Kiama day trip from Sydney: blowhole and coast drive

A Kiama day trip from Sydney is a drive of about 120 km south along the coast, ending at one of the best-known blowholes in Australia. You can leave after breakfast, see the blowhole by late morning and be back for dinner. The trip works best if you add one or two short stops and do not try to fit in everything.

This guide gives the drive times, the stops worth making on the way, what to see in Kiama, and how Gerringong and Kangaroo Valley fit in. It ends with a simple plan for the day.

Getting to Kiama

Kiama is a coastal town in the Illawarra region, about 120 km south of Sydney. By road it takes about 55 minutes from the southern edge of Sydney and about 100 minutes from the city centre, using the Princes Highway.

You can also go by train. Kiama station is the last electrified station on the South Coast line, and the trip from Sydney takes about 2 hours 15 minutes. That is slower than driving, but you do not have to park or watch the road. Gerringong, a little further south, is served by diesel trains that connect with the electric trains at Kiama.

The town gets very busy in summer. Kiama has a small year-round population of around 7,700 people, and Wikipedia says that number triples in the warm months. If you can, pick a weekday outside the school holidays.

Sources for this section: Wikipedia, Kiama (revision of 19 January 2019); Wikipedia, Gerringong (revision of 14 October 2018).

The coast drive and Sea Cliff Bridge

The faster way south is the highway. The prettier way is Lawrence Hargrave Drive, a scenic coastal road that runs through the villages between Helensburgh and Thirroul, north of Wollongong. It leaves the Old Princes Highway at Helensburgh, which you reach from the Princes Motorway exit.

The road climbs to Bald Hill, where there is a lookout and a well-known hang gliding spot. It then drops to Stanwell Park and Coalcliff. From there it crosses the Sea Cliff Bridge, which carries two lanes of traffic, a cycleway and a walkway above the Tasman Sea.

The bridge is new enough to have a story. A section of the old road was closed for good in August 2003 because of regular rock falls. The A$52 million bridge, 455.6 metres long, was opened on 11 December 2005 by the NSW Premier, Morris Iemma. It links Coalcliff and Clifton, and it was named by an 11-year-old student after a school competition.

Plan for a slower trip on this route. The road is narrow in places and the villages have limited parking, so allow an extra 30 to 45 minutes over the highway.

Sources for this section: Wikipedia, Lawrence Hargrave Drive (revision of 24 March 2018); Wikipedia, Sea Cliff Bridge (revision of 8 February 2019).

Kiama Blowhole and the town

The blowhole is the reason most people come. In the right sea conditions it sprays water up to 25 metres into the air, and it can soak anyone standing close. The name Kiama is often translated as "where the sea makes a noise". The explorer George Bass wrote about the blowhole after landing here on 6 December 1797.

It works like this, according to the sign at the site. Water fills a chamber at the end of a tunnel in the rock. Pressure builds, and when the waves pull back, the pressure pushes water up through the hole. The rock itself is basalt from old volcanic flows.

A second, smaller blowhole, known locally as the Little Blowhole, sits about 2 km south of the main one. It is much smaller, but its narrow shape makes it more reliable than the big one. Check both if the first is quiet.

Near the blowhole, on Blowhole Point, stands the Kiama Lighthouse, built in 1887. Kiama Harbour is close by. It was dug out over 17 years and flooded in 1876. The Pilot's Cottage, finished in 1881, is now a local history museum. For lunch, Terralong Street has a strip of cafes, galleries and shops.

The visit itself is short. Allow an hour for the blowhole and lighthouse, and another hour for the harbour and lunch.

Sources for this section: Wikipedia, Kiama Blowhole (revision of 19 January 2019); Wikipedia, Kiama (revision of 19 January 2019).

Gerringong and the coast walk

Gerringong is about ten minutes' drive south of Kiama. The town sits among green dairy country and beaches, and it has two vineyards, one with cellar-door sales. The Gerringong and District Historical Society runs a heritage museum with a display on the local dairy industry.

If you like walking, the coastal track runs from Minnamurra to Easts Beach and passes both blowholes. A 7 km extension continues along the cliffs to Gerringong. You do not need to walk all of it. A short stretch from the main blowhole gives you the sea views without a long day on foot.

Traffic to Gerringong is easier than it used to be. A A$329 million upgrade of the Princes Highway there, with new interchanges, officially opened on 20 August 2015.

Sources for this section: Wikipedia, Gerringong (revision of 14 October 2018); Wikipedia, Kiama (revision of 19 January 2019).

Kangaroo Valley: add it or save it

Kangaroo Valley is inland, in the Shoalhaven region, and is roughly two hours' drive south-west of Sydney. Its small town has arts and craft shops, cafes and a hotel. The road in is Moss Vale Road, which joins the Princes Highway at Bomaderry.

The main sight is Hampden Bridge, a timber suspension bridge over the Kangaroo River. It opened on 19 May 1898 and has four sandstone turrets. It is 252 feet long and one lane wide. Wikipedia describes it as the only surviving suspension bridge from the colonial period in New South Wales.

We suggest saving the valley for another trip. Adding it to a Kiama day trip means a lot of extra driving, and the day gets rushed. If you want a longer outing, stay a night on the coast and visit the valley the next morning.

Sources for this section: Wikipedia, Kangaroo Valley (revision of 21 February 2019); Wikipedia, Hampden Bridge, Kangaroo Valley (revision of 8 October 2018).

A simple plan for the day

1. Morning: leave Sydney early and take Lawrence Hargrave Drive. Stop at Bald Hill and walk the Sea Cliff Bridge.
2. Late morning: arrive in Kiama. See the blowhole, the lighthouse and the harbour.
3. Lunch: eat on Terralong Street, then visit the Little Blowhole.
4. Afternoon: drive to Gerringong for a beach or a short stretch of the coast walk.
5. Late afternoon: head home by the Princes Highway, which is faster than the coast road.

Check the weather and the sea before you go. The blowhole is at its best when the swell is up, and a calm day can be a letdown. Opening hours and train times can change, so confirm them with the operators before you travel.

Sources for this section: Wikipedia, Kiama (revision of 19 January 2019); Wikipedia, Kiama Blowhole (revision of 19 January 2019); Wikipedia, Sea Cliff Bridge (revision of 8 February 2019).

Sources

1. Wikipedia, Kiama (revision of 19 January 2019): en.wikipedia.org
2. Wikipedia, Kiama Blowhole (revision of 19 January 2019): en.wikipedia.org
3. Wikipedia, Sea Cliff Bridge (revision of 8 February 2019): en.wikipedia.org
4. Wikipedia, Lawrence Hargrave Drive (revision of 24 March 2018): en.wikipedia.org
5. Wikipedia, Gerringong (revision of 14 October 2018): en.wikipedia.org
6. Wikipedia, Kangaroo Valley (revision of 21 February 2019): en.wikipedia.org
7. Wikipedia, Hampden Bridge, Kangaroo Valley (revision of 8 October 2018): en.wikipedia.org