Nowra later

We finished up our retreat with lunch, said our goodbyes, and hopped in the car. Blindly following the directions on Google maps, we headed south along the coast. About an hour into the drive, we came to the sea cliff bridge. Built in the early 2000’s, the bridge moves the road out over the ocean. This then creates a space for rock slides to crash down, without doing any damage to the road. (CDOT should take note for Glenwood Canyon.) It is a surreal experience to be out over the water, as you take a couple of large curves along the coastline. After winding our way around the bridge, we parked and went back to the observation area to take a look at the bridge. I was impressed with the engineering but more taken by the cloudless, blue sky and the whitecaps on the ocean.

Our next stop was the Kiama blowhole. The attraction is found at the very tip of coast that jets out from Kiama, a small beach town. The wind blew hard, but the day was still warm. Atop the cliff sits a tall lighthouse, then the path drops down the rocks into a viewing area. We waited for the spouting water but nothing happened, so we walked along the cliffs. The ocean waves crashed against the coast, shooting white foam high into the air. We were mesmerized by the sights and sounds but eventually walked back toward the blowhole. Just as we arrived, the roar of the underground channel culminated in a shot of water. We stuck around for a while, waiting and watching, but none were as high as the first one. You know, the one when we didn’t have our cameras trained on the hole.

The drive has reminded me of Highway 1 in California. The road is windy and hilly and offers amazing views. There’s also some really nice properties along the way. We finished our drive in Nowra. We stopped in at Woolys (aka Woolworths) to grab some food to take to the hotel. We’re staying at a 1950’s style motor lodge along the coast. It’s super cute and has an actual key with the little keychain thingy with the room number on it. Bill Bryson wrote that Australia is about 50 years behind America, and this is just another example supporting his theory.Read more