Altona beach is a real gem. Tall pines line the foreshore, which stretches far in each direction, and caters for everyone, whether you want a solitary stroll along the tide line, or a place to lay your towel on soft, well-trodden sand, to engage in a bit of sun worship. In the case of us, it was not just a towel (oh, those childless and non-Sunsmart days where one just flung a towel over the shoulder and shot off in a cloud of ancient Corolla smoke). This time, greasy limbs lugged a sun tent, an esky and four green bags filled with buckets, spades, birthday cake, watermelon, sunscreen, nappies, spare clothes, distress beacon, etc. But some things don't change - we all had a ball, and we all had fish and chips for tea.
Altona Beach and the little foreshore park transport me to a seaside village, and the Pines takeaway completes the picture. It is a fantastic, old-style fish & chipper with a high wooden counter where you order, the option of chicken salt (yeah!) and plenty of butcher's paper to wrap up your crispy goodies. The art on the handpainted blackboard looks as if it hasn't changed since the 50's. It is family-run, and the night we were there, Grandma was working the grill, flipping burgers and cracking eggs into egg rings. King George Whiting was $5 and it was spanking fresh. I love that they always seem to throw in an extra potato cake. 7 of us ate like kings for $45, and we didn't have to pay to park the car, which was only stone's throw from our possie on the sand. St Kilda, eat your heart out!
Altona Pines Takeaway, 18 Pier St, Altona (opposite the park)
No comments:
Post a Comment
I love getting your comments! They're what make blogging worthwhile. Unfortunately, the amount of spam I get is obscene and it is so tiresome to have to moderate every comment, so I have had to turn on annoying word verification. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but please know how much I love you having your say!