An Afternoon's Drive from Jervis Bay to Gerrongong in Pictures

Pyre

Have I told you about Pyre? Pyre is a little village just east of Nowra. It appears to be primarily rural but in the center there are several small old-world shops, which include a lolly shop, a Christmas shop, several restaurants, a café and some craft and art studios.

To walk around Pyre is like being transported back to an old country town that would be seen in John Wayne movies, etc. The horse troughs are still installed in places, there are wagons and garden seats everywhere and the backdrop to the area is that of rolling green hills and mountains.

The area now is principally dairy farms and when we went for a walk out into the back areas there were large numbers of black and white cows relaxed in the sunshine.

Pyre was first officially put on a map back in 1850 and after several decades the township was added to the “wagon” run which delivered supplies regularly. The head wagon was called the “The Cumnock Star” and was built by James Bennet in 1875 at St Marys NSW and weighed approx. 2.5 tons. It was purchased by Samuel Reilly of Cumnock NSW in 1877 for one hundred and eight pounds. The Cumnock Star worked the round trip to Molong (out near Wellington Dubbo area) carrying around ten tons of wheat and produce.

It then returned with beer, spirits and supplies. Now Cumnock and Molong are not that far from one another however Sam’s trading route tracked east to include tons such as Orange, Bathurst, Oberon, Bell River, Cowra, Young, and many towns all the way out to the coast. Amongst the paddocks and wilderness in many of these areas one can still find the tracks of the first drays, wagons and coaches. In Pyree there is still the first bush school, some of the first farming houses and of course, gravesites of the pioneers and settlers.

Anyhow, a team of nine Clysdale horses pulled the wagon and Sam worked the Cumnock/Molong route until 1924 when the extended rail was built and put him out of business. I was amazed at the size of his trading path.

Could you imagine driving nine horses with ten tons of supplies on a wagon through rain, fog and extreme heat all the way from central NSW out to the coast and then back again.

Nonetheless, you can now view the Cumnock Star at Pyree where the locals have purchased the wagon from the original owner’s grandson, also named Sam Reilly, and it is on display as a tribute to our Pioneers. While there I sampled some of the best homemade Devonshire tea that I have ever tasted.

The Grand Pacific Drvie....

The east coast along the Pacific Ocean

This trip home from Sydney John and I chose to return via the Grand Pacific Drive. The 170km drive begins at the National Park south of Sydney and proceeds south finishing in Nowra. If you ever have the time to do this drive you will not be disappointed. John and I decided to take this drive at the last minute because of the gorgeous weather; the day was sunny, the sky was clear of clouds and the water was smooth.

The Grand Pacific Drive actually begins at Audley National Park and was lovely as we passed through rain forests with huge palms, lots of Kangaroo paws out in flower, and the signs of bottle brush everywhere. When we exited the park there was a breath taking view of the coastline at Bald Hill, which stretched from Stanwell Tops to Wollongong, I stopped to snap some shots and was asked by a group of friendly tourists to take some photos of their group. I could not get over how blue the ocean was. I have read that the colour of the ocean usually reflects the colour of the skies and so because it was such a beautiful day the ocean looked wonderful.

Once we were back on the road traveling south, we passed Stanwell Tops where some paragliders were landing down on the beach.

Further along was Coalcliff which is a beautiful little town. So many of the lucky residents live in homes built along the sandstone cliff faces there, overlooking toe Pacific Ocean. The weather continued to be magnificent and the ocean glistened all the way along the coast.

Just along from Coalcliff is the Sea Cliff Bridge. You may remember this area collapsing from a landslide back in 2003.

Consequently the state government had to rebuild the bridge and roadway and have made a wonderful job of it. They have built a bridge that juts out from the mountain so that when erosion and landslides occur, the rocks and gravel drop between the mountain and the bridge down into the ocean leaving the roadway in tact for people to use. The Sea Cliff bridge itself is about 665m long with some spectacular views off to its left.

The next town is called Clifton and had some more beautiful seaside homes dotted along it. We then passed through Scarborough and Wombarra before leveling with the beach, where fishermen appeared to be enjoying their activities. At Coledale we stopped to take some more photos and take a brief walk along the water.

