Our travels: April 2013

A short break down the South Coast was definitely a welcome break from the hectic pace of the past weeks. With Easter behind us, we headed south to a small seaside town called Gerringong.

We were in no hurry so left after a coffee at home with our lunch packed. The plan was to lunch at Kiama then continue on south. With an arrival time of 2pm we thought it would all fit in nicely.

The weather was so beautiful. Warm and sunny with the promise of the same for the next few days.

Even though it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, Kiama was not overly busy. We had our lunch overlooking the water.

Views of the sea from both sides of the headland

The Blowhole is always a place to visit in Kiama

Today, however, not a sign of anything blowing through the hole

The lighthouse from below the blowhole

We continued our drive following the main road. We stopped at a lookout just north of Gerringong where we had a beautiful view of what was to be our location for the next couple of days.

View across to Werri Beach and Gerringong

We were a little too early to check in to we decided to have a look around the town. Views abound in this part of the world.


View of Werri Beach looking north

Once we had checked in to our accommodation, we realised the views from the balcony of our room that the views were pretty good from there too.

The adults only pool from our balcony


Sunrise from our balcony

So the start of another day. From a brochure we had picked up in Kiama we had booked a day out on Jervis Bay. We breakfasted promptly then headed off allowing ourselves an hour to get to Huskisson.

We had booked ourselves on a 2-hour eco-cruise on Jervis Bay. The weather was beautiful, but some dark threatening clouds suggested we may not see the sun for the whole day.

The weather held and we had no rain. I hope you enjoy these photos we took.

The main street in Huskisson

Huskisson waterfront

Only five minutes from the harbour and the dolphins came out to greet us

The water was so clear it was easy to see them swimming alongside even underwater

Jervis Bay has many beautiful secluded beaches

This one is accessible via this stairway

Beautiful clear water with a sandy bottom make for the changing colours in the water

Hyams Beach, known for its white sand

But also for its prime real estate

The clouds hung around

Close to the naval base, but the kangaroos still graze on the grassy areas

The captain's house - prime location

A naval training vessel

Still known as the hole in the wall, but now with the top missing

The cleansing sea grass - keeping the waters of Jervis Bay in pristine condition

The weather was still threatening

The island at the entrance to Jervis Bay is a fairy penguin sanctuary

Point Perpendicular, the northern headland of Jervis Bay is aptly named

Many interesting rock formations can be found along the walls of Point Perpendicular. Can you see the east coast of Australia?

Sea caves and gorges abound

Stack left separated from the main wall by erosion

Powerful waves create some wonderful coves

Kelp found only in this part of the Bay

An eye in the sky

A different eye - a local sea eagle turns up

These boulders have been pounded and collapsed like dominoes from the heavy seas

This ship ran aground further to the right on this rocky headland. The seas push it a little further along with each storm

Honeymoon Bay - very secluded

The clouds still threatened, but still no rain

With the tide out it was a very careful return to the harbour in the shallow water

Colourful apartments, reminiscent of towns in Europe

After our boat trip, we took a look around the town. It has a lot to offer including this area behind the Lady Denman Museum, which is a mostly maritime museum. Set in lovely grounds just on the edge of town, sadly we did not have time to visit.

The stairway to Hyams Beach

Hyams Beach claims to have the whitest sand in the world. Watch out for later blogs when we visit Whitehaven Beach in Queensland and Lucky Bay in Western Australia which have also been vying for the title of having the whitest sand in Australia. But Hyams is the only one in the Guinness Book of Records.

The whitest sand in the world - according to the Guinness Book of Records

The boat we were on two hours earlier now out on another trip

After our day in and around Jervis Bay, we had other spots to explore on our way back to Gerringong. We had stayed in Shoalhaven Heads when the children were younger. The beach has not changed.

Shoalhaven Heads is at the mid point of Seven Mile Beach - this picture looking north

Seven Mile Beach looking south

Seven Mile Beach from the Kingsford Smith Lookout

Sadly our short break had to come to an end, but one more stop before we headed home was up in to the hinterland to visit Minnamurra Falls Rainforest. One of our National Parks the walk is all on boardwalk or paved so very easy going, but steep in parts.