Kiama and Berry travel guide

Just to the south of Lake Illawarra, the pretty coastal town of Kiama is the first of many that are encountered on the journey between Wollongong and the Victorian border. The centre of activity revolves around Blowhole Point, crowned by its 1887 lighthouse. During a good southeasterly, the surging waves can plough into the blowhole with awesome power, creating a thunderous roar and spout of mist, as if issued from some angry subterranean dragon. To the north of Blowhole Point is Pheasant Point, with its rock pool, and north again is Bombo Beach, a favourite amongst the local surf set. The VIC is on Blowhole Point Road, (T4232 3322, http://www.kiama.com.au, open 0900-1700).

South, beyond the Mount Pleasant Lookout on the Princes Highway, is Werri Beach, which is a good one for surfing, then via Crooked River Drive, the headland villages of Gerringong and Gerroa. At Gerroa, the Crooked River Winery (11 Willow Vale Rd, 9 km south of Kiama, T4234 0975), can provide a congenial stop with the added bonus of a fine café and coastal views. From the Kingsford Smith Lookout in Gerroa – which pays tribute to Australia’s most famous aviator – it is hard to resist the temptation to explore the vast swathe of Seven Mile Beach, which beckons from below the rooftops. Inland, via the little village of Jamberoo, 10 km away, is the Minnamurra Rainforest, part of the Budderoo National Park. The popular NPWS Minnamurra Rainforest Centre (T4236 0469, http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au, 0900-1700, $11 vehicle entry, café and shop), is signposted off Jamberoo Mountain Road, heading west. It acts as a base for explorations of the forest and the Minnamurra Falls.

Roughly halfway between Kiama and Nowra is the delightful little village of Berry, which is well worth a stretch of the legs to take a closer look. Almost impossible to miss is the bizarre façade and interior of the Great Southern Hotel Motel, 95 Queen Street. Not only is there a small fleet of rowboats on the roof and a signpost laden with markers to all conceivable destinations, there’s also, next door, a bottle shop completely decked in shiny hubcaps. But it doesn’t end there. Inside, the bar is decked with a wide array of objects including a centrepiece First World War torpedo set proudly above the pool table. During the great Pacific nuclear testing controversy in the mid-1990s, the said torpedo was actually rammed at admirable speed into the gates of the French Embassy in Canberra atop a VW Beetle. There are plenty of good cafés and restaurants along Berry’s main drag....read more