Shellharbour, New South Wales, Australia
We have just moved on from Shellharbour, so it is high time I put together another blog! What a week we have had! So much to record! I'm not sure where to start, but I'm gunna certainly keep blogging, so we have this great record of our travels!I never imagined that Shellharbour would be as large as it is. The Shellharbour City population forecast for 2014 is 68,338, and it is forecasted to grow to 79,146 by 2031. The Stocklands Shopping Centre was massive, even had a Myers! And we did have the odd thunderstorm whilst we were there. We have been told that February can be one of the wettest months on the east coast and we certainly have had quite a bit of rain since we started travelling down the east coast on the 1st February. We weren't able to get into the most popular caravan park at Shellharbour, so the "Surfrider" at Barrack Point, it had to be. Weren''t quite sure what to expect, but it was all that we needed. Nice grassed area beside the Camp kitchen and we did raise an eyebrow or two when we pulled in! When we left, one of the residents said to Peter "They were waiting for the circus to start, when Kevin pulled down the clothes line"! Of course there was no circus! We were extremely interested to learn these facts from the manager.
There are 180 permanent sites on the park. There are only 9 bays for caravaners like us! The local Council has ruled that only 60 of the permanent sites, can be fully permanent. The owners of the other 120 sites can stay in their vans on the park, for a maximum of 180 days a year. Each only pay $3,500 a year for rent. We presume the permanents pay for their own power and water. Don't know for sure though! So no wonder we are seeing many of these sort of parks in our travels! The Tongarrra Creek runs down the side of the park and in March 2011 the park had 1.8 metres of water running through it, during a major storm event. The flood was caused due to the drain blocking.
WOW Love the GONG: Day 1 ended up being 'A BIG Day'! We travelled from Shellharbour to Port Kembla. From there to Wollongong and up to the beginning of the 'Grand Pacific Drive' (that is the Sydney end where it is very close to the coastline). This area of NSW is very populated. In fact Wollongong is the 9th most poplulated city in Australia, with a population of 294,000. Each little little town or suburb seemed to join up with the next one! If you head south from Shellharbour on the Grand Pacific Drive there are the towns of Kiama and Gerringong. Lots of 'Gongs and Ongs' in this area of NSW and can you believe that Governor Macquarie chose a site near Moss Vale and named it 'Bong Bong' in 1821! Bong Bong was not a residential settlement, it was the first centre for the administration of law and order, with some basic services for the scattered rural population. By 1832 the town had faded away and this was largely due to the construction of he Southern and now Hume Highway. 'Bongs' and law and order, all pretty ironical I reckon!There is still a Motel in Moss Vale today, that retains the 'Bong Bong' name and there is 'Bong Road'! They certainly do 'Love the Gong' or 'Ong' in this part of NSW!
WOW ROADS: Back to Day 1 in Shellharbour and our visit to visit Port Kembla and Wollongong. Why do they spell it that way and say 'Woolongong'? Have asked but not been given an answer! Our main desire was to drive part of the 140km 'Grand Pacific Drive' and traverse the iconic 665 metre 'Sea Cliff Bridge'. It looked fantastic on the brochure and we weren't disappointed. The cost of the bridge was $49 million. It was constructed in 18 months and officially opened 11th December 2005. The design life of the bridge is 100 years and the bridge piers are protected from corrosion by using an impressed electrical current (Cathodic Protection System). Val and I walked the bridge. We were so glad we did! The fella's parked and walked in from the other side and we took some 'Romatic Snaps'. Never to old for a cuddle and even better on the Sea Cliff Bridge! There is so much road construction happening on this east coast of Australia and as you can imagine the cost regularly comes up over pre-dinner drinks! And it can also be over our sacrosanct morning coffee! Constructing roads through this mountainous country is very expensive! At Gerringong another major upgrade is taking place on the Princes Highway. This won't be completed until mid 2015 and the cost is $329 million. Well that is what the sign says! I wonder what it will end up costing? The amount of machinery that is there working now, and there is still over 12 months of construction to take place!We have travelled 'WOW' roads in the mountains as well. Since the last blog we have travelled the 'Jamberoo Pass' on the Jamberoo Mountain Road when we visited the Illawarra Fly Treetop Walk. Later that day we travelled the Saddleback Mountain Road.
