Valentine
There can be a lot of pressure on a bloke when Valentine's Day approaches. Where to go?, what to buy? If you're undecided and have the time to escape the city, then I might just have the place for you.
Valentine 'High Street'
When I accidentally, literally, drove into the village of Valentine, I thought, OMG, this is the place. How romantic is this? This quiet little suburb is located on the shores of Lake Macquarie, a little over two hours drive north of Sydney. It looks ideally picturesque on a beautiful blue sky day with dozens of yachts moored close to the shore.
There is a short 'high street' opposite a small village green. The shops have seemingly incongruous names like 'Valentine Butchery' and 'Valentine Dermatology'. There's a large picnic area next to the lake where you and your muse can spend some quality time together, get lost gazing into each other's eyes and maybe, just maybe, pop a proposal. If the idea of organising your own picnic sends you into a panic, you can call into the hugely popular
Valentine Bowling Club on Valentine Crescent for some Valentine Day menu specials.
View from Valentine Bowling Club
What struck me about Valentine was that the people of Valentine (Valentinos?) have not really taken full advantage of their famous tag. I was kind of hoping to see rows of romantic lake-front B&Bs with private jacuzzis where a couple could revel in a weekend of debauched passion. Or at least a hotel with nice balcony view. But sadly, no. There's no Valentine Resort. There's no Valentine's Day Parade, Valentine's Day Festival or a Valentine's Day Queen.
But what Valentine definitely has, apart from possessing the most romantic and sweetest place name in Australia, is the potential to be the Valentine's Day capital of Australia, if not the world.
Lake Macquarie @ Valentine
