The second road trip itinerary in our Great Ocean Road to Great Barrier Reef series takes us on a journey up the the South Coast of New South Wales past the Blue Mountains and on to Lake Macquarie.
It’s a journey you could complete in a little over four hours but it’s much more fun if you take your time and enjoy a few some stops at Ingenia Holiday Parks along the way.
Harbour town
Two and a half hours from Canberra, the picturesque harbour town of Ulladulla makes a great first stop on any itinerary exploring the New South Wales coast. Take a dip in the Ulladulla Sea Pool, enjoy a spot of game fishing or step back in time as you search for fossils on the Gondwana Coast Fossil Walk. It’s also a great stop for foodies too. Head to Rick Stein at Bannisters for gourmet cuisine, sample fine wines at Cupitt’s Estate or, if you prefer your dining cheap and cheerful, try Hayden’s Pies. You’ll find them all within a 10-minute drive of our park.
Stay: Ingenia Holidays Ulladulla
Shoalhaven Heads
It’s just over an hour’s drive from Ulladulla to Shoalhaven Heads, which is a great excuse to make a couple of detours along the way. If you’re travelling between May and October, head to Bendalong Point and paddle in the shallow waters among friendly stingrays who will be only too happy to eat out of your hands. Once that’s ticked off your to-do list, the next must-see is Hyams Beach on Jervis Bay. You’ll want your sunglasses for this one as, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, it has the whitest sand in the world. Then it’s less than an hour to Shoalhaven Heads. A few days here will see you exploring Seven Mile Beach, fishing in the Shoalhaven River, or perhaps bushwalking on nearby Comerong Island Nature Reserve.
Stay: Ingenia Holidays Shoalhaven Heads
Blue Mountains
Enjoy a leisurely coastal drive towards Woolongong stopping in seaside towns like Kiama and Shellharbour before turning inland to bypass the Sydney suburbs and head straight for the foothills of the Blue Mountains. Ingenia Holidays Nepean River makes the perfect base for an exploration of this beautifully scenic region. It’s just a picturesque 45-minute drive to Katoomba or you can make a day of it and circle the entire Blue Mountains National Park in a little over three hours, which leaves plenty of daylight spare to see the Three Sisters, ride the world’s steepest railway and enjoy the view from the Scenic Skyway cable car.
Stay: Ingenia Holidays Nepean River
Lake Macquarie
Skirting Sydney’s Western Suburbs, it’s just 150km to Lake Macquarie, Australia’s largest coastal lake. It’s a great spot to end your journey and simply relax before heading home. Hire a kayak to explore some the lake’s many inlets, enjoy a spot of fishing or head to the coast and enjoy a day of surfing. Be sure to check out the Pink Caves just north of Moonee Beach.
Stay: Ingenia Holidays Lake Macquarie
Keep your eyes open for the next itinerary in the Great Ocean Road to Great Barrier Reef series where we head further up the New South Wales Coast. Or if you missed our first instalment, find it here . Enjoy them one at a time, link two together or try them all in one go for the ultimate East Coast road trip.
Plan your ideal road trip at Ingenia Holiday Parks today.
Explore our parks
