I'm back from Sydney and I cannot wait to share the epic series of events that took place the week before! The plan was to drive down south on the Grand Pacific Drive over the weekend and cover as much as we can drive! And then for the rest of the week, we mainly covered other parts of the city via the double decker trains! Yes, double decker! (picture later)
It was quite jittery to be driving in a foreign country but fortunately, we had tips and plenty of assistance from the GPS. It helps also that W has been driving in Singapore so I felt more reassured :)
It was quite jittery to be driving in a foreign country but fortunately, we had tips and plenty of assistance from the GPS. It helps also that W has been driving in Singapore so I felt more reassured :)
We took the overnight flight on Scoot and fortunately our luggages passed the weight limit, cutting it very close at 15.9 kg for mine :P Whew. I thought I would have to repack at the airport even before our trip started! (Tip: as long as you keep to your luggage allowance to .x, you will not incur excess baggage charges, i.e. 15.1 - 15.9kg is ok and 7.1 - 7.9kg is ok for handcarry allowances ;) The flight was pretty good and we arrived earlier than our expected time. Was super excited to be seeing the beautiful Sydney airport again as we landed next to the sea (? Ok, a body of water hahaha).
Pity the water was not on our side of the plane, hence no photos for that. Upon arriving, we successfully went through Aussie Immigration without any checks and brought A all the snacks she wanted to gift to her colleagues here. Then we needed to phone the car rental company for the airport transfer to their office in town. Found a payphone which cost me 50cents. I say it is a jolly good service and if you're looking to rent, Bayswater Car Rental is pretty convenient and affordable for the following reasons:
I know the fees sound like a lot, but after we did the math, it seemed pretty okay. Don't forget there's still petrol (tip: if you're driving out of town, always fill your tanks further away from the city and if you buy things from Woolworths and Coles, the receipts can save you 4c per litre at Caltex and Shell respectively). Tolls in Sydney are also da bomb ($6+ one way) which we went through twice before finding the "Avoid Tolls" feature on the GPS zzz although the journey might be much much further. Anyway, here are some additional tips:
(Disclaimer: this is based on my own experience! I'm pretty sure seasoned Sydney drivers will be able to provide many more useful tips :)
The airport transfer driver is not from the company, but an external third party hired by Bayswater to transfer their customers to their head office. It took a while for us to be identified and brought to the van (something which needs to be improved, perhaps the driver could hold a sign?) The waiting area described on their website also needs to be updated as the wall is not longer blue, nor are the words orange. In any case, just wait next to all the car rental counters.
Some procedures, check-in, verifications and paperwork later, we finally got into our car (Corolla Hatchback) and drove our way to A's place in Chatswood. Then we explored the area and had some food before returning to prepare for our trip the next day!
- Airport transfer - $5 per pax per way (skip the airport tolls too if you were to drive out of the airport yourself) vs airport train vs other airport transfer service both at A$15 per pax.
- Located near King's Cross station (convenient to go back to your hotel after returning the car/convenient base)
- Affordable and provides GPS ($6 per day), reduce damage to $50 (for a fee of $6 per day), child seats etc, various options available
I know the fees sound like a lot, but after we did the math, it seemed pretty okay. Don't forget there's still petrol (tip: if you're driving out of town, always fill your tanks further away from the city and if you buy things from Woolworths and Coles, the receipts can save you 4c per litre at Caltex and Shell respectively). Tolls in Sydney are also da bomb ($6+ one way) which we went through twice before finding the "Avoid Tolls" feature on the GPS zzz although the journey might be much much further. Anyway, here are some additional tips:
(Disclaimer: this is based on my own experience! I'm pretty sure seasoned Sydney drivers will be able to provide many more useful tips :)
- Lanes are very narrow on Sydney city roads so drive carefully
- They are very strict about the speed limits and there are speed and red light cameras EVERYWHERE (if unstated, go with 60km/h)
- It can be quite confusing with plenty of roundabouts, Y-junctions and the likes, but don't be afraid to turn into the wrong street, etc as the GPS can redirect you and Aussies are generally quite friendly drivers. (At least I did not meet any unfriendly ones despite my slow speed :P )
- Mountain and sea roads are especially winding, so caution should be practiced and motion sickness pills are advised.
The airport transfer driver is not from the company, but an external third party hired by Bayswater to transfer their customers to their head office. It took a while for us to be identified and brought to the van (something which needs to be improved, perhaps the driver could hold a sign?) The waiting area described on their website also needs to be updated as the wall is not longer blue, nor are the words orange. In any case, just wait next to all the car rental counters.