WOW VIEWS: The Springboard cantilevers along the edge of the Illawarra Escarpment gave inpressive views to the ocean and the towns along the coast. It was a must to climb the 45 metre 'Knights Tower' and take in more breathtaking views. We came down the mountain a little and had lunch at the Jamberoo Lookout and we finally had the perfect spot to get the 'Red Dot' off the picnic set and use the gift that the Sandison family gave me for my birthday. Once back down the pass we travelled on through the town of Jamberoo and then up the Saddleback Mountain Road to guess what? Saddleback Lookout! Great views from there also and it was a very steep climb wasn't it Pete! I even managed to capture the rain that was falling on the left side of the valley. Down the mountain we came and spent an hour or so at Kiama, the town with a population of approximately 21,000, which is only 14 kms from Shellharbour. The roads in the town are unbelievably hilly! I don't know what you would need to be crossed with to walk around this town! Something better than the Bonny Hills goat! So much undulating country made for many snaps! The Kiama brochure aptly says For such a tiny slice of Australia, natural beauty is abundant in Kiama. It's a place where even the shortest walk can stop you in your tracks and the next 'WOW' moment could be just around the corner..... Kiama was first settled in the 1820,s. The Lighthouse was established in 1887 and Charles Kingsford Smith used Seven Mile Beach, a little further south at Gerroa, as a runway for his record breaking trans-Tasman flight to New Zealand in 1933.Lots of people were visiting Kiama as it was the weekend of their annual Jazz Festival. We stood for ages (with everyone else) trying to get a good snap of the blowholes! Views from here were also picture book stuff. Hope my photography skills will do justice! If not there is always 'Historian' software to sharpen them up!
WOW WAR TUNNELS: Our first stop on Day 1 excursion was the Port Kembla area. Industry does attract us! We found the Port Kembla swimming pool and the surfclub right alongside. Sounds a bit strange for these two to be alongside each other! Well we thought so and then realised the pipe coming in from the ocean was no doubt providing sea water for the pool. Then we headed for the hill that we assumed would have a lookout. Sure enough Hill 60 provided snaps of the harbour. There was a couple in the lookout area and when we climbed the steps, the chap (who ended up being Alex) made a comment about our cameras. He was obviously a Nikon man as he told me I needed to upgrade! It was in a nice way, so all was good! We have come to the conclusion that Alex and his wife Iris, were probably waiting for couples like us to show up! Alex does a few photography classes, works on a mine in Queensland and was home on his two weeks off. Iris said they had set out to go shopping, but Alex had suggested they go to the hill first! We talked for quite a while and found out he had worked in Karratha some years ago (when he was with his first wife). Then he told us about the war tunnels that were underneath the hill we were standing on and offered to show them to us! So we saw the tunnels that were not finished until the war was nearly over. So they were never used. Now they have graffiti all over the walls and there are empty cans and rubbish everywhere. We saw where the guns had been placed and then Alex said "There was still more to be seen"! Down the hill we went and when we had to climb down even further through the bramble bushes I bailed out! Peter had given up earlier and was at the top talking with Iris. Val and Kevin came back with 'red bramble bites', proof of their expedition! It turned out to be a very interesting morning indeed, but it was nearly too late for that sacred coffee!So into Wollongong we went and finally managed to find somewhere! Not that we enjoyed it at all! The guys are making us much nicer coffees! Lunch wasn't much better! Fish and chips on Flagstaff Hill near the two lighthouses. The fish and chips bounced around in our stomachs all afternoon. The Council gardener tried to add green leaves to our lunch with his whipper snipper and the seagulls were hovering ready to swoop or drop something! To top it off, the scales next day told me "Do not to go there Pam"!And guess what? Wollongong is the only point on the eastern coast of Australia that has two lighthouses in close proximity of each other! The Wollongong Breakwater Lighthouse, known affectionately by the locals as Old Wollongong Lighthouse, was built on the southern breakwater in 1871. Some restoration was completed in 2002 and it is heritage listed. The second lighthouse was constructed in 1937 on Flagstaff Point.
