New South Wales Outskirts of Sydney and Bowral, Berry, Kangaroo Valley, Richmond & Fitzroy Falls
Written: Aug 08 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great scenery, some fantastic natural and man made attractions
Cons: Distance, hippies
The Bottom Line: The Australian countryside and beaches are the main reason to visit. Fantastic scenery and quaint colonial villages.
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| travelgall's Full Review: New South Wales |
The countryside of Australia is where it really shines. The big cities are pretty dull to be quite frank, and you will find very little in any of them that you won’t find anywhere else in the world; whilst missing a whole lot that you can find anywhere else in the world. But the Australian countryside is something else. Does it have the most spectacular deserts? – not really, The Kalahari, Namib, Sahara and Atacama deserts are more impressive. Does Australia have the best beaches? Kind of; Forbes has one of Australia’s beaches in its top 10, I assume catering for those who want Fish and Chip shops rather than Palm Trees on their beaches. The best rain forests? – No, they’re in Brazil; The best skiing? –No Europe and the US has that; the most beautiful mountains? – no chance, the greatest wilderness areas - reckon Patagonia & New Zealand beat Australia hands down. The only claim Australia could have is the Great Barrier Reef being the greatest Natural Wonder in the sea, but I always preferred Wreck diving and the best sites here are in Truk Atoll and Scapa Flow. The point is however that Australia has all of these in one Country, albeit a bloody big one, and if you want variety in your life then you can do much worse than go to Australia. The only other places that are the same for sheer variety are Chile and South Africa, in South Africa you’ll get car-jacked and shot; whilst in Chile you have the “No Habla” problemo.
Because I was pressed very short for time I didn’t see all that the continent of Australia has to offer. The sheer size of the place means that you’re flying anywhere to see the natural wonders of Australia. Nevertheless at the weekend I did a great trip down the coast towards the ACT, and had a look at various out of town places around Sydney. The problem with going to Australia is that the Breadstealers* or Pom** who spent his gap year in the country will evangelize “But you didn’t see the country, you simply haven’t seen Australia until you’ve seen the outhouse that was in Priscilla Queen of the Desert filmed in Goolooongggooowooola Sheep Station - Northern Territories”. People who have been to Australia as a gap year student speak like it’s a secret mystical cult, whereas in actuality you were so self involved as a student your mannerisms stay frozen in time in honour of this period in your life. Did I spend months there like a 19 year old gap year student - no I have a job. But not everybody goes to Australia for 11 months on a working visa so I reckon my points are still reasonably valid.
Manly.
To be honest I should have put this in my Sydney review but I need to pad the review a bit; and Manly isn’t in the CBD of Sydney so I’m putting it here. It’s the one thing that all Sydney people insist you must do – they automatically assume you’re going to walk across the Harbour Bridge and look at the Opera house. Manly is found within what is called greater Sydney and is a good 30 minutes by ferry from Circular Quay. You can tell which one the ferry is in summer as it’s the one with loads of guys carrying surf boards to it. Also it’s the largest ferry that docks in Circular Quay. It’s quite a pleasant trip, and the ferry is large enough to have a few extra bits on it that you don’t get with the smaller boats. They very sweetly warn you when you get to the point that it will shortly get rough, which is kind of a relative term – it’s hardly the Perfect Storm - and a bit of a lark. The name Manly comes from a chap called Capt Arthur Phillip who named it after the Manly behaviour of the local tribes who lived there. Methinks this chap had been a sailor too long, as your average Heterosexual would have kept sailing until he spotted some women so they could call it “Bouncers Bay” or “Nice rack Cove” or something. As you leave the ferry you see the slogan of the town painted on the wall - “Seven miles from Sydney and a thousand miles from care”. I was going to write to them regarding the Trades Description Act as I’ve never heard of a town called “Care”, and even if there is one I’ll bet it’s more than 1000 miles away. It’s amazing what spectacular ways you think of to waste your time when you’re on your holiday, and I’d be interested to see what they say in reply.
To get into the town itself you leave the food court that the ferry docks in, and cross the road past Manly municipal council The Municipal council building is probably one of the nicest edifices in Manly, a beautiful 1880’s building surrounded by trees. The rest of the town’s architecture is from the 1960’s and 1970’s and not really that nice. Of course being in the sun next to a beach doesn’t hurt the place. There are numerous fast food places along the main street – The Corso and along the beach front itself. The other type of shop is the numerous sports stores selling surf boards and the usual paraphernalia that comes with the sport – Quicksilver, Mambo and other surf wear. I personally was a big fan of a clothing line called Zanerobe, but I’m sure you will be able o find something that suits your taste in casual clothing.