Some procedures, check-in, verifications and paperwork later, we finally got into our car (Corolla Hatchback) and drove our way to A's place in Chatswood. Then we explored the area and had some food before returning to prepare for our trip the next day!
Day 2: Chatswood > Royal National Park > Stanswell Park Lookout > Seacliff Bridge > Wollongong Harbour > Shellharbour (Drove Past) > Kiama
Bright and early, we headed out and plotted the route to the Royal National Park. That is the start of the Grand Pacific Drive. It took a little under an hour for us to get out of the city and onto the highway before we exited onto the Royal National Park! It is super exciting to see the brown signboard stating "Grand Pacific Drive" and if you get lost, the signboards are a great directional guide :) No picture of the signboard but here's the road driving through the Royal National Park - the 2nd oldest in the world! There will be a little booth that you will need to go past, just let the guy know that you're not intending to stop in the park and you will not need to pay the entrance fee.
After all the forest roads, comes the amazing ocean! This will be the first sight of ocean for the trip!
(Random vintage car that parked next to us <3)
Of course the signboard says Royal National Park Coast Walk, so we were really unsure if this constituted as stopping, but we stopped anyway as we could not contain our excitement! In any case, plenty of other cars stopped there too :P The wind was really really REALLY strong and cold, so definitely wear more! Although the aussies who helped us take a picture were in T-shirt and berms...but whatever, I rather be warm! ^^
We decided to head to coffee next and found a wonderful little cafe serving breakfast and coffee called 16 feet espresso! It is a little hard to find as it is hidden from the main road, so when you spot a slope up to some shops, do take it! It was very popular for a Saturday morning and was quite quaint. Street parking is also free so many pluses +++ I especially love that gnome stool hehe :)
Of course the signboard says Royal National Park Coast Walk, so we were really unsure if this constituted as stopping, but we stopped anyway as we could not contain our excitement! In any case, plenty of other cars stopped there too :P The wind was really really REALLY strong and cold, so definitely wear more! Although the aussies who helped us take a picture were in T-shirt and berms...but whatever, I rather be warm! ^^
We decided to head to coffee next and found a wonderful little cafe serving breakfast and coffee called 16 feet espresso! It is a little hard to find as it is hidden from the main road, so when you spot a slope up to some shops, do take it! It was very popular for a Saturday morning and was quite quaint. Street parking is also free so many pluses +++ I especially love that gnome stool hehe :)
Essentially, for all food places, we relied heavily on Urbanspoon.com and if the review was good, it was generally true. But of course, this goes against the principle of spontaneity in travel, for what are we if not travellers here to seek out undiscovered places! *dramatics*
Haha, anyway, next we hit Sea Cliff Bridge! There is road-side parking at the start and the end of the bridge and stopping to walk along the coast and pictures are definitely a must!
Haha, anyway, next we hit Sea Cliff Bridge! There is road-side parking at the start and the end of the bridge and stopping to walk along the coast and pictures are definitely a must!
The sun and clouds were really not being cooperative that day so you can see that while it is the same place, the first two pics are exceptionally bright and the last one needed a bit of editing for its colour to pop (thanks ah, backlight).
I really love this shot as the waves crashed against the rocks and jumped up high with majesty.
Anyhow, it was too cold to complete the full bridge, although I would have loved to, so we decided to continue our drive. The whole journey was amazing, driving along the Pacific. The next stop was Wollongong city. This is a University town thus forums have advised to stay in this town for nightlife and more dining options, but we decided to cover more ground, hence we booked an amazing place via airbnb in Kiama instead.
We stopped at Wollongong harbour to look for lunch and bought a seafood platter for 2. Lots of delicious food but because we sat facing the harbour, plenty of seagulls were attracted to us - the only disruption with an alfresco lunch in Australia's coastal cities. In the end, we had to move to a bench in the carpark instead. Meh.
After lunch, we explored the historic lighthouse and took a walk around the area. Google Maps pointed us to an ice cream place behind the lighthouse. Silly us were expecting a cafe with chairs and tables, only to find an ice cream van parked in a car park perched on a hill overlooking the ocean.
There weren't much on our itinerary but that's ok coz the point of our trip was to keep it casual and relaxed so we continued our drive along. It was quite a long drive and we drove through towns and shops along the way. The skies were unfortunately cloudy and rainy so we could not stop in Shellharbour to look at the giant lake there. Pity. Nevertheless, we came to a long stretch of beach as the rain cleared, so we stopped to stretch our legs.