WOW BERRY WAS BERRY NICE: Well that is what us gals thought, but the guys didn't think much of the quaint busy little town. They thought the retail outlets were a whole lot of 'Gypsy Shops'. The town was named after Alexander Berry, a European settler from the Shoalhaven district. There is a bust in the main street honouring his achievements as a surgeon, explorer and merchant adventurer. He was determined to replace bush and swamp with mixed farming and associated industries. The visit to the Berry Treat factory was the best part of the afternoon the guys reckoned. Just as well we went there first! I purchased some 'Berry Mice' that were to be our after dinner treat, but Pete couldn't wait! Despite what the fellas reckoned it was quaint and girls do need to 'poke around sometimes' or maybe 'potter around' is a better word!
WOW GOLF: How about 13 holes of golf that took 6 hours to play and we had a golf cart! I can hear you Bill and Donelle! Your saying "We must have spent ages looking for balls and had plenty of hits"! Well we stopped after two holes and purchased a sandwich. Val lost her sandwich, so she had a quick look for that, but alas didn't find it. We took lots of photos. I had more than enough hits, but the other three did okay. So we really don't know why we took so long! Everyone gets a cart though. It's too far to walk! I think the guy said the course was 6.8 kms and on one particular hole you had to go 200 metres to the next tee! It was really enjoyable, but six hours of golf was a bit much really! Peter had 3 pars. After the first few holes I thought he may have even contemplated buying the new set of sticks, he had hired. But a 12 soon brought him back to reality! It was a beautiful course and the scenery was magnificent! Wally and Clara came for the ride!
WOW BOWLS: On our last day we fitted in a game of bowls at the Warilla Bowls and Recreation Club. Golly these club over here are quite something! This one was a lot bigger than Tuncurry. Maybe the gambling side of it wasn't as big, but there is a huge indoor green. Maybe we should have paid the $7.00's each to have a roll on it! We might never get the chance again! "Why not" you might ask? Perhaps it was the display we would have put on for them! Anyway the World Championships are going to be played there in a few months and I think so far they have 24 countries coming. Dinner at the club was the perfect finish to our week in Shellharbour.
WOW Love the GONG: Day 1 ended up being 'A BIG Day'! We travelled from Shellharbour to Port Kembla. From there to Wollongong and up to the beginning of the 'Grand Pacific Drive' (that is the Sydney end where it is very close to the coastline). This area of NSW is very populated. In fact Wollongong is the 9th most poplulated city in Australia, with a population of 294,000. Each little little town or suburb seemed to join up with the next one! If you head south from Shellharbour on the Grand Pacific Drive there are the towns of Kiama and Gerringong. Lots of 'Gongs and Ongs' in this area of NSW and can you believe that Governor Macquarie chose a site near Moss Vale and named it 'Bong Bong' in 1821! Bong Bong was not a residential settlement, it was the first centre for the administration of law and order, with some basic services for the scattered rural population. By 1832 the town had faded away and this was largely due to the construction of he Southern and now Hume Highway. 'Bongs' and law and order, all pretty ironical I reckon!There is still a Motel in Moss Vale today, that retains the 'Bong Bong' name and there is 'Bong Road'! They certainly do 'Love the Gong' or 'Ong' in this part of NSW!
