After Wollongong, we headed south along the coast, cutting off the main highway every chance we got to hug the coastline, wonder at the abundant and pristine beaches, and cruise through small towns and communities along the coast. On a tip from a local, we stopped in Kiami, a nice tourist-oriented town south of Wollongong. There we spent the afternoon shopping, eating fresh seafood, and enjoying the bright sunshine. Kay had her hair done while I sat around and did a bit of reading. The weather is just stunning, with temps in the mid 70’s during the day and upper 60’s at night.
Kay shopping in Kiama
Think we will be swimming with sharks?
It is interesting to note how similar yet different Australia is compared to the United States. Some things are very nice, such as meat pies, (why don’t we have those – YUMMY), smaller cars, outstanding coffee, excellent beer, and a more relaxed way of life. But other things seem to be way behind the times. First off, it is surprisingly difficult to find Internet service of any kind in Australia. I was taken aback about this. I had planned on posting more often and of actually doing work while we were gone. But most hotels do NOT have Internet. Maybe 1 in 50 coffee shops have Internet, and in the smaller towns I doubt anyone has Internet at all. What Internet I have been able to find is VERY SLOW, about like dial-up in America. The people here don’t really seem to mind or care, although some of the younger folks I spoke with wish they had access to high speed Internet. In America it is just part of our everyday culture – every Starbucks has Internet, almost every hotel has Internet, many coffee shops and private business have Internet. Australia seems to be 10 years behind us in this respect.
NOTE: Just this morning we found they have a McDonald’s in Merimbula, where we are spending two nights. And good old America, they have wireless high speed Internet. Hurray!
It is also nearly impossible to find a fountain drink in Australia. I have seen one soda fountain in Sydney during the entire time we have been here. You get your drinks out of a bottle here. They have a very wide selection of unusual drinks, but all in a bottle. Makes me wonder how Sonic would do here? NOTE: Thank you McDonald’s in Merimbula once again.
Local drinks in a bottle are the norm. It is VERY difficult to find ANY fountain drinks - except for McDonald's - yeehaaw!
Don't want to be taking Pipis away from the beach!
The third night we stayed in Uladulla – every town here has a totally strange name. We found a nice hotel right on the beach. It was a bit cool that evening so we were not able to swim but did have nice walk.
The next morning we were up early and off south again along the coast. Our goal was to find Pebbly Beach, where we heard you can see wild kangaroo’s playing in the surf. To get there required about 20 miles of dirt road, which was no big deal for us. Several times we stopped to marvel at these large mounds of dirt in the middle of the forest.
Finally we arrived at our destination. It is a spectacular, secluded beach that can only be reached via dirt roads. This was our day to spend on the beach, playing in the cool ocean and exploring the surrounding area. We met a family from Sydney and they introduced us to the local Kangaroos. We also explored steep cliffs that had rocks over 240 million years old.
After a good sunburn and salt water, we had a sandwich with our new friends in their cabin and then we were off south again, to spend the night in the port town of Bateman’s Bay. Our accommodations there were just OK, nothing to write home about. After a stroll through town and dinner on the wharf, we departed the next morning bright and early for more interesting points south.
More pictures below:
The view from our hotel in Uladulla
All kinds of colorful birds live in Australia. This laurakeet landed on our window sill.
Kay stopping to purchase fruit at a local farmer's stand.
We found huge termite hills in the countryside.
Like usual, we took quite a few back roads, including gravel and dirt.
The local were out enjoying Australia Day on Saturday. Kind of like our 4th of July.
Even I get in the picture every now and then.
Kay exploring a rocky outcropping at Pebbly Beach.
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