The beach itself is a nice wide bay with good surf and a pretty headland to the right of the beach. Because I was there in winter the locals were mostly sitting on the concrete steps that keep beach from being blown and arriving in the town, and to be fair the water was really cold. What’s quite funny about the place is the total mix of people in town; you have the old dears on a day trip from Sunset Retirement Home after a decent Fish and Chips meal mixing with “Brad”, the brain-dead surfer Dude after some top quality weed to lower his IQ even further to the level of a rock. I would recommend doing the trip myself, not because Manly is the best thing since sliced bread, but it’s a nice pleasant way to spend an afternoon. The people are friendly, the pace of life is a bit slower than Sydney and it’s a lot of fun to sit on a sandy beach in the sun for a couple of hours. I had a quick look round the shops, kicked my shoes off and walked on the sand. I recommend you do the same too if you’re spending any time in Sydney.
Richmond
The reason I was in Richmond is quite simple, it is basically the headquarters of Australian Polo. I dragged my boots and mallets all the way round the world to get some Polo in here, and failed miserably due to the atrocious Australian weather. I caught the train from Kiribilli which goes direct to Richmond and looking out of the window I could see that my ability to play was going to be very minimal. Richmond is a nice small town with a small shopping centre, a war memorial that pays tribute to the good Aussie soldiers and their keen sense of “Mateship”, and a couple of great little restaurants. Richmond is near several Australian Armed Forces bases so they take their military pride seriously in this part of the world. Sat in a café opposite the McDonalds restaurant and soaked to the skin with my Polo gear I was reminded of the best of Australia. The guy who ran the place was great, and had a cup of tea in my hand practically before I had sat down. I had a great breakfast and the bloke very kindly lent me the phone to call the Polo guy who was picking me up.
Richmond is where all the Polo teams have set up shop; you have Kerry Packers son here with his team, and all the money he hasn’t spent trying to get rid of space aliens that inhabit his body has been spent setting up shop here. Various other Polo teams have followed and Richmond is now the real centre in Australia for this sport. I was visiting the Riverlands Polo Club which has a pretty solid set up, Dad makes the Polo sticks whilst the son instructs. There were a couple of cute Scottish girls who were doing the mucking out. I was dreadfully disappointed I didn’t get to play, or even have a bit of stick and ball. But the instructor was a good bloke and answered all my questions about the place. I can’t wait to get back and play some actual Polo.
Southern Highlands
To reach the rest of the destinations visited in New South Wales you will need a car as train travel is incredibly slow. The Australians take their speeding laws very seriously and as a result it is rare that you will see anybody drastically exceeding the speed limit. This does not stop Australians driving less like morons than any other place in the world however. Undertaking is rampant, along with tailgating. It is also worth mentioning that Australians drive on the British side of the road which could e a bit tricky for those people used to the other side – especially when you’re negotiating your way out of Sydney in a hire car.
Bowral
This was a fantastic little village that is on the tourist trail in the Southern Highlands on the way to Berry and the Kangaroo Valley. It’s a great place to nibble some Cakes and drink a bit of Coffee before travelling on to the sights of the region. The main street has a wonderful collection of colonial era buildings, and has a local hero in the form of Sir Donald Bradman, one of the most famous Cricketers of all time. It also has the odd antique store, boutiques by the fistful; a discount book store, shops selling the obligatory Aussie outdoor gear and various furniture stores. The only downside of the place is a pretty ugly 1970’s shopping centre but it is camouflaged by being situated well behind the buildings on Main Street. It reminded me very much of the small East Coast towns of the US, with the same small town feel but minus the American flags. It looks and feels like a very prosperous place. We spent a good hour here and if you’re looking for a nice place for breakfast before going on to the Kangaroo Valley and Fitzroy Falls then this is the place to stop. If you’re a flower buff they also have a Tulip festival which draws in the crowds.
Kangaroo Valley.
I guess this place is the Aussie equivalent of Boulder or Berkley. It’s where the locals hang “Dreamcatchers” up in their houses to stop the nightmares of Investment Bankers in Pinstripe suits taking their children away to work for Goldman Sachs and making them rich beyond their belief. It’s the place where people who regretted the fact that the Soviet Union collapsed and hang breathlessly on the words of Hugo Chavez. As a result and despite its beauty I wanted to take a flamethrower to the place. Outside the organic Yak Ice Cream collective there were the “Right on” couple who used to work for the Government Aboriginal department. He had sandals and a pony tail; she had the body mass of somebody who – had they been laying on a beach would have been approached by a Greenpeace team trying to push them back in the sea. Hearing these two people talk about the Aboriginals as if they were mentally deficient and needed government help I wanted to scream. Because like all “Right on” people they thought that everybody needs help from cleverer folks like them. These people “understand” their pain and poverty as they had parents who made then go to school, didn’t buy them that Pony they so wanted and laughed at them when they said they wanted to study “Theatre in the community” rather than Economics. Every sentence sounded like the woman in Crocodile Dundee on being told that she can’t take the Aboriginal guys photo replies “Oh, I’m sorry, you believe it will take your spirit away”. I’m not aboriginal, but even I wanted to slap these patronising idiots something silly.
