Kiama Coast Run
10 July 2019 / Words and photos by Norm Barker. A few extra photos by Rod Nicholas
SATURDAY/SUNDAY 29-30 JUNE 2019.
A cold, but bright and sunny, morning greeted the 4 cars at Spotlight car park in Queanbeyan. We had a short briefing and headed off to Bungendore to pick up the fifth car and a brief comfort stop. The air was still cold but we had very little traffic as we headed off to Tarago. The countryside was looking a bit greener after some rain and the road was good, though we had one stop for some road works. At Goulburn we joined the Hume Highway through to Marulan. The small group made it easy to keep together and we turned off to Bundanoon, where we parked and had morning tea at the Bakery. Some found time to visit the Op Shop and other shops over the road and a few items were purchased.
Back to the cars and we followed the road to Exeter where we turned towards Fitzroy Falls and Kangaroo Valley. Still with little traffic and wonderful scenery, we made good time and after Kangaroo Valley took the narrow road to Berry where we had our first glimpse of the ocean. Although the scenery is beautiful the road is narrow and the few cars coming the other way didn’t leave much room. One oncoming 4WD even lost its mirror on a protruding rock. Yikes! Arriving in Berry, we all made our own way to look around and get some lunch, meeting back at the cars at the appointed time.
We then headed out onto the Princes Highway and on to Kiama. The highway was reasonably busy and the group stayed together, taking in the coastal views on our way north. On arrival in Kiama we went directly to our motel and everyone did their own thing for the afternoon. At 6:30 we gathered and proceeded to the Leagues Club next to the motel. Here we were met by the Convenors of the Illawarra Chapter, Jeff and Pam Rowe, who made us feel really welcome on their home turf. The meal and company were enjoyable and after much conversation all retired for the evening.
Most of the group rose early and walked to the light house to watch the sun rise. There was some cloud on the horizon but that made for some great colours in the morning sky. Once the sun was shining we all returned for breakfast and by this time it was a beautiful mild morning. We all decided that we would go to the Jamberoo Markets and then up to the Saddleback Mountain Lookout for the spectacular views, but as the country is dairy farms the cars got a little dirty from the cow crossings on the way up. ['A little dirty' is an understatement; I had half an inch of cow muck all over my car! - RN]
Once the scenery had been absorbed and the group photo taken, we went back down the mountain and up to Robertson for lunch at the pub. The air suddenly changed temperature at the top of the escarpment [not for the better] and as we were a little earlier than anticipated a little shopping was mandatory. The meal at the pub was excellent and finished a very enjoyable weekend. Small numbers can have advantages.
PS - this was a great run. The Moss Vale Road (down to Kangaroo Valley), the Kangaroo Valley Road (through to Berry) and Jamberoo Mountain Road (back up to Robertson) were seemingly made for MX-5s, and the fine weather and lightly-trafficked roads made for some fun driving. And cow poop notwithstanding, the short drive up to Saddleback Mountain Lookout and view from the top was well and truly worth the effort. Thanks Norm. [RN]
Photos by Norm and Rod are at: https://photos.app.goo.gl/YM6S5roWfHhAxmqEA
