right off. We had hoped to arrange a tour out to Gabo Island (not on this little boat!) but the skipper said the swells were still to big following the windy days, so that is off the agenda and will have to wait until a future visit.
So for our last full day in Mallacoota we spent some of the morning riding the mountain bike trails in Shady Gully Bushland Reserve, right next to the caravan park. The bushland is full of happy bellbirds - I don't think I've ever heard so many in the one place. It is nice to see some wildlife returning to this fire ravaged area. 
After lunch we drove down to Betka Beach, where the Betka River enters the ocean. We spend a few hours in the sheltered river area. 
Finally, here is a few drone shots from around Mallacoota. 
Ethan and Gemma had a wonderful time in the river waters, getting photos of fish with underwater cameras, floating along with the current... if only they got on this well all the time. Zac didn't want to go in the water so played Bocce on the beach for a lot of the time. 
A walk along the beach afforded more great views, with interesting rock formations, broad sandy tracts, more bird life and at the end of the beach a unique collection of rock stacks... yes, made by people, but creative and clever. Many were perched precariously in crevices! Like an art gallery of nature. 
On the way back to the caravan we chanced upon the cute little caravan on the wharf... which we had seen several times, but today it was open, selling freshly caught fish. So we enjoyed fresh flake for dinner. 
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