BlowholeGeorge Bass was the first recorded European to have witnessed the blowhole, writing of its 'tremendous noise' when he anchored off the coast in 1797. By the 1820's Kiama was a major supplier of the softwood, Cedar, providing the Sydney population with a vast supply for furniture production. Prior to European settlement the area surrounding Kiama was saturated by a thick sub-tropical forest, with dark imposing foliage-dense canopies, towering trees and lofty palms. Minnamurra Rainforest is a good example of what the region would have looked like. During this period of intense 'cedar-getting' John Oxley explored the area, but it was not until 1839 that the township of Kiama was gazetted. With a safe harbour the town developed as a shipping centre, sending cargo loads of quarried basalt to other ports, and with the rainforest cleared, the region's dairy industry was born on the town's backdrop of rolling lushly green hills. The close proximity to Sydney has transformed this industrial and agricultural based seaside town into a mecca for retirees and holiday makers seeking respite from the woes of city life. We relaxed at Kiama for four days enjoying the mild climate, jogging, strolling, website updating and taking in the sights. A beaut totally chilled hideaway, called Forest Eats feed us a sensational Jackfruit burger, which we'd been craving since leaving Byron Bay and jazz musicians serenaded us as we wandered through the streets of this cozy seaside retreat.
To access the Minnamurra Rainforest, the most southernly sub-tropical rainforest in Australia, located in the Budderoo National Park you are required to pay a Day Use Entry Fee of $12 per car. This is in stark contrast to other National Parks we have visited, which have NOT charged a fee on entry. But with the fee paid our expectations of what we were about to experience, especially as it had been and still was raining, were high! Nature is magnificent in any form, and we are always excited to be out amongst it, but sadly the walk didn't live up to the expectation or we believe the fee paid. The 4.2 kilometre track traversed a boardwalk in the lower section and then brick pavers completed the track as it climbed higher up towards the waterfall, which is terrific for preventing leeches on shoes, but the track is worn and outdated. Reaching the top of the climb we were disappointed to find the main attraction, the Waterfall, closed off to public access. We could only glimpse these magnificent falls through the trees and marvel at what it would have been like to experience them from the other viewing deck. A little bit of research on this section of the rainforest had us discover that this part of the track has been closed for several years, with many people jumping the barrier to get their prized social media shots next to the falls. Although it appears construction work is taking place at Minnamurra, the track, considering the entry fee was not up to standard. We made the most of the walk and enjoyed being surrounded by nature, but we are still perplexed by the entry fee especially with the main attraction being closed.
It's official, the rain is most certainly following us down the East Coast! Although not complaining seeing what conditions are currently being experienced in Mount Isa and surrounding areas. Check out this article by the North West Star. During our four days in Sydney we basked in glorious sunshine, but the rain returned as we set out on our next journey to Kiama, just South of Wollongong. Shovel was an absolute legend planning the trip out of Sydney to ensure we bypassed much of the traffic and although it added an extra 50 kilometres to the journey had us travelling along the M7 on a tolled motorway with zero fuss and no stress. The range that passes alongside Wollongong heading down into Kiama saw us driving at 40kph, due to the misty rain and horrendously steep decline, but Shovel handled towing Florence with ease. A tremendously straight forward set up at our Caravan Park right on the beach and we were thankful to have paid a little bit extra for the site.
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The JourneyChoose Curiosity The Catalogue
November 2023
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