Canberra to Sydney by the scenic route

The trip from Canberra to Sydney, before flying home, was the only bit of this trip I could do by car, so no contest I had to do it.

An early morning pick up from the airport, and I was on the road before eight.  Heading due east on a main road that was definitely not a freeway – more like a British A class road.

Miles and miles of farm land eventually gave way to forest before the road dropped down the mountains  to the coast at Batemans Bay.

I turned south a little until I found a quiet bay, where I could walk along the sand, and Twitter home to make the folks envious.   Then back to Batemans Bay for breakfast on the Quay under a glorious clear blue sky.

I then headed up the coast for a couple of hours taking in the views and the beaches.  My lunchtime stop was in a place called Kiama.  There is a famous blow hole here where even a slight sea causes a spout to shower up through a fissure in the rock.

Then it was on north again towards Woolongong, which looked good as a stopping place on the map, but I somehow managed to drive through without realising.  Just north of Woolongong, things get a bit industrial, where there is a massive zinc smelting plant.  After this stage  I thought I had had the best of the trip, but I was very wrong.

After a while I found the road increasingly squeezed between  the sea and the cliffs.  Eventually ending up on an impressive bridle which holds the road above the sea as it follows the curve of the cliff.  I wanted to stop and take a photo, but couldn’t find anywhere safe until I was well past it.

On impulse, just after the Sea Cliff bridge, I followed a sign to take the road via the Royal National Park.  What a good decision that was.  The rolling hills which end as massive towering cliffs are covered in forest.  The road meanders 5hrough the forest, climbing up and down the valleys, occasionally almost cresting the cliff tops.

Although it was late Friday afternoon, the road was virtually deserted.  I can recommend no better way to approach Sydney by car, especially in the late afternoon as the sun is sinking below the tree tops.

Darkness brought me to the Sydney suburbs and on to the airport where I abandoned the car, and my main case at a left luggage place, and headed in to town on one of their double-decker trains.

The view from my 6th floor room in the Potts Point Holiday Inn, was spectacular, encompassing both the Opera House and the bridge.

A welcome rest after a tiring but excellent 400 Km drive. Recommend it to anyone who can spend a day getting from Canberra to Sydney.

Sea Cliff Bridge picture by EÖnn in flickr

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