Grand Pacific Drive

Back to Sydney in the meantime, 1.400 km driven when we returned the car Sunday evening. But back to the beginning: we left our cottage in the morning, again: in the rain! Misty and sort of foggy. We drove on a different (mountain) road through Jamberoo (lookout see photo below) to Kiama and from there north along the coast, the so-called Grand Pacific Drive.

 

First stop on the coast was the Kiama Blowhole (right), next to a lighthouse. It has a 2.5 metre wide opening and has been recorded at heights of more than 30 metres. You can hear an impressive whoosh sound and often feel the spray of the ocean when it blows. Unfortunately, it rained and views were not really terrific, nor typically "Australian".

At Shellharbour City we stopped for fish (Barramundi) and chips, again - deliciously fresh! Continued to Port Kembla and Wollongong - a highly industrial area with coal mining, chemical and steel factories, spreckled with some beaches, but not very idyllic views (see photo on the left). Port Kembla is a major international industrial port and NSW’s primary hub for motor vehicle imports and grain exports. Since the 1890s it manages bulk and container cargo.

The "Grand Pacific Drive" is a a 140 km scenic coastal drive along the South Coast of NSW, but parts of it are not soo "grand", partly due to weather, partly because of the traffic and "thousands" of roundabouts and bumpers. Also, there are not too many viewpoints or pull-outs, the road mostly doesn't follow the coastline, but goes inland, passing little towns (looking very similar). Besides the beach villages not many observation points to pull out. Weekender traffic was pretty dense and the drive was slow. Best part in any case is the Sea Cliff Bridge, a 665 m curved cantilever bridge directly along the ocean, with a viewpoint: 

People watching the paragliders and enjoying the view (above).

Royal National Park, further north towards Sydney, was one of Australia’s first areas of land set aside for conservation. Again, rainforest landscape, very lush, but, again, the visitor center was mostly functioning as a souvenir shop and café not highly instructive. And, we didn't have time anymore for a longer hike.

The drive through the Sydney metro area on a mostly 8-lane fast road, was not really fun on a Sunday late afternoon. Due to dense traffic it took us over an hour to get from the National Park to the car rental station. So glad, to get rid of the car for a while - we were pooped!

We had booked an Ibis Hotel in walking distance from the rental car station, checked in, took a shower and took the train to Circular Quai. From there we bit goodbye to Sydney at the Sydney Brewery where we enjoy a well-earned cold drink and a pizza. Out to Uluru tomorrow!

 

 

Beachlife - but, no kangaroos yet!

 

Miscalculation this morning in regard to the weather,,, Rain in the morning, when we got up, but, in the course of the day, it warmed up considerably. Didn't have bathing suits with us and were wearing jeans!!! Much too warm !!!

After breakfast, we left our cozy cottage towards the west. First, to  Morton National Park with the Fitzroy Falls (left photo, on the left). Beautiful scenery with clouds and fog hanging low. The water plunges dramatically into the untouched valley 81m below.

 

We drove on, down from Southern Highlands through the Kangaroo Valley to the coast. Kangaroo Valley is lush and green – though, we didn't see any kangaroos! - with morning mist and a patchwork of farmland. We drove over Australia’s last existing wooden suspension bridge, Hampden Bridge, constructed between 1895 and 1898 (below).

 

 

 

A winding, steep, narrow road went down to Jervis Bay, through the woods. The whole area is called "Shoalhaven" – promoting its 100 beaches, 49 towns and villages strongly. It's a favorite destination for Sydneysiders and day-trippers from there. Since it was a weekend, it was accordingly packed along the coast.

Huskisson (photos further below) - in the heart of the bay - was our first stop. We walked over to the beach and had fish/calamari & chips for lunch. Usually, never do lunch while traveling, but this was too appealing!  

Driving on to the small village of Hyams Beach in Jervis Bay - renowned for its pristine, powdery white sand and crystal clear waters. Long beaches, one after the other, not a whole lot of shade, though,,, and, no swim suit!

Booderee National Park on the south side of the Bay was our next stop, mainly because of the Booderee Botanic Gardens. It's the only Aboriginal (Koori people)-owned botanic gardens in Australia, beautiful landscape, though,  frankly, there is not a whole lot of information offered. No visitor center, just a couple of signs, no "educational walk" or such,,, Seems to be a problem for us in Australia: it's not like in the U.S.A.: clear signage, preannouncements, maps and instructive trails, etc. Rather "self-explanatory" in some regard,,,

At least we learned the names of some more plants and had a pleasant stroll through the gardens.

Grevillea Honey Gem (below), dried and fresh

Banksia aquilonia Jingana (above)

Eucalyptus racemosa (Northern Scribbly Gum) - above 

More Eucalyptus above,,,

On the way back sky had cleared and it was much warmer. We stopped at another "antiques store" - owned by two elderly gents, being fully involved in horse racing (another favorite passion of many Australians!) - on the way "home". On the terrace in front of our cottage (below) we enjoyed the sunset and played around with horses, cats and dogs and watched the cockadoos attacking a fruit tree.

Westward we go!

We left Canberra this morning on M31 (sort of an autobahn with a 110 km/h speed limit), not too much traffic and pretty pleasant two hour drive - passing Lake George (which we didn't see before, in the thunderstorm) to Bowral with a stop at Berrima's historic Courthouse (pic below), dating in 1838. 

 

Getting closer to the coast now. Originally, we had planned to stay in the so-called Southern Highlands for only one night, the next on the coast, nearby famous Jervis Bay. But, since it's a weekend and Sydney too close, it was much too expansive there. 

At our stop in Berrima, at Berkelouw Book Barn (below), we found a funny book written by German's famous Grzimek!

 

Problem today: it rains, constant ugly, drizzling rain at only about 18 deg C! In Australia,,, in late summer ,,, where we had over 30 deg. last week in Sydney! So, we made a good choice in retrospect and booked a cozy AirBnB Cottage in Moss Vale (10 min. out of Bowral) for two nights. Three modern, nicely equipped cottages on vast, lush grounds with orchards, flower beds and lots of greenery. And: lots of noisy birds of all kinds, cats and dogs! Breakfast items provided as well as welcome goodies. 

Main sight in Bowral: the Bradman (cricket) Museum. This large, partly interactive museum celebrates the stories and people who shaped cricket - a sport which originated in Great Britain. Main focus of the exhibitions is the greatest cricketer of all time: Sir Donald Bradman, who was a local. There is the Bradman Gallery, but also a gallery on women’s cricket and "Greats of the Game", sort of a Hall of Fame. The museum deals with the rules, the leagues and how Australia fought for its establishment, the British influence, the best cricket nations and players, iconic games, the history of cricket from the 14th century on, and, much, much more. Really interesting museum and even more, a fascinating sport! Would love to see a game once! Besides Aussie football (which we will still get a chance to watch in Perth!) and rugby it's probably the main sport in Australia.

 Below, Sir Don Bradman's gallery:

Women's cricket:

Well, after a walk along Bowral's main street (left), including stops at a fancy doughnut shop (photo below)  - good coffee and bakeries are to be found at every street corner! - another bookstore and Dirty Janes Antique Emporium (photos further below), we called it a day around 4:30 pm. Stocked with some groceries from Woolworths - a gigantic supermarket - we checked in and got busy to catch up with daily business.

WiFi is spotty in the cottage, and, so far, TV has "no signal". Last nights we watched some free-TV series about "Road Trains" - enormously long, heavy trucks in the Outback - and their drivers. Mostly, here, they advice to use your own account (Netflix/Amazon etc), but usually there are some free public channels, too. Life isn't getting easier with all the technology available ,,,