Anyhow the town in the centre of the valley has all the handicraft rubbish you’d expect these hippie places to sell. Crystals, Dream Catchers, hammocks made out of pubic hair and recycled wire insulation. The restaurants were ok, although menus were limited – to me because I don’t want to eat Wheat germ and sawdust burgers. I’m a dead cow between two patties kind of guy. Thankfully this was Australia rather than the Left Coast of America. And in Australia anybody not serving some form of meat would be laughed out of the restaurant trade. There is also a pub where the normal people go – the hippies are frightened by Alcohol; and cigarette smoke to lefties is like crucifix and holy water is to a vampire. It’s a shame that this town is stuffed to the gills with insufferable prats as it is a truly beautiful valley. I didn’t see any Giant Freakish Bouncing Mice so assume that they always hide during the day, I’m sure they named it Kangaroo valley for a reason. We then headed up the Cambewarra mountains to have a great view of the valley and the sea. There’s a great viewing point at the top with a little restaurant and spectacular views of this beautiful place.
Berry and Shoalhaven
Similar to Bowral, Berry is another up market old town that specialises in antiques, expensive pastries and Coffee. What most stands out in the mind are two things, the beautiful old post office at the end of the street; and the shop full of Alpine Cuckoo clocks. There are numerous other antique stores; the one where you have to go upstairs is particularly good, with furniture from the 1800’s to the present day. Berry hosts a couple of festivals which draw in the crowds, the Berry Biathlon and the Food & Wine Exhibition. Whilst not in the epicentre of all things exciting Berry is nevertheless a pretty place to spend a couple of hours. Moving on from Berry you have the famous Seven Mile Beach National Park. Why it’s famous is beyond me as the one on the Cayman Islands is far more attractive. It was once famous as the spot where Sir Charles Kingsford Smith set up the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. Since then it has returned to being almost unheard of. We parked up and wondered onto the sand. The vast majority of the beach is free of buildings which makes Seven Mile Beach a great sight to look at. Unfortunately the beach is absolutely covered with sea foam which doesn’t make it the best place in the world to plonk down your beach towel but Seven Mile Beach is a pleasant diversion and getting some fresh sea air is worth the detour from Berry. The only people we saw on the beach were a couple of kids dressed up in 1940’s clothing which was a bit surreal to say the least.
Close by is the Kiama blowhole, which is reputedly the largest blowhole in the world. The water is supposed to reach heights of 25 metres up in the air which gives a thorough drenching to those who aren’t wary. There is a metal handrail and path hat goes round most of the blowhole, but you always get one or two that decide to get as close as possible, and they receive a well deserved drenching. There is a beautiful little lighthouse on the blowhole point which catches the sun in the evening. This makes the Kiama area a nice place to visit at the end of the trip. The town is quite pretty and has all the usual facilities that are found round tourist attractions in this part of the world. The road to it from Berry is wonderful as the rolling green countryside of this area make this another lovely place to drive. At the time of our visit there were two attractions, the great blowhole and a Newfoundland dog that somebody had brought along. The kids were absolutely captivated by this gentle giant and stood next to her to have a photograph taken with her before scurrying behind their parents’ legs. There are also many semi-tame Pelicans in the area and you can feed them.
Fitzroy Falls
I have no Idea why these alls are more famous, kind of like when I went to the Kaieteur Falls and everybody went – “where”? The Fitzroy falls are located 142 km south of Sydney it is found in the Morton National Park. On the way towards the falls there is a visitor’s centre selling Kobara hats and posters of the national park. You then join one of the tracks that lead to the falls – like all things in Australia the names aren’t imaginative (this is the nation that invented such poetic and original names as The Great Sandy Desert, The Snowy Mountains, Barrier Reef amongst others) and you either take the East Rim track or the West Rim track. There are signs all along the track that indicate the flora and fauna that you can see, and the animals which you can’t. For instance they tell you that you can see the Duck Billed Platypus in the lake. Now the Duck Billed Platypus is half the length of a milk carton, spends 90% of its time underwater in brackish lakes and as a result is a bit difficult to spot. Still there’s the sign that informs you that they live there. There are numerous platforms of this spectacular falls and naturally the best are on the side opposite it. Health and safety has reached this part of the world with metal bars making it difficult to take pictures from next to the falls. But other than this mild complaint I have to say these falls are spectacular – and I’ve seen more than my fair share. The actual National Park is fairly sizeable and there is good accommodation nearby apparently if you want to do some Bush walks in the Morton National Park. If you fancy another form of transport taking the strain there is also a horse riding school that you can use.
* Breadstealer – what the Brits call Aussies due to their History of being a penal colony.
** Pom – What the Aussies call Brits. Derived from Prisoner of Her Majesty.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Friends
Best Time to Travel Here: Mar - May
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travelgall
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Location: London, Great Britain
Reviews written: 104
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About Me:
Ex Army Stockbroker who spend all his cash on traveling.
Corruptissima Republica, Plurimae Leges.
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