Anyhow, it was too cold to complete the full bridge, although I would have loved to, so we decided to continue our drive. The whole journey was amazing, driving along the Pacific. The next stop was Wollongong city. This is a University town thus forums have advised to stay in this town for nightlife and more dining options, but we decided to cover more ground, hence we booked an amazing place via airbnb in Kiama instead.
We stopped at Wollongong harbour to look for lunch and bought a seafood platter for 2. Lots of delicious food but because we sat facing the harbour, plenty of seagulls were attracted to us - the only disruption with an alfresco lunch in Australia's coastal cities. In the end, we had to move to a bench in the carpark instead. Meh.
After lunch, we explored the historic lighthouse and took a walk around the area. Google Maps pointed us to an ice cream place behind the lighthouse. Silly us were expecting a cafe with chairs and tables, only to find an ice cream van parked in a car park perched on a hill overlooking the ocean.
There weren't much on our itinerary but that's ok coz the point of our trip was to keep it casual and relaxed so we continued our drive along. It was quite a long drive and we drove through towns and shops along the way. The skies were unfortunately cloudy and rainy so we could not stop in Shellharbour to look at the giant lake there. Pity. Nevertheless, we came to a long stretch of beach as the rain cleared, so we stopped to stretch our legs.
Never-ending beaches and huge waves. There was a guy in a wetsuit jumping waves when we were there. Took some photos and then we were on our way again. Since it was just a wet wet windy day, we decided simply to head to straight to our accommodation to rest and wash up. We went to get some take-out (Thai @ Kiama) and had a nice warm meal in our self-contained beach studio. I would definitely recommend a car if you were going to stay here though, as it is nowhere walking distance to the train station, contrary to driving which only took us 10 - 15 mins' drive. Washed up and had an early night while watching some DVD that the host Wendy had provided.
Day 3: Kiama Blowhole > Kiama Seaside Markets > Gerringong > Gerroa > Shoalhaven Heads Tourist Park > Random Beach > Chatswood
Woke up bright and early to head to the Kiama Seaside Markets (every 3rd Sunday of the month) on Blackbeach, right next to the Kiama Blowhole. So we drove out and parked at the blowhole (free parking vs the town which had plenty of P signs), then walked down to the markets. It was wonderful weather that morning. Much much more sun!
Day 3: Kiama Blowhole > Kiama Seaside Markets > Gerringong > Gerroa > Shoalhaven Heads Tourist Park > Random Beach > Chatswood
Woke up bright and early to head to the Kiama Seaside Markets (every 3rd Sunday of the month) on Blackbeach, right next to the Kiama Blowhole. So we drove out and parked at the blowhole (free parking vs the town which had plenty of P signs), then walked down to the markets. It was wonderful weather that morning. Much much more sun!
Early morning view from our studio; hills of little houses and a peek of the ocean :)
The famous Kiama Blowhole: essentially a hole naturally formed and eroded by the ocean waves crashing against it. This resulted in waves crashing into it being shot upwards and it can be shot quite high. Be careful! As the floor might be wet and you might get some residual spray if you're walking close to the blowhole, which...was what happened to me with everyone laughing... haha... If you need some information, the Kiama Visitor Centre is also located near here so you can visit it for a toilet break or for some maps.
More scenic views from the Kiama Blowhole/Lighthouse:
More scenic views from the Kiama Blowhole/Lighthouse:
You can see all the little tents set up along the harbour and it was really crowded :) Also, if you were wondering about its name; Blackbeach; it is because the sand is literally black. No idea why.
We spent quite a few hours at the market and happily ate and bought a few things here and there before we decided to drive to Gerringong and Gerroa. We completely forsook the Kiama Boardwalk hahaha. :P The drive from Kiama to Gerringong then to Gerroa was awfully scenic. Both sides of the Princes Highway were farms hills meadows of cows, horses and sheep grazing. Not a skyscraper in sight, it was farmland as far as the horizon. It was also a straight road to follow all the way thanks to the help of the girl at the Visitor Centre who told me exactly which road to follow. Unfortunately, I missed the turn into the lookout point at the end of the Kiama Coastal Walk where we were supposedly able to spot whales. Without any visible turning in sight for a stop, we drove on all the way onto Crooked River Road where the road just went on for who knows how long! The speed limit varied as well but we could go as high as 100km/h at one point woohoo! I also missed 7 mile beach national park turn so that was a pity. Damn you mini hidden signboards!
Eventually I came to a turn where I could see the sea on the GPS. So I decided to follow the roads and undeterred by the T-junction which seemed to lead to a dead-end, I turned and ended up at one of the most amazing oasis of calm and still: Shoalhaven Heads Tourist Park.
