A drive down the Coast Road..now known as "The Grand Pacific Drive"
The “true” southern Sydney coastal drive (also billed as NSW version of the Great Ocean Road) begins just south of Sutherland at Royal National Park. You can follow the Princes Hwy thru from the end of Newtown and across Tom Uglys' bridge. It can be worth a quick stop here for a quick look up and down Botany Bay and Georges River which was supposed to be the first place of settlement.
Follow the highway thru Kirrawee and turn left at the Tynan’s lights and after the big dip make sure you are in the left lane to enter the National Park. If the gate is open tell the Ranger you are just driving thru and they don’t charge park entry fee. If you want to stop for a while in the park…pay the charges, currently $11.
Follow the road around and across the causeway. Travel along and you have a few choices. Sidetrack down to Bundeena (no fee for entry to this area) or off to Wattamolla and Garie. (Pay if you intend to stop for longer than about 5 mins here.) Both of these may give opportunities for whale watching in the winter months.
The road is fairly winding and there are a number of short walks (the ones at Red Cedar flats are good after rain) and make your way to Otford. Park in the second carpark for good coastal views. A short distance around the next bend is Stanwell Tops, site of Australia’s first manned flight by Lawrence Hargreaves who actually jumped off the cliff in a kite in 1894. You can join in the fun as hang gliding still happens there today.
Make your way down Bald Hill (turn left at the stop sign) and thru the Village of Stanwell Park. More café options here but not with the view. Around a few bends you’ll find the little suburb of Coalcliff and the beginning of the Sea Cliff Bridge. You can park just off to the left before you go over the bridge and walk the few km uphill and return to the car downhill.
Continue the drive along thru Scarborough, counter lunches are available at the pub but beware of drink driving, here is another perfect opportunity to catch a glimpse of a whale, and then down to the beaches at Austinmer and Thirroul. On a hot day, a stop at one of the beaches for a swim either in the beach pools or in the surf can make for another pleasant break. Cafe at Austinmeer is another good feed.
You can make you way from there thru to Wollongong and turn left at the North beach City beach sign. Drive all the way around to the lighthouse and you’ll find a great park with views for a picnic or alternatively there are a couple of cafes. The food at Harbourfront Restaurant is better than the cafe. Dunes has a great beachfront view. You can then take another leisurely stroll along the promenade and back to the Novotel, stop at Mudcat for a coffee or thebeach kiosk and return. Total walk distance is one mile and this is known as the Sri Chimnoy peace mile.
Return options to Sydney are via the Old Princes Highway (stop at Bulli lookout or Sublime Point for a great view) or F6. Or of course back the way you came.
There are a few negatives to the trip.
- Traffic can be a little heavy on a beautiful weekend.
- You can suffer carsickness in the park.
- There are often pushbikes heading in either direction as it’s a popular training ride for cyclists. Most often you will encounter groups on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons (mostly teenagers, fast ones!) or early mornings.
- Do not attempt this drive on the first weekend in November as the MS Sydney to the Gong ride is on. The park will be closed to traffic. Sponsor a rider instead!
However, it’s a lovely drive and in some ways one of Sydney’s best kept secrets.
Here is a link to Open Roads : NRMA Motoring : Great Drives. It provides information about a variety of great drives around Australia.
