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Cronulla Beach YHA Sydney NSW Australia Backpackers Hostel for Sydney Beaches Budget Accommodation |
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Cronulla Beach YHA Accommodation Sydney Backpackers Newsletter # 11 - February 2005 Part 1 of 2 - "Hostel Review" A Big Hello Again!
On a personal note my biggest news is that I'm a father! Fiona gave birth to Nicholas Xavier on 01st December 2004, 7.9lbs/3.48kg, 51cm long and gorgeous! What has happened in the (many) months since I last wrote?... A patchy spring and summer weather-wise, but steady as ever in terms of hostel hi-jinks!... In July the Shire hosted our own version of the famous City-to-Surf (Bondi) fun-run - the annual 11km Sutherland-to-Surf (Wanda) fun-run. Watching all the runners, joggers, walkers and staggerers stream down the Kingsway and past the hostel was a magnificent sight, made all the better being firmly planted in the comfort of a chair by the window. The winner ran it in just over 30mins, which I'm sure I'd have needed a motorbike to equal. The Cronulla Spring Festival occurred back in September. This is when we shake off our winter-blues (so much as Cronulla actually experiences a "winter"), and welcome the turn to better weather again. Lots of stalls, live music stages, food stands, childrens rides, street performers, etc, turned the mall into a mini-carnival for a weekend. This year we got involved and manned a YHA stall, giving out brochures, leaflets and general information; it was a surprise to discover just how many local residents were unaware we were here in their town. The mall or plaza (actually "Cronulla Street") was given a revamp in spring, new paving, flowerbeds, bins, benches, etc. In conjunction with our dive shop downstairs we are also liaising with council and miscellaneous government departments in an effort to create a marine reserve and artificial reef for scuba diving. If successful this would be the only one in N.S.W. and would take the form of some ship and ex-army equipment being sunk approx a kilometre offshore out by Voodoo (at the end of Cronulla's beach.) Fingers crossed... The kitchen has witnessed a decent few punch parties raging on until the early hours - an esky filled with 20 litres wine, 8 litres vodka and topped up with juice guarantees an "interesting" time. The resulting wreckage makes an entertaining sight to newcomers unlucky enough to check in the following morning. Wigan's Gareth's firebreathing act being a spectacle to remember. The disabled toilet always sees more than its fair share of action on these nights - and not for its designed purpose! This year's yuletide alco-festivities were more hostel-centric than usual, perhaps due to the relative lack of work in the preceding weeks, but we still managed to fit a few excursions down to Northies before really getting stuck into the grog on our return. Christmas Day was a blast, Weston's Kelvin in his Santa suit handed out the presents in the lounge mid-morning, then we immobilised ourselves with lunch, before recovering to stagger down to the beach replete with an esky containing the remnants of 40 litres of sangria. Those still semi-conscious by evening were traumatised by Big Phil with his obligatory semi-naked pool table dancing. The night descended into anarchy with limbo-dancing and ten-pin bowling down the corridor, before the merciful oblivion of unconsciousness rescued the stragglers. On Boxing Day most of the gang trekked down to the Tonkin Oval at Gunnamatta Bay, to the cricket pitch for our own "Boxing Day Test". Renamed the "Spanka", it witnessed a hugely varying standard of play, perhaps the nadir of which being the uncoordinated amblings of our assistant manager Danny. He is possibly the perfect sports all-rounder - being shite at absolutely everything - and having been nicknamed "Thrombo" in the past due to his similarity to a slow-moving clot. However despite his best efforts a great day was had by all. Observatory Hill hosted our usual New Year's Eve jaunt, maybe the largest yet with virtually the entire hostel attending. Arriving by ~7pm we claimed our spot on the grass overlooking the Harbour Bridge and got stuck straight into it. The main success of the evening (apart from sneaking an upskirt snap of Quinn!) was that everyone remained standing unaided at midnight, to at least hear, if not actually see, the fireworks. In early January half-a-dozen of us ventured over Port Hacking on the ferry to spend an afternoon in Bundeena - sunbathing, swimming and bushwalking along Jibbon Beach and around the peninsula and back. The intention was to walk down to Wattamolla but due to hangovers and unpreparedness we didn't make it that far; a word of advice to all aspiring ramblers... flip-flops don't make the best hiking boots! January 26th was Australia Day, and a busload left to watch the celebrations in the city. Perching themselves at the base of the bridge in the Rocks they watched the shows of boats, planes and parachutists on the harbour all afternoon. Back to Cronulla for the evening to watch "Opera in the Park" down at South Cronulla beach, followed by a very good fireworks display there, followed by the even better spectacle of our very own street riot on the Kingsway involving the local teenagers. Cronulla actually made third billing on the national TV news the next day, an excellent advert to all potential hostellers! There were no guests involved (that we know of.) A few weekends ago a few braver souls tackled the 15km Bundeena-to-Garie-Beach Royal National Park coastal walk, stopping off at Wattamolla for a refreshing swim in the lagoon. A few less-than-brave others joined them by bus at Garie for a night by candlelight in the YHA hut-cabin there. Many drinks drunk and tales told. Our only party pontoon in the last year happened a couple of weeks ago, just one boat (less to collide with!) and all had a great day. We were lucky with the weather, a 40° scorcher ensured we spent as much time in the water as out. Despite the to-be-expected delays the first stage of the hostel's extension is now well underway - the car space behind Dorm1 and beside the garage is now a forest of construction, with the first floor concrete slab already laid. Hopefully by May it should be complete, then giving us an extra private room, two more dormitories and a new and bigger laundry complete with outside drying area. As I write it is again the end of another hostel crew's era - most people who stayed for Xmas/NY now having left to go north/south/onwards/home. This period of the year is always a little sad for us, having to say goodbye to so many who've become good friends over the months; the hostel takes on an almost eerie feel. Despite the presence of so many "newbies", there is the aura of guests-past still floating in the air. We hope we'll see most of you all again someday, and also that you stay in touch with everyone else you met here. On that note we're happy to hear that several Cronulla reunion societies are flourishing well - keep the faith guys! If you're still travelling in Australia or have a friend who's coming to Sydney, email us and you/they can have a night *FREE* on us until end-April 2005. Our website continues to be developed: If you're travelling again soon you might care to browse through my travel tips ; Several ex-guests have added their "testimonial" of their times with us to it - please feel free to add your entry to our on-line guestbook; And stay tuned... we're developing a photo gallery section. Hopefully within the next couple of months we'll be putting a selection of all our photos over the years on-line. Don't want to see yourself "in flagrante delicato" displayed for the entire world to view?... send your cheques or money orders to the following address... :-) Check out the attached photos! And watch your inbox for Part 2 of 2 "Hostellers Review" coming in next week-or-two... Regards to one and all! Michael. Newsletter Archives Main Page... |
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