We spent quite a few hours at the market and happily ate and bought a few things here and there before we decided to drive to Gerringong and Gerroa. We completely forsook the Kiama Boardwalk hahaha. :P The drive from Kiama to Gerringong then to Gerroa was awfully scenic. Both sides of the Princes Highway were farms hills meadows of cows, horses and sheep grazing. Not a skyscraper in sight, it was farmland as far as the horizon. It was also a straight road to follow all the way thanks to the help of the girl at the Visitor Centre who told me exactly which road to follow. Unfortunately, I missed the turn into the lookout point at the end of the Kiama Coastal Walk where we were supposedly able to spot whales. Without any visible turning in sight for a stop, we drove on all the way onto Crooked River Road where the road just went on for who knows how long! The speed limit varied as well but we could go as high as 100km/h at one point woohoo! I also missed 7 mile beach national park turn so that was a pity. Damn you mini hidden signboards!
Eventually I came to a turn where I could see the sea on the GPS. So I decided to follow the roads and undeterred by the T-junction which seemed to lead to a dead-end, I turned and ended up at one of the most amazing oasis of calm and still: Shoalhaven Heads Tourist Park.
There were pelicans, seagulls and black swans and it was really quiet. Of course it was cold and windy, but eventually you'd get used to it coupled with a few runs and jumps and food. (Sandwiches lovingly prepared by W, hehe.) It was really nice but I was surprised later that W really liked the place and termed it one of her favourite places on our entire trip. Aww. And that is really the thing I love about travelling, to discover places off the beaten path and exploring amazing places like this. Hopefully, all my travels will include new undiscovered places like this in future.
Anyway, here's a fat pelican for you :)
Anyway, here's a fat pelican for you :)
Which marks the amazing end to our road trip. Of course before that I again veered off-course coz I saw the sign; "Whale-Watching Platform". Since it was whale-watching season, I really hoped we could spot some whales. We came to a random hill where the car park was next to a cemetery facing the ocean (Oh, how nice it would be to be buried there, in all random morbid thought). But we could not spot any whales, so we headed down to see another beach instead which had so many surfers! And eventually, we drove back to Chatswood and made it before the sun went down on us.
The entire journey was fun and as W said, #achievementunlocked. I am eternally grateful to W if she does not already know for driving the majority of the entire time we had the car. I know it must have been tiring on her, but thanks for driving all the city roads and always being understanding and careful on my behalf :) Mwah <3
Here's a map of the Kiama/Gerringong/Gerroa area which I scanned in for you guys. Basically we just followed the road drawn out :)
The entire journey was fun and as W said, #achievementunlocked. I am eternally grateful to W if she does not already know for driving the majority of the entire time we had the car. I know it must have been tiring on her, but thanks for driving all the city roads and always being understanding and careful on my behalf :) Mwah <3
Here's a map of the Kiama/Gerringong/Gerroa area which I scanned in for you guys. Basically we just followed the road drawn out :)
kiama_map.pdf |
Oh and also, as promised - the picture of the double decker train! The seats can even be pulled to change direction so that you do not get motion sickness or if you'd prefer to sit facing your friends. How social is the design? :)
Coming to the end of my road trip down the Grand Pacific Drive, I have a lot of other stuff we did but I shall not cover these in this post seeing as it is already very long. (oops!) Nonetheless, I hope this has been a detailed guide for anyone planning a trip to the Grand Pacific Drive. It is a really easy drive save for the winding roads where you should always go slow!
On another note, do check out my other post on phytoplankton in Jervis Bay, which has also been voted as having the WHITEST SAND IN THE WORLD! It is a bit of a further drive down from Gerroa and is about 3 hours from Sydney. If you have more time, please please please go there and tell me if that is really true! Supposedly, there are wild kangaroos there too and amazing wildlife. As a driver, I believe Jervis Bay is definitely doable if we had longer daylight hours and did not spend as long at the Kiama Seaside Markets.
Thanks for bearing with me and reading till here! Let me know what you think and any questions you might have so I could perhaps lend my (limited) assistance :)
xx,
J
On another note, do check out my other post on phytoplankton in Jervis Bay, which has also been voted as having the WHITEST SAND IN THE WORLD! It is a bit of a further drive down from Gerroa and is about 3 hours from Sydney. If you have more time, please please please go there and tell me if that is really true! Supposedly, there are wild kangaroos there too and amazing wildlife. As a driver, I believe Jervis Bay is definitely doable if we had longer daylight hours and did not spend as long at the Kiama Seaside Markets.
Thanks for bearing with me and reading till here! Let me know what you think and any questions you might have so I could perhaps lend my (limited) assistance :)
xx,
J