Written by Kim
We picked up our car, a MG, and began the drive down the Great Pacific drive. After we got out of the city, we needed a quick break to celebrate Alex’s quick transition driving on the wrong side of the road! Some Macca’s (Mc Donald’s)
This is a picturesque coastal road with magnificent views. Traveling on Great Pacific Drive reminds me of driving Route 66. The signage isn’t great and some signs are so faded it’s tough to follow a bit.
Our first stop was Sea Cliff Bridge, a 450-meter-long, cantilevered road bridge on the Grand Pacific Drive in Coalcliff, New South Wales, that cost approximately $49 million to build and officially opened on December 11, 2005. It was constructed as a replacement for a dangerous, landslide-prone section of the previous road and now serves as a major tourist attraction with scenic views of the Pacific Ocean.
There were several beautiful beaches along the way as well as a saltwater pool built on the beach to protect you from the deadly sea creatures in Australia.
Wollongong is the only place in the east of Australia to have two lighthouses located in close proximity of each other, the other being Wollongong Head Lighthouse. While no longer used, the lighthouse was restored in 2002 as operational and is listed an official local heritage building.
There were also quaint little towns and beautiful mountainsides as we drove
Our studio apartment is very cute nestled about a block from the beach. This apartment reminds me of the first place we stayed at in Cairns last time we were here. Our host, Steve, met us as we arrived because he was heading out. He and his wife, Nicky live upstairs with their daughter and her partner.
Today was m6 happy day – laundry! We found a beautiful little laundromat but darn was it expensive – about $30 for 2 loads. It was very modern you paid on a touch screen and detergent was added automatically. They even had special washers for pet stuff.
Now that the chores were done off to the pub for some grub. We headed to Bud’s Tavern in Huskinson’s Bay for some local favorites.
Our drive today should have taken 3 1/2 hours but we stopped to sightsee along the way so it took most of the day. We are here for 2 nights so will explore more tomorrow.
Until then….
