Pearl Beach (May 6)

This is the day that sparked the idea of creating this blog. It was a belated birthday lunch with a local friend of mine that I've known for over twenty years.

It's a pretty little spot. I would go as far as to say that it is the nicest beach on the Central Coast. I should know seeing I've walked around (and photographed) practically all of them since 2012. PB and nearby Patonga, though accessible via public transport, have a limited number of services available so it's far easier to visit them if you have a car, or better yet - a boat. I suppose you could even parachute in but that would be tricky considering all the bush, rocky ridges and water about.
My visits prior to May 6, when I finally did have a chance to dine there, have been limited to delivering newspapers for a local publisher ten years ago. Five minutes dropping off a bundle meant for both hamlets then getting in and out via the winding road around Mount Ettalong was generally all I saw of the place. Nearly all of the street names are of (semi) precious stones and they're narrow, with some restricted to a single direction. Parking near the beach is very limited as well.

The beach is confined by local residences and the Brisbane Water National Park. In geographical terms it is a half-heart beach or a logarithmic spiral beach, meaning it develops in the direction under which it is sheltered by a headland. (Yeah, just couldn't help myself there with the geeky term.) From the shore one can view nearby Umina Beach further around to the northeast or gaze eastwards at the vast emptiness of the Tasman Sea. The beach is hardly tainted by rubbish (being a regional winner of the Keep Australia Beautiful Clean Beach challenge in 2009 and the locals have obviously kept up the good work) and there's rock shelves to clamber around and a pool amongst them as well. If you're after anything else to do near there, well there's a native arboretum, tennis courts and lawn bowls (book in advance) and plenty of bushwalk trails, though one needs to be careful accessing those.
Currently, only Pearly's Cafe (and general store) is open for business. (Though I have heard talk that the beach-side restaurant may be re-opening there, which will require an update if that is true.) The venue was pleasant, staff were polite, and the background music was just loud enough to identify rather than drown out conversation. The only fault I could find was that they weren't so quick in clearing used plates from vacant tables even when they weren't too busy.
The main reason why I restrict my choices to something relatively simple is because I'm a finicky eater. One really can't go wrong with a burger, and I opted for a spicy chicken creation whilst a friend of mine went for the beef. Chips were included and both meals were adequately sized. We were quite impressed with the fare, my friend declaring that his burger was just as good as anything he had eaten at Grill'd. (I must say it would be a good comparison to use. I have eaten at various outlets of theirs in the past and have found that all the burgers, though a trifle expensive, are consistently good. Be advised, this is not an endorsement of their brand, just an observation.) As for me, I don't usually go in for anything spicy, but it wasn't overwhelming the taste buds and I found it quite nice. I felt that so far, it was the best burger that I've eaten this year. For the time being it'll be my benchmark when judging burgers.
Hopefully, I'll get a chance to go back there for a second bite and/or visit Patonga around the corner. It was just considerably too busy there that day to examine its sandy shore or lone cafe.

Link correct at time of posting.

Picture taken by Geoff G Turner (c) 2023.