It has been said that there are only two certainties in life, ‘death’ and ‘taxes’. 

I’m going to add a third: weekend traffic in, through and out of my home town. Every weekend.

Oh, the sheer joy of living in this magical place! We locals are supremely blessed. We are lucky enough to live in a coastal paradise, which yet retains a country village feel. 

Our town is the perfect venue for music festivals, markets, sporting events, car rallies. Name it, and my town has probably had it. And continues to do so.

Thus, on any given weekend, our little bit of paradise becomes the travel destination for many.

Sometimes the many arrive by train. 

But the majority form a conga line of vehicles off the highway, and into the bustling heart of town.

From 10am Sunday, it’s a veritable parking lot up the hill and into the town centre. The upside is that the noise is lessened; the vehicles are moving too slowly. Except for the occasional blatting of motorbikes, which is always a painful noise to anyone except the bike rider.

Soon the hunt begins. For a parking space. Never a joyful or rewarding experience for the driver, until finally and mercifully, a spot is found.

Then begins the fun: if headed for the surf, gaggle of kids in tow, you’re usually wrangling beach umbrellas, bags with towels, chairs, cooler bags, and various wave-catching devices. No wonder the sales of beach carts has skyrocketed, unwieldy though they may look.

Finding a table at one of the many cafes and eateries is another weekend challenge. 

Depending on the time of day, a takeaway order to be consumed in the park or around our harbour is probably the alternative, and quite a pleasant one also, but expect to wait for those coffees, fish and chips, or smoothies and ice creams. Of course, weekend trading is an absolute boon to our local hospitality people, so the more customers, the merrier! Customer patience is welcomed.

Because my town is a place of extraordinary natural beauty, it not only draws visitors from all over the world, but with the closeness to Sydney, it is a popular weekend destination. There’s just so much to see and do, both for young and old.

The colour, the noise, the brouhaha, the traffic, it’s all because this is a much loved destination. So from Friday afternoons, until around 4-5pm Sunday afternoons, it’s one big, noisy, car and people filled space. 

And then, as if orchestrated, the Sunday afternoon ‘mass exit’ begins. 

Our visitors travel north up the highway, bumper to bumper for a good while, leaving a very much quieter, more serene town by mid evening.

Until it starts all over again, next weekend.