One our first day in Kiama we meet some lovely folks from Toowoomba who are also staying in the same van park. We shared a lot of information between the lot of us but one thing we did decide, after seeing their photos, was that we had to follow at least part of the Grand Pacific Drive. After looking at the map we decided to spread it out over two days, north of Kiama to Stanwell the first day, and south of Kiama to Jervis Bay the next day.
We took the Tourist Drive as much as we possibly could but you do have to divert to the M1 at a few points. Our journey took us first to Shellharbour then we skirted around Lake Illawarra on to Port Kembla. Port Kembla has seen many rises and even bigger falls in the 1980's. It is now a suburb of Wollongong and is an international trade gateway for agriculture, construction and mining industries. Next we arrived at Wollongong where we noted that even though it was one of the older towns in NSW it has certainly grown into a bustling metropolis with lots of kerbside restaurants and cafes.
We continued northward to Bullambi and Bulli, all the time stopping at lookouts to get different perspectives of the gorgeous coastline. Our next stop was for photos at the Sea Cliff Bridge that was very much a highlight of our road trip. The bridge is a remarkable engineering triumph and we were in awe as we drove across the bridge and looked up at the soaring cliffs above us and the ocean crashing below us.
Our last stop north was at the Hindu Temple at Stanwell Tops. Philip confessed that he was a bit "templed out" so I wandered around the perimeter and took in all the beautiful carvings. I didn't venture inside however as I know that it would have taken me hours to explore. Another time perhaps.
Stanwell Tops was our turn-around point so we retraced our steps and stopped at some of the viewing points that we missed on the way up. We were feeling the hunger pangs so a quick search online had us booked into Relish on Addison at Shellharbour for lunch. So glad we did as the meal was 10/10. I had some very fresh oysters Kilpatrick for starters while Philip (surprise, surprise), chose the Calamari and then we both ordered the Salmon for main. We didn't think we could eat three courses but after watching the waitresses deliver Eton Mess to tables around us we decided to indulge ourselves with a share plate. Wow.
The next day was a longer day because the Grand Pacific Drive south of Kiama zig zags in and out of the coastal towns and is a really lovely drive. The drive hugs the coastline and there are so many lookouts with incredible views. We pulled into most of them just to stretch the legs but we did find some hidden gems when we walked like this cemetery at Gerringong. I know that it might be morbid to some but reading the headstones that date back to the 1800's tells some really heartbreaking stories. We were surprised at how many Irish immigrants had arrived into this area.
Onwards to Gerroa and Shoalhaven Heads that must have a good reputation as a surf beach given the number of surfers in the water....brrrrrrr....Too cold for me..
From Shoalhaven we needed to get back onto the M1 and on to Nowra before once again turning off the highway and taking the Jervis Bay Road. Jervis Bay is now known as Booderee National Park and even though we just wanted to drive to the point where the nuclear power station was to be built, we still had to pay the $13 for the privilege. When we arrived at the point we took the short walk down to the beach where Jervis Bay is said to have the whitest sands in the world and the water the bluest of blues. The day was quite cloudy so I didn't get to see that colour but any photos that I have seen show it to be very beautiful.
We turned north again at Jervis Bay and headed to Huskisson for lunch at the Huskisson Hotel Bistro. Another scrumptious meal and we enjoyed walking it off around the bay area after lunch. There is a memorial on the foreshore dedicated to the ones that lost their lives in the collision between HMAS Voyager and HMAS Melbourne in February 1964. It is a beautiful dedication parkland and as we have just celebrated Anzac Day, the memorials had many wreaths laying at them.
We stopped off at Nowra on our way home at the Fleet Air Arm Museum. If you are ever in this area this museum is worth a visit. The Australian Fleet Air Arm Museum is a military aerospace museum located at the naval air station HMAS Albatross. The display covers all the RAN's planes from the late 1940's and includes 34 aircraft and helicopters. You would need at least a full day to read the literature and listen to the very interesting video presentations. Sadly we did not have that much time but thoroughly enjoyed the little time we had.
We finally drove into the van park around 5.00 pm just in time to watch the Super Moon rise over the cliffs. It was a fitting way to end the day.
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