We then drove onto Austinmer, Bulli and Thirroul.

Both towns have lovely old world shopping centers, cafes and antique stores. I really had to drag myself away from them after several hours lol.

There is something special about driving through many of these old country coastal villages; it really is like taking a journey back in time. There are beautifully restored old hotels, theatres and homes, which date back as far as 1853. all overlooking the pounding sea. In between the towns I was in awe of the sandstone headlands, all sculpted by the sea. In the distance out at sea is the shipping lanes which vessels transporting iron ore from Port Kembla use and although there were not that many out there we were told at a local coffee shop in Thirroul that some days see dozens of ships and container carriers sailing north.We drove south as far as Port Kembla then rejoined the highway to return to Jervis Bay.

The Grand Pacific Drive actually continues south from Port Kembla all the way to Bomerberry which is just north of Nowra however, we wanted to make it to the Berry Country Markets before the afternoon so decided to finish the drive another day. The areas are so green and lush after the recent rains that it was a pleasure to drive through them. All in all, it is a very worthwhile trip to make. If you have the time there are some spectacular walks to take along the way, especially at the National Park and around Wollongong Harbour. I hope that you enjoy these photos.

Don't knock the weather...nine tenths of people couldn't start their conversation without it

Like everywhere else along the east coast of Australia we have had a lot of rain. In fact, the local radio station announced that we have had unprecedented wet weather here. Point Perpendicular registered as the wettest area in Australia, and for an area that is nothing more than a point of land with a lighthouse on it, I was amazed when the radio announcer spoke of the constant heavy rainfall there. The lighthouse sits on the 75meter high cliffs on the northern side of Jervis Bay and apparently it rains more there than anywhere else in Australia. Point Perpendicular is such a spectacular stretch of coastline that the few times I have been out there, I have spent hours taking photos and exploring the area. Some of the guys from work have been marlin fishing out past the point as well.

Anyway, I digress. It has rained a lot here aswell recently. Driving back from Sydney the other day I realized how endless the wet weather had become. At Jaspers Brush Valley the trees have grown tall and joined over head of the highway. While driving through this area the water droplets were much lighter but when I looked out to the right, which is an region covered by rolling hills and mountain terrain, it was soaked with water from the dark clouds overhead; they seemed like endless rolling squalls. The skies everywhere here are a constant array of storm clouds mixed with white fluffy clouds, although it seems grey for the majority of the time. When the sun does briefly appear it is soon closed over by those same squalls again.
Our work site is a quagmire to the point that I have purchased some gumboots. I unlock the outer perimeter gates each morning. The gates are located on a kilometer long dirt track that winds in through a forest; suffice to say that there is weighty, deep mud everywhere at present, especially with the trucks using the same track constantly. After I unfasten these gates I then drive further down the track to open the gates to the site. Yesterday the muck and sludge finally got the better of me and I went to Bunnings later in the day to buy some gumboots. My work pants seem to have muddy stains on the lower leg areas permanently these days lol.

The rain has been falling so relentlessly that it is hard to remember that Australia so recently experienced a drought. The natural waterways so carefully maintained and preserved by the construction team here, are full with the rainwater moving swiftly. It has fallen so continuously that one can feel the dampness in the air, confining workers to undercover buildings and site sheds. Driving my vehicle around the site is like driving it on ice, slight movements cause it to slide. My fear of it becoming bogged has not left me the entire time and I have often said to people that if they did not see me around to come looking as I may well be bogged in mud somewhere lol.

When the rain eventually halted there were large amounts of water laying around for miles. Foliage squelched underfoot and the ground glistened when the sunshine came back out. It will take days for it to dry out properly. I put incidents such as these down to experience, when John and I eventually go off exploring Australia I should have very good driving skills in wet weather and on outback roads lol.

On a good note, I heard from a friend out at Wellington, a town usually in drought, that they are receiving good rainfall at present. I only hope farmers elsewhere are experiencing the same relief. Meanwhile I will put on my gumboots and stay dry lol.

Have a good evening everyone.