Cruising out of Sydney to start our Lap of Oz adventure was a surreal feeling. We had just experienced the biggest 4 months of our lives in preparation for this next phase – becoming full time nomads! Full time ‘BLONDE NOMADS‘ that is.
We sold everything we owned – including our house, arranged some amazing brand sponsorships to help support us on our travels (including our rolling home – a 22ft Jayco Starcraft Caravan)! On top of this we had a load of media interviews – including radio (Triple M – listen here), and a TV appearance (Today show – watch it here). It was all crazy great fun especially the send-off our friends and family provided for us on our last night as we camped at Narrabeen Carvan Park.
Once we waved good bye to the big smoke and our life as we knew it – the excitement and buzz of a new adventure started to take over again – and it felt good!
We were busting to hit the ground running and start exploring – but first, we needed a little down time to put our feet back on the ground. Embracing the ‘earthing concept’ (did you know that’s a ‘thing’?! Read about it here) we decided a beachside bush-camp was in order.
Green Patch – Jervis Bay
What a gem of a spot. We spent 4 nights on a shady bush site not far from the beach in Booderee National Park. Our site was surrounded by wallabies, birds, possums and echidnas! The main thing we spoke about to our mini blondies Marli and Ziggy before we started our trip was all the amazing wildlife they would see and our first stop did not disappoint.
Just up the road at Jervis Bay is the famous Hyams Beach which has the whitest sand in the world and is definitely worth a visit. Further North, you will find Honeymoon Bay which was also a great little day trip for us and only 50 minutes drive away. We were lucky to have the bay all to ourselves along with 2 kangaroos who joined us on the beach!
- Stayed: Green Patch Jervis Bay NP
- To do: Take a drive to Hyams Beach and Honeymoon Bay
Bendalong
Our next stop 2 hours drive further South was a lovely town called Bendalong. Famous for the friendly Sting Rays that you can hand feed off the beach, we knew we had to make a visit. The kids thought the rays were amazing but were content watching from above the water as we carried them into the shallows for a closer look. We spent our days relaxing on the beach listening to the bell birds in the surrounding bush, making sand castles and watching the rays swim past. It was a magic spot to enjoy for 4 nights.
While in the Shoalhaven area Rob took the opportunity to do what he loves most – free diving in the ocean and catching us something for dinner!! He did not disappoint and returned with 2 huge Eastern Rock Lobsters that we happily ate for dinner alongside a mango salad – does it get any better?!
- Stayed: Bendalong Point Caravan Park
- To Do: Feed the Sting Rays at Bendalong Beach
Potato Point
What a spot! Potato Point is definitely a NSW favourite for us!! With a beach front camp spot all to ourselves backing onto the Eurobodalla National Park we were in Blondies heaven! We spent our days watching the whales play just offshore with their baby calves, surfing Rob’s handmade timber long board, playing in the sand and hanging out with the friendly resident kangaroos and wallabies surrounding our camp.
One of our favorite things to do as a family is wake up and look out our caravan window first thing in the moring to see the ever changing view. At Potato Point we were spoilt each morning with the best sunrise ocean views along with the local wildlife enjoying their breakfast – it was magic!
If this place couldn’t get any better we also enjoyed a few fresh Pizzas for dinner cooked in the wood-fired Pizza oven in the camp kitchen. You can buy fresh pizza dough from the camp shop and make your own toppings! The kids thought this was fab and of course they tasted AMAZING! We could have stayed at this camp spot forever and forgotten about the huge Lap of Oz adventure we had planned!
- Stayed: Beachcomber Holiday Park
- To do: Visit the Bodalla Bakery and browse the shops in nearby Mogo.
Pambula
A little further South we called into the small coastal town of Pambula home for 5 nights. This was a great little town as well as it’s bigger neighbour Merimbula. We had Pambula Beach to ourselves most of the time and enjoyed watching the whales and dolphins playing offshore. We ventured into Ben Boyd National Park as well as explored the stunning headlands of Merimbula. This part of the coast features amazing clear turquoise water against vibrant red rock which make an amazing contrast on a sunny day so naturally Tracy was going crazy with her camera!
Rob also took the opportuniy to go for another dive and this time returned with 2 Abalone for something new.
A short trip 25 minutes South had us in the old whaling town of Eden. As some chilly weather had set in for the day (and we had aleady visited the Whaling Muesum on a previous caravan trip) we decided to enjoy a lazy breakfast in a local cafe followed by a visit to the Marine Discovery Centre.
What a wonderful surprise this was for the kids. Featuring an array of interesting, thought provoking marine displays, fish tanks and a touch pool, our mini Blondies were entertained for hours. The centre had something for all ages and the best part for us was that none of it was displayed behind glass – it was all laid out for the kids to touch.
- Stayed: Pambula Beach – Discovery Park/BIG 4
- To Do: Explore Ben Boyd National Park, swim at Merimbula Beach and visit Eden and the Marine Discovery Centre.
Our time exploring the South Coast of NSW was the perfect way to start our trip. We were super impressed with the pristine waters and beautiful clean beaches all along this coastline. As proud partners with Take 3 (#take3forthesea) we have been picking up rubbish from the beaches and waterways that we have visited along the way and we have been super impressed with how clean the South Coast has been!
We look forward to visiting again one day but for now… it’s across the border to Victoria we go… stay tuned for more adventures.
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Read more about our Lap Of Oz or view our caravan tour video.
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Great blog post and amazing photos and footage, what an inspiration you all are keep on traveling, enjoying and sharing ❤
Thanks so much for following along 🙂
What an amazing article and start to your adventure on the road. We have now added some of these locations to our list of places to see, so thank you for sharing!
Thanks Sharee – there are so many nice spots glad you have ‘added them to your list’ 🙂