WOW ROADS: Back to Day 1 in Shellharbour and our visit to visit Port Kembla and Wollongong. Why do they spell it that way and say 'Woolongong'? Have asked but not been given an answer! Our main desire was to drive part of the 140km 'Grand Pacific Drive' and traverse the iconic 665 metre 'Sea Cliff Bridge'. It looked fantastic on the brochure and we weren't disappointed. The cost of the bridge was $49 million. It was constructed in 18 months and officially opened 11th December 2005. The design life of the bridge is 100 years and the bridge piers are protected from corrosion by using an impressed electrical current (Cathodic Protection System). Val and I walked the bridge. We were so glad we did! The fella's parked and walked in from the other side and we took some 'Romatic Snaps'. Never to old for a cuddle and even better on the Sea Cliff Bridge! There is so much road construction happening on this east coast of Australia and as you can imagine the cost regularly comes up over pre-dinner drinks! And it can also be over our sacrosanct morning coffee! Constructing roads through this mountainous country is very expensive! At Gerringong another major upgrade is taking place on the Princes Highway. This won't be completed until mid 2015 and the cost is $329 million. Well that is what the sign says! I wonder what it will end up costing? The amount of machinery that is there working now, and there is still over 12 months of construction to take place!We have travelled 'WOW' roads in the mountains as well. Since the last blog we have travelled the 'Jamberoo Pass' on the Jamberoo Mountain Road when we visited the Illawarra Fly Treetop Walk. Later that day we travelled the Saddleback Mountain Road.
WOW VIEWS: The Springboard cantilevers along the edge of the Illawarra Escarpment gave inpressive views to the ocean and the towns along the coast. It was a must to climb the 45 metre 'Knights Tower' and take in more breathtaking views. We came down the mountain a little and had lunch at the Jamberoo Lookout and we finally had the perfect spot to get the 'Red Dot' off the picnic set and use the gift that the Sandison family gave me for my birthday. Once back down the pass we travelled on through the town of Jamberoo and then up the Saddleback Mountain Road to guess what? Saddleback Lookout! Great views from there also and it was a very steep climb wasn't it Pete! I even managed to capture the rain that was falling on the left side of the valley. Down the mountain we came and spent an hour or so at Kiama, the town with a population of approximately 21,000, which is only 14 kms from Shellharbour. The roads in the town are unbelievably hilly! I don't know what you would need to be crossed with to walk around this town! Something better than the Bonny Hills goat! So much undulating country made for many snaps! The Kiama brochure aptly says For such a tiny slice of Australia, natural beauty is abundant in Kiama. It's a place where even the shortest walk can stop you in your tracks and the next 'WOW' moment could be just around the corner..... Kiama was first settled in the 1820,s. The Lighthouse was established in 1887 and Charles Kingsford Smith used Seven Mile Beach, a little further south at Gerroa, as a runway for his record breaking trans-Tasman flight to New Zealand in 1933.Lots of people were visiting Kiama as it was the weekend of their annual Jazz Festival. We stood for ages (with everyone else) trying to get a good snap of the blowholes! Views from here were also picture book stuff. Hope my photography skills will do justice! If not there is always 'Historian' software to sharpen them up!
