The Johnsons' Journal

After spending two weeks in Melbourne we decided to rent a campervan for a little roadtrip to Sydney via the coastal Princes Highway.  The campervan was fully equipped with a gas stove, sink, battery cooler, and all the cooking utensils we could need.  The back folded down into a double bed, so there was no need for a tent.  The drive took about 14 hours, but split over 5 days it didn’t seem long.

Cooking dinner in the campervan

Our first stop was Ninety Mile Beach and yes, it is ninety miles long (it’s also the longest single stretch of beach in Australia).  After a bit of sun we headed to Cape Conran Coastal Park to camp and do a little hiking.

You can't tell from the picture, but this beach is ninety miles long!

We hiked about 2 hours along the coastal trail over rocks and beaches.  On the way back we took the more shady inland route.  The views were spectacular, even though I managed to get a tick somewhere along the way. Good thing we noticed a few hours later and Scott was able to get it our before causing an paralysis (as we learned from signs around the park).

Beach at Cape Conran

We entered into New South Wales and spent the night in the little fishing village of Eden.  In the morning, we stopped Mimosa Rocks National Park, known for the rocky beaches and rain forests.  Unfortunately, the beaches were blocked off and you had to view them from platforms about 100 feet away.

Mimosa Rocks National Park

That night we made our way to Booderee National Park in Jarvis Bay.  We hired snorkel gear for the day and although not as vibrant as Fiji, we had a good time.  The national park had a number of beautiful secluded white sandy beaches.

Snorkeling in Booderee National Park

On the fourth day of the road trip, we took a little break from all the national parks and hiking to do a bit of wine tasting in the Shovalhaven region.

Enjoying an afternoon of wine tasting

The last stop before Sydney was the Minnamurra Forest where we did a hike up to Minnamurra Falls.  The hike was a beautiful 1 and 1/2 hour hike mostly on elevated walkways.  We pasted three other falls on the way up to Minnamurra, the main attraction.

Elevated walkways to the falls

One of the smaller falls

Minnamura Falls

We arrived in Sydney to rain and humidity, but we made the most of it.  We had some great Chinese food in Chinatown, walked through the Botanical Gardens with great views of the Opera House and Harbor Bridge, visited the exciting Darling Harbor, and did a bit of shopping.  Finally on our last day in Sydney we got a bit of sun and decided to go to Bondi Beach to see what Sydney beach culture was like.

Sydney Opera House and Harbor Bridge

Sydney's Bondi Beach