Travel News
| SYDNEY, Australia – Renata and I were in Sydney for a poker tournament a few weeks ago. I went down to the felt on the second day & we were not to return to Brazil for 3 more days. The hotel recommended renting a car and taking the Grand Pacific Drive, so that is what we did.
Grand Pacific Drive
It seemed daunting at first – they drive on the left hand side of the road, after all. And, when we called the major car rental places for rates, we were surprised by how expensive it was. Luckily, the front desk recommended we try the Compare Car Hire website to get a car and they were able to hook us up for cheap.
Grand Pacific Drive is a stunning stretch of highway between Sydney's Royal National Park, through Wollongong and Kiama to Jervis Bay. It really isn't that long of drive, an easy day trip at 169 km (105 mi), but we decided to take two days, spending a night on the road.
We entered the Royal National Parke following the road through subtropical rainforest, past beautiful sandstone cliffs and beaches until we reached Balk Hill, where we stopped to enjoy the scenery and a packed lunch.
From this vantage point, we took our first measure of the size of the Grand Pacific Drive and that magnificent feat of engineering, the sea Cliff Bridge. Baid Hill is clearly a popular spot for hang gliders and parasailers who launch themselves into the rapid upward air currents that come from the ocean.
Then down the winding road that hugs the cliffs like a wet raincoat we come to a parking area, which allows us to walk the 665-metre length of the Sea Cliff Bridge.
Moving along, we stopped at Austinmer, a picturesque town with beautiful beaches and a deservedly popular gelato bar, called the Austi Beach Cafe. Even with the rain, this is a savored treat. Checking into the Novotel North Beach, we watch the wild weather whipping the beach.
From there, we walked to Belmore Basin, which is a boat mooring area built by convicts, then moved onto Flagstaff Hill. The lush green grass and hills begged us to roll down the steep slopes. This is the location of two lighthouses and an army fortress, with uninterrupted views to Wollongong and Port Kembla. We ate lunch at the Harbor Front Restaurant.
We drove through Jamberoo were there was a cool water park - too bad we didn't have kids, I thought to myself. We moved on through Bass Point, which has a great view of the coast and some neat shops, and on to Kiama, best known for its blowhole. Discovered by George Bass in 1797, the ceaseless flow of water through the blowhole never seems to lose its appeal.
We stayed at the new Gran Mercure Kiama Blue, built around the heritage listed blue stone primary school house. It has impressive views of Kama Harbor and a number of eating options.
The next day, we headed to Huskisson for a dolphin cruise. The manger, fills us in on some facts about the area and reminds us that this is not a zoo-catching sight of a dolphin is still left to luck, However, the company does offer a free pass for another cruise if you don't see any. Well, it's our lucky day, because not very long into the cruise, we see a number of dolphin pods.
We browsed around the old-fashioned terrace shops before leaving for Sydney. On a whim, we decide to the Nan Tien Temple at Berkeley on the southern edge of Wollongong. The largest Buddhist temple in the southern hemisphere, Nan Tien is a very beautiful and serene place.
Read More Articles from Brazil Dispatch
Do you like this post? Please link back to this article by copying one of the codes below.
HTML link code:
Hi, I'm Phil from CompareCarRental.com.au,
ReplyDeleteWe are really glad to see you enjoyed using our website to get yourself a cheap deal on car hire. Sounds like you had an awesome trip to!
Regards
You’re welcome – the service was great!
DeleteThanks for the praise, I appreciate it very much and I’ll ‘keep them coming’
ReplyDeleteYears ago the road featured in your picture was actually parallel to the rocks. However, after years of erosion rocks started to crumble and fall on the road. So, NSW state government had to build a bridge set back from the rocks.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good road trip.
That's interesting but to tell you the truth (and don't tell Renata) I was so terrified to drive on the left side of the road that I wouldn't have noticed!
ReplyDelete