WOW WAR TUNNELS: Our first stop on Day 1 excursion was the Port Kembla area. Industry does attract us! We found the Port Kembla swimming pool and the surfclub right alongside. Sounds a bit strange for these two to be alongside each other! Well we thought so and then realised the pipe coming in from the ocean was no doubt providing sea water for the pool. Then we headed for the hill that we assumed would have a lookout. Sure enough Hill 60 provided snaps of the harbour. There was a couple in the lookout area and when we climbed the steps, the chap (who ended up being Alex) made a comment about our cameras. He was obviously a Nikon man as he told me I needed to upgrade! It was in a nice way, so all was good! We have come to the conclusion that Alex and his wife Iris, were probably waiting for couples like us to show up! Alex does a few photography classes, works on a mine in Queensland and was home on his two weeks off. Iris said they had set out to go shopping, but Alex had suggested they go to the hill first! We talked for quite a while and found out he had worked in Karratha some years ago (when he was with his first wife). Then he told us about the war tunnels that were underneath the hill we were standing on and offered to show them to us! So we saw the tunnels that were not finished until the war was nearly over. So they were never used. Now they have graffiti all over the walls and there are empty cans and rubbish everywhere. We saw where the guns had been placed and then Alex said "There was still more to be seen"! Down the hill we went and when we had to climb down even further through the bramble bushes I bailed out! Peter had given up earlier and was at the top talking with Iris. Val and Kevin came back with 'red bramble bites', proof of their expedition! It turned out to be a very interesting morning indeed, but it was nearly too late for that sacred coffee!So into Wollongong we went and finally managed to find somewhere! Not that we enjoyed it at all! The guys are making us much nicer coffees! Lunch wasn't much better! Fish and chips on Flagstaff Hill near the two lighthouses. The fish and chips bounced around in our stomachs all afternoon. The Council gardener tried to add green leaves to our lunch with his whipper snipper and the seagulls were hovering ready to swoop or drop something! To top it off, the scales next day told me "Do not to go there Pam"!And guess what? Wollongong is the only point on the eastern coast of Australia that has two lighthouses in close proximity of each other! The Wollongong Breakwater Lighthouse, known affectionately by the locals as Old Wollongong Lighthouse, was built on the southern breakwater in 1871. Some restoration was completed in 2002 and it is heritage listed. The second lighthouse was constructed in 1937 on Flagstaff Point.
WOW BERRY WAS BERRY NICE: Well that is what us gals thought, but the guys didn't think much of the quaint busy little town. They thought the retail outlets were a whole lot of 'Gypsy Shops'. The town was named after Alexander Berry, a European settler from the Shoalhaven district. There is a bust in the main street honouring his achievements as a surgeon, explorer and merchant adventurer. He was determined to replace bush and swamp with mixed farming and associated industries. The visit to the Berry Treat factory was the best part of the afternoon the guys reckoned. Just as well we went there first! I purchased some 'Berry Mice' that were to be our after dinner treat, but Pete couldn't wait! Despite what the fellas reckoned it was quaint and girls do need to 'poke around sometimes' or maybe 'potter around' is a better word!
WOW GOLF: How about 13 holes of golf that took 6 hours to play and we had a golf cart! I can hear you Bill and Donelle! Your saying "We must have spent ages looking for balls and had plenty of hits"! Well we stopped after two holes and purchased a sandwich. Val lost her sandwich, so she had a quick look for that, but alas didn't find it. We took lots of photos. I had more than enough hits, but the other three did okay. So we really don't know why we took so long! Everyone gets a cart though. It's too far to walk! I think the guy said the course was 6.8 kms and on one particular hole you had to go 200 metres to the next tee! It was really enjoyable, but six hours of golf was a bit much really! Peter had 3 pars. After the first few holes I thought he may have even contemplated buying the new set of sticks, he had hired. But a 12 soon brought him back to reality! It was a beautiful course and the scenery was magnificent! Wally and Clara came for the ride!
WOW BOWLS: On our last day we fitted in a game of bowls at the Warilla Bowls and Recreation Club. Golly these club over here are quite something! This one was a lot bigger than Tuncurry. Maybe the gambling side of it wasn't as big, but there is a huge indoor green. Maybe we should have paid the $7.00's each to have a roll on it! We might never get the chance again! "Why not" you might ask? Perhaps it was the display we would have put on for them! Anyway the World Championships are going to be played there in a few months and I think so far they have 24 countries coming. Dinner at the club was the perfect finish to our week in Shellharbour.
And I got up early on the morning we were leaving to capture a sunrise over the sea! I think the sunrise is nearly as good as the sunset at Broome! It was certainly well worth the early rise, followed by a last walk along the beach. 28 photos
2025-05-22