Fitzroy Falls

Next stop from the Bradman Museum was Fitzroy Falls. To be honest I'd never before heard of this place and was a bit skeptical about it, but it turned out my suspicions were unnecessary. The waterfall itself is small and not special in any sense, but the surrounding scenery was quite spectacular. The lookout at the waterfall opens out to a deep valley, with mist shrouding the depths of the valley floor where the water falls and flows eastward to the ocean.

The rainforest scenery was really beautiful on this overcast, somewhat wet day. The cool, still air and the pleasant but sharp smell of the foliage combined with the vibrant, colourful wildflowers to make it a wonderful walk from the carpark to the two lookouts.There was even a termite mound on the way.Here are some wild berries we spotted, which are apparently good "bush tucker".At the second lookout, we noted that something odd was happening on the valley floor. Possibly due to a change in wind direction, the mass of fog started moving up the incline and over the ridge on the opposite side. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, the valley was completely covered in thick fog and the fog began to move towards us. Within seconds, we were enveloped in thick, white, wet fog. The cloud passed through us at amazing speed; it felt like we were in an imax theatre. Unfortunately, my camera batteries went flat at the worst time and I dont have any photo evidence. But, some of the kids did take photos and hopefully they will send them to me as they were instructed.....

After having lunch, we headed off again, this time to Kiama, to see the blowholes (I must say, I've been there so many times its a bit tiresome now, but anyway...). On the way, we went through Jamberoo Road, scenic drive no.9 (or thereabouts). Never has a scenic drive designation been more justified. At first, we drove through thick fog which reduced visibility to about 10 metres, and then we came out onto green meadows, and fields of wildflowers, and pine plantations, and grazing cattle, and quaint farmhouses, and rolls of hay, and little ponds overflowing with the unseasonal rain. Soon, the road meandered into some steep hilly country, and the picturesque farms are replaced by luxuriant rainforest. The canopy is so thick that the sky is often not visible through it. The leaves of the ferns and other rainforest trees are an unbelievably bright green. And the chilled air carries the cloying scent of the wet earth mixed with the pungence of the dense foliage.

So impressed was everyone that we planned to detour to the Minnamurra Rainforest Centre, but we missed the turn and decided not to turn around. At Kiama, because of low tide (there was no shortage of wind), the blowhole was not blowing much to the disappointment of all. So most of us decided to have a coffee and relax. I went out to the rocks and sat for a while watching the grey waves crash upon the grey rocks, against the backdrop of a grey sky.

After much arguing, it was decided that to a beach we must go, even if it was raining and getting late. So we plotted a course for 7 mile beach, a long unbroken unspoilt stretch of grey sand situated in a national park. With the mist shrouding the horizon, we could not see the ends of the beach from where we were. The sand was wet and compact- perfect for a game of cricket. It was decided that the water was too cold for swimming. I think everyone had fun at the beach- whether playing cricket, watching the waves or just chatting. There was a cool seabreeze and the lightest of sprinkles, which could just have been the spray from the ocean, to keep us comfortable. I was very impressed by this beach as it was spotless- not a single piece of rubbish. Compare this to beaches of Sydney, littered with garbage. Even beaches in Wollongong and Kiama have some rubbish, but 7 mile beach was pristine. I wonder if that's because not many people use the beach, or because the people that go there are more thoughtful than the average person, or because the park rangers are clean freaks.

By now, it was nearly 7pm. So we packed up and headed home, through more fog, which became especially thick in the stretch between Wollongong and Helensburgh....