South to Kiama

The thirty bucks we had to pay to park in Sydney for our morning visit to the embassy hurt (that's three bottles of wine or two six-packs of beer -- go figure). We decided to head back down the coast to enjoy the relatively cheap entertainments of looking at lighthouses, trying to spot koalas, dipping our toes in the rather cold water, etc. Have I mentioned how much we like being on holiday.

We drove south from Sydney to Kiama, stopping in Wollongong (no, I can't say it three times fast) to look at lighthouses. Wollongong is about the size of Spokane. Some of the coal from the mines we passed up in the Hunter Valley ends up in Wollongong. While the beach is rather pretty, the views at each end are blockaded by industrial sections. We shortened our trip to a quick look at the lighthouses and then headed down the beach.


Wollongong has two lighthouses. The first, the little lighthouse (above), was constructed from a kit. It was manufactured in England and then shipped to Wollongong. It stood at the harbor's opening for a few decades until the need for a larger lighthouse because evident. The larger lighthouse was built in the twenties. The difference in style between it and the lighthouses from the late 1900's is quite evident. I am partial to the earlier structures.


We stayed in Kiama, on Bong Bong street. It was the only hostel in town, I swear.

Kiama has two blowholes and one lighthouse. (I forgot to write down any details about this lighthouse so if you like it, google it.) Kiama is a pleasant town to stay in. It was rather chilly during our visit so we didn't check out the beaches. The good stuff came the next day.