Near And Dear
Newcastle Herald
Saturday June 24, 2006
We considered the Cote d'Azur, but my passport's not up to date and we had to be back at work in two days.
So we settled on Swansea Heads. It was a package holiday: dinner at Belmont's adored Salina restaurant, followed by bed and breakfast across the bridge at Salt Bay Retreat.The family wagon, replete with husband and kids pumped up on Black-Eyed Peas and holiday promise, whisked me away from my inner-city Newcastle office one late-autumn Thursday afternoon and it must have taken all of half an hour, down a Pacific Highway thick with 9 to 5 commuters, to reach our destination.We could have been anywhere, arriving at Salt Bay Retreat just in time to catch still waters glittering beneath a pastel-peppered sky and the setting sun before it succumbed to the dark side. Meanwhile, setting the scene at dinner was our host, Robert Fonti.We began talking about Swansea Heads' close proximity to Newcastle and the idea that you don't have to travel far to get away from it all."A holiday is a state of mind," he offered, along with some divine toasted olive focaccia with warm bagna cauda a truism and an appetiser that took no time to digest.As parents of small children we had had reservations about the dinner.We eat out rarely and, at home, our aim is to survive rather than savour.Turns out Robert, who owns the restaurant and accommodation with wife and chef Deeanne, has small children, too.They know the deal: Happy children make for happy parents. Salina has a climbable frangipani with fairy lights, a cubbyhouse with picnic table and a box full of toys.It has an easy-pleasing children's menu with colour-in pictures and pencils. It has my undying gratitude.With the kids well and truly catered for, we proceeded without caution through the menu, enjoying the likes of home-made lamb and roast tomato sausages with fig and almond cous-cous followed by beef scotch fillet with bacon and basil potato salad, steamed asparagus and olive tapenade butter.The Fontis, who moved to the area from inner Sydney six years ago for a sea change of pace and to start a family, named Salina after a little island off Sicily where Robert's father came from and where he still owns a house.They made salt in Salina during the days of the Roman Empire, and now Robert and Deeanne own and run Salina and Salt Bay Retreat. Sweet?The BYO restaurant on the Pacific Highway at Belmont South is open from 5pm Tuesday to Saturday, and on Sunday for lunch from noon to 3pm and dinner 5pm to 8.30pm.The menu is wide-ranging, offering anything from salt and pepper soft-shell crab with fennel and celeriac remoulade, chilli and baby caper salsa to an extensive selection of pasta and pizzas. Coeliac sufferers will be delighted to know that they offer some excellent gluten-free options.Salina's mixed homemade gelato plate went down a treat before we repaired to our accommodation, satisfyingly stuffed.Salt Bay Retreat, a home away from home . . . but with an outstanding view.It is a two-bedroom, self-contained unit beneath the Fontis' home and while it is not five-star it is all you need.Young families, in particular, would appreciate what Salt Bay Retreat has to offer: cosy confines, swings, cubby, games, toys, tramp.It is about the kids running wild and the parents resting easy.And so we did.An early-morning run out to Swansea Heads and Caves Beach had me showing more than a passing interest in for-sale signs, such was the ambience and the vista offered by a sleepy suburb that lacks a prestigious postcode but has a raw, natural beauty that's endearing and enduring. Nothing showy about Swansea.A rustic home-cooked breakfast (eggs, bacon, bread, cereals, juice and the like provided) was unnecessary but undeniable before the whole family headed back to the caves while low tide meant high time to explore.Caves Beach, a patrolled beach that's great for swimming and surfing, is strangely often overlooked by Novocastrian beach-goers. The beach's southern end boasts the most amazing maze of sea caves.We ran and hid and crawled and posed and paddled and dabbled and splashed and skimmed and squealed for hours.Pure, unadulterated fun, free of charge.We returned to Salt Bay Retreat where the glorious day was begging for more attention, luring us onto the crystal lake in cute, family-friendly kayaks.A big kid and a little kid in each, we headed for the breakwall up one end and then the sandy stretch of beach at the other.We could have paddled all day, alas commitments up the highway dragged us away.So we gathered our bits and pieces while the kids painted their nails in the cubby and we headed home, all the better for having taken the road less travelled.BOARDING PASS? The Fontis are offering the following off-peak deal: Stay two nights at Salt Bay Retreat ($130 per couple per night) and get a $30 Salina dinner voucher (eat in or take away). Breakfast included. Children under four stay free. Additional guests, $20 per person per night. For bookings phone 4972 0734 or book on-line through Lake Macquarie Tourism.
© 2006 Newcastle Herald
