Kiama, New South Wales

Saddleback Mountain Lookout

Panoramic view of Saddleback Mountain and the coastal town of Gerringong

Panoramic view looking towards Kiama

Saddleback Mountain

Blowhole

The large blowhole located at the Kiama Blowhole Point is best viewed with a South-Easterly wind. Kiama pronounced rhyming with "I AM A" is derived from the Indigenous word 'kiarama' meaning 'place where the sea makes a noise.'  The blowhole is capable of catapulting water 20m.

George 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. 

Bombo Headland

Boneyard

This unusual cliff formation at Bombo Headland has actually been man-made.  The area was quarried in the 1880's for Latite, a volcanic basalt blue-metal used to create railways and roads. The boneyard is a pebbly beach on the opposite side.

Lighthouse to Kendalls Beach Walk

Looking towards the Surf Beach (closest) and Kendalls Beach

"Making Waves" by Bert Flugelman

The lighthouse situation on Blowhole Point was completed to much jubilation, with the prospect of safely navigating the jagged New South Wales coastline in 1887.  

Sunrise at Kendalls Beach

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.