Going at Gerroa

From Gerroa, one can take in the sight of stunning Seven Mile Beach, on the south coast of NSW, empty, inviting and beautiful. Gerroa is centred on a collection of homes facing a bight.

Around Gerroa Beach and Village, one has a choice of day excursions to the Belmore Falls, the Minnamurra Rain Forest, the Saddleback Mountain Lookout or the Barren Grounds Bird Observatory. Two vineyards, the Coolangatta Estate and the Crooked River Winery, offer a change from beaches, dairy downs and cycling/running activities. I recommend Werri Beach, which come with sandy stretches, good surf waves and caravan parks. There are also tidal pools to consider at the southern end of Werri Beach. The Gerroa Boat Fishermen's Club provides a great weekend lunch of seafood themes.

From a related website, fishermen note:
"Marlin, yellowfin tuna, kingfish, mulloway (jewfish), snapper, flathead & morwong are all within easy reach from a boat launched at one of the boat ramps. Seven Mile Beach is famous for its whiting during the summer months as well as bream, tailor, salmon, flathead and mulloway. Crooked River is a popular place for prawns, good size bream and flathead.

Black Head, Gerroa, has a car park and tracks leading to the rock platform below which is a good spot for catching bream, kingfish, snapper, drummer, trevally, salmon, tailor and groper. However, be very careful, as the waves can be dangerous. Werri Beach is a very deep beach with snapper to 6kg and whiting to 1kg to be had plus Australian salmon galore at times."



The local association fair (above) held on 1 October 2011 - there was a variety of handicraft, well loved books, scones, toys and curry puffs on offer to visitors. I was taken by Daniel to the local grocery along Stafford Street, and later dropped by his house, where his wife Yet Lan had created a diverse and attractive garden. It was delightful to have tea with them and their other visitors, Viviana and Michael.

Nearby Gerroa, the Seven Mile Beach was the take off point for Charles Kingsford-Smith in his successful aviation crossing of the Tasman to New Zealand - the first in the world. On a good drive, Gerroa and its nearby sister village of Gerringong are only a 35 minute drive south from Wollongong. The population is indicated at around 500, but that belies the potential of this coastal delight - with its wide, sweeping bight, holiday homes and iconic Aussie lifestyle.

The Gerringong Deli & Cafe, NSW

A rich omelette on a lazy Saturday morning (above). The Gerringong Deli & Cafe, at 133 Fern Street, the main strip that goes through the business hub of this South Coast village, was busy with many brunch or breakfast customers by 9am. The winds were howling outside, and one could view the open ocean bay if you stood outside the deli and cafe. Inside, it was cozy half-light, with the feel of a souvenir shop, an active crew and the aroma of something baking or cooking. My choice of omelette was richly rewarding - feta cheese, good old Aussie bacon, rocket, tomatoes and smoked salmon, laid out on organic battered yolk and whites. Maybe it was too wholesome for breakfast, but it was comfort food on a rather weather-confronting day.

Coffee and a newspaper(above) - in this case, the back page of the weekend Illawarra Mercury before the NRL Grand Finals the next day. There is a good selection of modern Australian and baked stuff in the deli & cafe, with outdoor seating optional.

The view of Fern Street (above) from the Deli & Cafe. I was also fascinated by the ambiance and display from the shop next door, called MAS, which evoked of Paris and the French countryside.

Gerringong pretty much is a quiet haven after lunch time, but the Deli & Cafe remains open every day till 530pm. Gerringong and its sister seaside neighbour, Gerroa, are situated between Kiama and Berry, and worth a diversionary tour and drive. Allow yourself around 2 hours driving if you are coming from the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The Art of Making Fruit Cake

Recently, dear Aunty Poh Sim supervised a few of us in making Christmas fruit cake. Her measurements followed the Imperial standards and one needs to convert them to the metric system.

Cherries are to be prepared ahead of the baking session - it is ideal to soak them with 3 to 4 tablespoonfuls of sherry at least over night. Cherries are to be sliced, before mixing with seedless dates, brown raisins, mixed orange peel and almond thins. (images above and below). Use 1.5 pounds of brown raisins, half a pound of seedless dates, a quarter pound of mixed orange peel, another quarter pound of cherries and a half pound of almond thins.

The oven has to be preheated to at least 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a nine inch round or square baking container - brush it with butter and then line the surface with two layers of grease proof paper. Also brush the butter between the paper layers and on to its outside surface.

Cream the ten ounces of butter and five ounces of brown sugar together, until they are soft and pale in colour (below). Add in contents of 5 well beaten eggs and ensure consistency and thoroughness of the resulting mixture. Then add in 4 tablespoons of golden syrup.

Stir in first only half the amount of fruit mixtures prepared and sift in likewise half the dry flour ingredients. Then separately add the other half of fruit and dry ingredients. Add another four tabelspoonfuls of sherry to the mixture. The dry flour mixtures consist of seven ounces of plain version and another three ounces of raising flour. (image below)

Two teaspoons of all spice powder and half a teaspoon of nutmeg powder are then added to enhance the flavour of the resulting cake mixture (image above).

Before placing in the oven, ensure smoothening the cake mixture surface to slope towards the centre - this shall better ensure the resulting baked cake is level, once the mixture has risen when baked. First place the cake mixture tin on the lower half of the oven, to help ensure that it is not over browned in the baking process. Bake on this lower section of the oven for 120 to 150 minutes at 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Monitor the emerging fruit cake when in the oven, especially during the second stage baking at the lower temperatures.

Reduce the oven heat to 275 degrees Fahrenheit for the second stage of baking, for another hour. For this second phase, cover the cake with grease proof paper folded over a piece of dampened paper.

Always use a cake skewer to test whether the resulting cake is ready to be taken out of the oven.

After taking the cake out of the oven, do rest the cake for at least five minutes in the oven before placing it on a wire tray. The result is not ready to be consumed at this stage - it should be soaked with two tablespoons of sherry every two or three days for a fortnight, before being served.

From an idea and flour, to the piece that we bite into on Christmas Day, the process requires love, concentration and patience. A wonderful reflection of care we have for family and friends.