Exploring the South Coast
Skipping through the big smoke (Sydney), the journey continued further south to find new regions we had yet to explore. In the next two weeks we would hop between charming coastal towns, pristine bays and into the high valleys to chase waterfalls.
Something we really wanted to try for the first time was to ‘stealth camp’. Travelling on a budget and to truly embrace the van life, we were keen to park up on some quiet sleep and free camp it. However, as one of us fell ill that day our plans completely back-flipped and instead we found ourselves in a very cosy cottage Air BnB within the Kangaroo Valley. I recall feeling a little sense of personal defeat that after only lasting 2 weeks in the van, but that quickly left me as we enjoyed the luxuries of our getaway. Nothing like the sniffles to make one retreat back to our creature comforts.
luckily the illness was mild and the following days we would venture out into the valley to explore its waterfalls and kayak along its river. Driving up to the higher plateaus brought a change in weather with cool and dry conditions contrasting with the hot and sticky coastal conditions. This made trekking and sleeping in the van so much more enjoyable. The Valley itself was beautiful with its small towns, open greenery and birds everywhere. A few days was definitely needed to take this place in and I will look to come back in future.
Back on the coast we continued down the A1 stopping along numerous coastal towns and bays. The beaches and headlines are world-class, something that you kind of forget to appreciate when there is so much of it. We visited some rather incredible places such as Jervis Bay, Uladulla, Narooma and Murramarang National park. To recollect every thing we saw would take up too much time, however some of the highlights with no context … spotting a big Octopus… a wasp sting in the ear… a charming farm to table lunch… getting back in the climbing harness… and a bout of sea sickness.
The end of this leg culminated with a Sea Lion snorkelling experience on Montague Island. Sharing the water with these amazing creates was rather special and the perfect way to finish this part of the trip before driving back to Brissie.
