A Picnic in the Clouds - Drawing Room Rocks Walk

Drawing Room Rocks is just about a half-hour drive from where we are living. It has been on our list of walks 'to do' since we arrived - and with a mainly sunny day in the forecast - we headed out to tackle it!

Chy-Anne is pointing out Pigeon House Mountain on the far right in the distance 

(from the top of Drawing Room Rocks)

There were rivers of clouds slowly flowing over the ridges and hillsides as we drove towards the walk. When we arrived - we were in those same clouds for a bit. 

The walk is around a 5 km return trip with a vertical ascent of about 300 metres. The trail was through the bush and along the edges of the hills - we had to keep Liam and Bryce close!

The boys did really well with the climbing. 

Only a few small wipeouts in the mud on some slippery bits for Bryce.

Huge uprooted trees with clay soils still attached

Chy-Anne spotted a lyrebird in the bush - we ended up seeing and hearing at least 3 different lyrebirds on this walk. They are one of our favourite birds to listen to - as they mimic other birds and noises that they've heard (sounds like R2D2 and laser fire as well!)

Sun shimmering on the ferns

We started to get quite high up

The rocks began to change 

Stopped for a rest - just a bit more...

Banksia cones

Tree roots and wet sections made the walk tricky at times

Banksia Blooms

And then we reached the summit...

Best mates!

Coolangatta Mountain with Jervis Bay in the background behind it

Towards Gerroa and the Ocean

The view towards Nowra 

Drawing Room Rocks with the "Wedding Cake" in the distance

Intricate rock formations and 'tabletops' ideal for a rest

We made it!

Taking in the views (my shadow squeezed into this one - almost a family shot!)

Panoramic of the incredible view

Liam in the "throne"

"The Saddle" - we decided NOT to sit on this one...yikes!

Perfect spot for a picnic - somehow we managed to have the top to ourselves
(even on a day with lots of people on the trail!)

Maxin' and Relaxin'

Another beautiful lookout together!

Kiama Coastline Walk

We started our Saturday morning with soccer games for Liam and Bryce at 2 different fields (Bomaderry and Gerringong) - so we decided to use our 2 vehicle situation as an advantage. There is a coastal walk that goes from Minnimurra - south - all the way down to Gerroa. We wanted to have a nice breakfast in Kiama (for Mother's Day) - so our plan was to walk from the Kiama Blowhole south to Werri Beach in Gerringong. 

I had looked at the distance and thought it would be manageable - but starting at the Blowhole (instead of Kiama Heights) turned out to add far more kms than we could manage... 

Pelican at the docks in Bomaderry

Searching for a cafe in Kiama

Beautiful mosaics on the park walkway

We had breakfast on the main street of Kiama 

Tree-hugger Liam!

Liam and I had a look at the war memorials along the main street on our way to the park

Beautiful arch at the entrance to the park 

We started at the Kiama Blow Hole

It was blowin' alright!

We were ready for the sun, wind or rain - it was around 18C but the winds off the ocean made it cool in spots. 

The waves were crashing!

The boys found all the "workout" stations along the walk (these are sit-ups)

We saw some surfers out enjoying the day

Gorgeous beaches

We headed towards Kiama Heights for some incredible views

Really interesting how you can see where the winds have "shaped" the treeline (on the right)

The path was well-marked (most of the time)

Lovely wildflowers

The boys were tired (and had already played in soccer games) - but they soldiered on!

That's the lighthouse in the background (where we began our walk)

We were looking forward to seeing the "Little Blow Hole" 

Mountain landscapes in the background created some amazing views from the coastal cliffs

Still too early to spot whales (they're likely north to Queensland) - but we'll be back when the time is right!

We arrived at the Little Blow Hole (although we could hear the "whoosh" sounds for a while before!)

A great passing shot of the Little Blow Hole's placement on the coastline

The rock formations of the coastline reminded Chy-Anne and I of the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland

Pit stop

Not there yet...

Another beach to walk across

Heading uphill towards Kiama Heights

We reached Kiama Heights and I checked my phone's GPS. We had already walked 9 km in a couple of hours and our truck (parked at Gerroa Beach in Gerringong) was still another 10 km away. 

With the sun setting and our little boys' legs showing signs of wear from the day's excitement. We decided to call a taxi to bring us back to the car (at the Kiama Blow Hole) and save the rest of this amazing coastal walk for another day!

We'll be back...