(i) Grand Pacific Drive - Sydney to Otford Lookout
Continued from last post where we had picked up our car rental HERE. We then started our journey according to the printed map. From Sydney city we took exit to Grand Pacific Drive or also known as Scenic Drive. We were presented with bushes and forest view along the way as we passed by the National Park. A bit about the National Park, it is the second oldest national park in the world after Yellowstone in the USA and is the start of the Grand Pacific Drive. The entrance to the park is in the southern suburb of Loftus just off the Princes Highway that heads south. We expected to see yellowish / oranges tree since it was autumn however were quite disappointed as only green trees were spotted.
After about 50mins (48km), finally we reached our first checkpoint, the Otford Lookout.
It was not a perfect blue sky day for us. Infact the weather was gloomy and we experienced a little bit of rain. However that didn't stop us to observe the nature as we parked our car and went out to the the lush green hill.
This lookout point offer a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean. And yes, we could also see the view of the Sea Cliff Bridge, an engineering marvel that swerves out from the cliffs over the ocean.
We took pictures like nobody business.
(ii) Stanwell Park - Bald Hill Lookout, Lawrence Hargrave Memorial of Flight & Sea Cliff Bridge
From Otford Lookout we drove further down the stretch until we reached to pretty spectacular lookout, Bald Hill. Set in pristine bushland overlooking the sea, this area is part of the Stanwell Park which not only offers incredible ocean views of Stanwell Park Beach, but also internationally renowned as a hang gliding mecca. This place is very popular among para-gliders and we can totally understand why - it looks very beautiful from the sky.
It is the perfect place to take a few awesome photos and watch the para gliders take off, unfortunately we didn't see any maybe due to bad weather that time. There were places for car parking, some buses serving ice-cream, drinks and etc.
Another attraction at the Stanwell Park is The Lawrence Hargrave Memorial of Flight which dedicated to Australia’s aeronautical pioneer, Lawrence Hargrave. A bit of history, Lawrence Hargrave paved the way for man to fly by successfully lifting himself off the ground under a train of four of his box kites at Stanwell Park Beach in November 1894. He chose to live and experiment with his flying machines in Stanwell Park, as this place offers excellent wind and hang conditions and no wonder, nowadays has becoming the most famous hang gliding and paragliding place in Australia.
From here, The Sea Cliff Bridge looks much nearer!!
A bit about Sea Cliff Bridge from WIKI.
The Sea Cliff Bridge replaced a section of Lawrence Hargrave Drive that was permanently closed in August 2003 due to regular rock falls. A public outcry emerged over the road closure as Lawrence Hargrave Drive is the only road directly linking Coalcliff, Stanwell Park, Otford and Helensburgh to the northern suburbs of Wollongong. The bridge was officially opened on 11 December 2005, and has met with great public approval and increased business for the area's tourism industry. It is one of only seven off-shore parallel to coast bridges in the world.
Another interesting fact is that The Sea Cliff Bridge was named by 11-year-old schoolgirl Makenzie Russell (St. Brigids), following a naming competition opened to local primary school students. Amazing!!
As the rain slowly stopped, we continued to take more photos!!
Signature pose of each of us. Layanzz...
We continued driving to climb the hill just to reach the top and finally found a park with few buildings. It was actually The Tops Conference Centre, a place which provided meeting facilities and accommodations for conference or to run an event in a peaceful environment and magnificent views. Nothing much here, but I have to admit that I was really impressed with the facilities provided.
Next, we continued our journey to the Wollongong and passed through Sea Cliff Bridge. It was such a fun ride. Was fortunate to drive this stretch of road even it's not a long stretch but the scenery made it special and worth the effort coming down from Sydney. Really appreciated the engineering and workmanship that went into making this bridge. A spectacular piece of engineering that allowed us to see the majestic ocean on one side and the other keep us safe from falling rocks from the cliff. Bravo!
What's attraction in Wollongong. Read next ok!
Sydney, The Land of OZ Fast Link Here
1) Day 0 – The Journey KL to Sydney and 1st Night at Ibis Hotel
2) Day 1 – Pick up Rental Car and Start of Grand Pacific Drive
4) Day 1 – GPD (Wolonggong & Kiama)
5) Day 1 – Night at Windang Beach Tourist Park
6) Day 2 – Trip to Blue Mountain
7) Day 2 – Echo Point Lookout and Scenic World, Blue Mountain
8) Day 2 – Night at Bass Hill Holiday & Residential Park
9) Day 3 – Darling Harbour / Waterfront
10) Day 3 – Sydney Wild Life Zoo
11) Day 3 – Madam Tussauds Sydney
12) Day 3 – Ferry Ride, Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge at Night
13) Last Day – Checked Out and Shopping Paddy Market
14) Last Day - Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge
15) Last Episode Sydney
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