Kiama

Woollongong Lighthouse

                                                                  Wollongong Surfer

Wollongong Beach

On Thursday the 18th August we drove down the coast to the small town of Kiama. We stopped off in Wollongong (just love these Aboriginal names) for a picnic by the sea. The surf was up and there were lots of surfers. Surfing is such a serious business in Australia. People go for a surf in their lunch hour.

We saw a man changing from his wet suit to his business suit ready to go back to work.

It was rather windy there but not too cold. We then carried on to Kiama and went to see the Blowhole. It is a volcanic rock formation where the sea had worn a hole through the rock and when the waves come in the water shoots up through the hole.

The Blowhole, Kiama

Wendy, Linda and Violet

We had booked bed and breakfast for the night at the Green Cottage, Manning Street, Kiama. Linda and Kevin had a room in the main house but Violet and I had the studio flat to ourselves with lounge, kitchen, bathroom and two bedrooms! The owners were very welcoming and looked after us very well. They are called Roy and Jeanette. It turned out that Roy came from Leamington Spa! I would definitely recommend
That evening we drove down the coast to a Fisherman's Club House for an evening meal. The floor to ceiling windows looked out over Seven Mile Bay (yes it's seven miles long).

Seven Mile Beach

We watched the sun go down but it was rather cloudy so the sunset wasn't as spectacular as it could have been but it was still lovely to watch. The meals were huge. Poor Violet could only manage half of hers.We were full-to-busting after so we didn't have a pud and went back to the B&B for coffee in our little lounge. We slept well until the bin lorries clattered past at 6am! That was the second time this week as it was bin day back at Linda's a couple of days before!
We had a lovely breakfast upstairs of cereal then eggs mushroom and tomatoes with herbs and lashings of hot toast. Jeanette's expression not mine. (Sounds like Enid Blyton)
The weather had been dry the day before but we woke up to lots rain. We drove to a town called Berry for Violet because her name is Berry.

She's not really!

We looked round the shops and bought some souvenirs. Had coffee and cakes in an old fashioned coffee shop and then set off to drive through Kangaroo Valley but we didn't see any kangaroos. The country-side looked very much like Wales so maybe that's why this state was named New South Wales. On the way we stopped off to see the spectacular Fitzroy Falls.

Fitzroy Falls

I managed to catch a rainbow!

We walked through the trees and came to a platform that looked over the falls. I was filming with my video camera and you can hear me gasp as the falls come into view.
We walked back to the Information Centre and read some of the history of the place and then had our lunch. I had the most enormous home-made sausage roll made of chopped savoury meat and veg which was very tasty.
We then went on our way back to the Blue Mountains. We just stopped briefly in Bowral which for all you cricket fans out there is where Don Bradman played cricket.
So that was an enjoyable couple of days seeing the Pacific Coast and the NSW countryside.
As I write this I am sitting in the garden and the sun is so hot, at last. I've finally got the chance to wear my sun hat. Pity it's turned warmer only a few days before I go home! Aye, but I'm making the most of it!

Bowral Cricket Ground called the Bradman Oval

Statue of Don Bradman