Jervis Bay
WHO
Our family of four traveled to Jervis Bay for two days during our two week road trip in Australia. Averhy was 15 and Eden was 12 when we took this trip.
WHAT
Here is our packing list for our entire 12-day trip to Australia. The clothing items are all per person. Our trip included both summer and fall temperatures, and we decided to bring our own snorkels for the Great Barrier Reef. I used the Ziploc bag method to pack for this trip, as well as the clothing folder. We used one carry-on suitcase and four backpacks (Sky’s magic backpack, the Helena Camelbak, my camera backpack, and Eden’s UnderArmour school backpack.) If we did this entire trip again, I would not bring the snorkels, and would have packed half the number of tshirts because we were able to do laundry twice during the 12 days. Because we were only in the Jervis Bay area for two days, we used two Ziploc bags for all of our shirts/socks/undies, and our jeans/sweatshirts were in the clothing folder.
passport
camera/lens/cards
chargers (phone, car, camera)
SJCam/memory cards
power adapter
headphones
Trtl pillows
2 shorts
8 tshirts
1 hiking pants
2 tshirts for hiking
3 jeans
snorkel
sunglasses
basic toiletries
2 long sleeve shirts
2 nicer shirts
1 dress
10 underwear
3 bras
10 socks
1 swimsuit
Kindle
1 puffy coat
2 sweatshirts
1 tennis shoes
1 flip flops
1 nicer shoes
1 water shoes
1 baseball cap
WHEN
We were in Australia the first two weeks of August 2019. We decided to go at that time because it worked well with our summer vacation schedule. August is technically winter in Australia, and the temperatures in the Jervis Bay area felt like fall in Illinois (about 60*F) and we were comfortable in jeans and sweatshirts or puffy coats. August was a great time to visit Australia because it was not the busy tourist season. In the Minnamurra Rainforest, we were able to hike the trails we wanted without any crowds, and the beaches on Jervis Bay were empty as well.
WHERE
We are big fans of AirBnB, and use it whenever we can. We stayed at this house in Culburra, just north of Jervis Bay. It was a pretty good AirBnB, though the house number wasn’t illuminated so we went to the wrong house at first! A good reminder to confirm directions with your host before you arrive.
For our last night in the area, we stayed at the Ibis Budget Sydney hotel near the airport, because we had an early morning flight.
During our time in Budderoo National Park and Jervis Bay area, we stopped at the locations marked by yellow stars on the map.
WHY
We initially decided to go to Australia because NextVacay.com alerted us to a cheap round-trip flight to Sydney. After booking the initial flights, I explored different hiking areas and pretty beaches that were within driving distance of Sydney, and pictures of Jervis Bay kept coming up. This is a popular area in the summer, and I can understand why. The beaches are gorgeous, and the sand is so fine it makes a squeaking sound when you walk on it.
HOW
Day 1: Minnamurra Rainforest & Fitzroy Falls
We began the day with a 2 hour drive from Bondi Beach, and enjoyed the rolling hills changing into woods as we entered the Budderoo National Park area. There was an easy loop trail in Minnamurra Rainforest, with an out-and-back section as well. We spent about 1.5 hours here.
Our next stop was for lunch at the Robertson Pie Shop. Their traditional meat pies and dessert pies were excellent.
About 30 minutes further was Fitzroy Falls. There was an easy trail leading to an extremely steep and tall waterfall. We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting a friend and driving to our AirBnB.
Day 2: Jervis Bay
The first beach we visited on Jervis Bay was Hyams Beach, which claims to have the whitest sand in the world… and we would agree! It was such a fine texture that it squeaked as we walked on it. Once again, we were nearly alone on the beach because it’s the off-season.
We hadn’t seen any kangaroos yet, so we decided that would be our next activity. I had read that kangaroos often hang out on golf courses, so we headed toward the St. Georges Basin Country Club and… bingo! Kangaroos lounging along the edges of the fairway.
Satisfied with our kangaroo encounter, we picked up some more meat pies and pastries for a picnic lunch.
The sun finally came out, so we spent a couple hours at Huskisson Beach eating lunch, finding shells, walking in the water, and climbing on the rocks.
Next we decided to try our hand at Australian lawn bowling, so we drove over to the Currarong Bowling Club. The game is similar to bocce ball, but the balls are lopsided and must be rolled, not tossed. It was a fun way to spend the afternoon!
We finished the day with a visit to Point Perpendicular Lighthouse and Honeymoon Bay, which are on the Beecroft Peninsula, across from Hyams Beach. As the sun began to set, the wind picked up and the temperatures started to drop, so we got back on the road after sunset. We stopped for a delicious dinner in Kiama, at a casual trendy restaurant called Silica.
This was our last day in New South Wales, so we drove 3 hours back to Sydney in order to stay at the Ibis Budget Sydney hotel near the airport, since we had an early flight the next morning.
Final Tips
Driving on the left side of the road takes a little bit of getting used to… we liked to say “sliiiide to the left” anytime we were starting to feel nervous about the traffic on the right side of the car!
If you’re traveling from the USA to Australia, be prepared for a LONG flight… but depending on when you leave, you might be traveling in darkness the entire flight, so it’s easier to sleep. We used Trtl travel pillows, and they were okay. Not quite as comfortable as the ads make them look, but they did the job. Do you have a travel pillow you love? Let me know in the comments below!
