Sydney to Jervis Bay road trip: 5-day coastal adventure

We sent Jess and Alix on a 5-day road trip to explore hidden gems and 'work from the road' along the Southern NSW coastline. The van of their choice fell on the newly fitted-out Toyota Hiace, 'Henry' that was conveniently picked up from their neighbourhood in Sydney before starting their journey south.

Eager to support local regions impacted by bushfires earlier in the year and passionate foodies, Jess and Alix sought recommendations for local cafes and businesses to explore along the way. Read on to see what the girls get up to, and get ready to expand your Southern NSW bucket list!

Beach and Ocean Baths views in Bulli

We stopped at Bulli lookout to check out the view and speak with the information centre about where we should stay the night. They suggested we park the van in front of the Bulli Rock Pool in Illawarra, which looks out over the beach and the ocean baths. This spot was perfect for camping as it also had public showers and bathrooms. Also, only a few mins drive to the local Woolworths to get food supplies for our trip. We met a local swimmer in the ocean baths, who gave us some great recommendations for places to stop along the way to Bermagui.

Sunsets & Cheese Boards in Mollymook

We passed through Kiama to do the coastal walk and see the blowholes and the lighthouse. We set up for the night in Mollymook to watch the sunset and enjoy a cheeseboard. What a magical experience!

Ulladulla

Before heading to Broulee, we stopped at Native cafe for breakfast and to do some work - I'd highly recommend the chilli eggs breakfast, and they have great coffee too.

Broulee beach

We then stopped at Broulee beach to go for a walk along the beach and a quick rest stop.

Image: https://www.bodalladairy.com.au/shop/

Bodalla

Next stop was theBodalla cheese factory for a delicious lunch and also stocked our fridge up with some cheese. The bush tucker cream cheese and smoked cheddar were some of the best cheeses I've tried. Would absolutely shop here again!

Camel Rock, Wallaga Lake

We then stopped at Camel rock to go for a stunning walk along the coast

Caves and beach fires in Bermagui

Blue Pools - 100% recommend checking out this spot, it was so beautiful, and their outdoor shower is perfect for when you need to freshen up.

We watched the sunset at Bears Beach and met some fantastic locals that invited us to have a beach fire with them in the cave to the left of the beach. They just so happened to also do fire twirling, which was so much fun. This night was one of the highlights of the trip.

We parked our van at Dickinson Point and watched the sunrise here, which was absolutely perfect. Then we went to the Cream Patisserie to get coffee and some pastries and went back to Bears Beach and ate this on the rocks and watched the dolphins in the ocean for hours.

Before heading to Jervis Bay, we stopped in at Gulaga Organics and got some snacks for the road.

Pie pit stop in Ulladulla

We stopped at Haydens Pies for lunch. I got the butter chicken pie and the mushroom and spinach pie. These were pretty great, and something all of the locals recommended we do.

Jervis Bay

We went for a walk along Hyman's beach, which was perfect. The weather was incredible, and we even went for a little skinny dip.

We set up our van for the night at Vincentia Sailing Club which overlooked the beach. In the morning, we watched the sunrise at Plantation Point around the corner, and it was just stunning.

Clifton/Sea Cliff Bridge

On the way back to Sydney we took the detour to walk along the Sea Cliff Bridge.

Sydney CBD

Home now and had to drop the van back :-(

Van review

Henry

Henry was the perfect van for our South Coast road trip. To be able to pull up right in front of the beach and watch the sunrise and sunset from the back of our van was just perfect. The van is decked with beautiful wooden finish and a Salty Aura rug that made for the most beautiful photos. Marcus has decked the van out with everything you could need on your trip. From body wash to the kitchen sink. It really felt like a home away from home in this van. I can't wait to hire Henry again for my next road trip!

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