Why Wollongong is the perfect spot if you want an East Coast getaway without the hustle and bustle
Just an hour and a half away, Wollongong is a gateway to the south coast, a launchpad for a hive of activities and boasts some seriously mouth-watering food and drink outlets.
NSW
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Want the Sydney life without the hustle and bustle? Beautiful beaches and the first-world options of a modern metropolis? Well, it can be sampled an hour and a half’s drive south, in the ’Gong.
Wollongong is a gateway to the south coast, a launchpad for a hive of activities and boasts some seriously mouth-watering food and drink outlets.
Drive there from Sydney via the Royal National Park and a section of the Grand Pacific Drive which offers spectacular coastline and the must-photograph Sea Cliff Bridge.
Walk, swim and dodge the sky divers
Nothing shouts ‘weekend break’ quite like the feeling of sand between your toes and a dip in the ocean, and the Illawarra has tons of amazing beaches.
Locals will tell you to head out of Wollongong to grab a beach to yourself – try Coaldale or Austinmer to the north.
But most Sydneysiders would consider the ‘busy’ main beaches North Wollongong Beach and Wollongong City Beach gloriously empty.
The sky, less so. You don’t have to wait too long to see a tandem skydiver or two floating down from 14,000ft. Sky Dive Australia is based in Stuart Park on Cliff Road if you’re feeling brave.
If you want to swim lengths, your best choice is the outdoor 50m salt water pool, built in the 1920s, which abuts the harbour wall south of North Beach.
If you don’t want to pay for the privilege, head next door to the free rock pool.
The Blue Mile is Wollongong’s training track, with runners and cyclists hogging it from North Beach, along the harbour and up to the lighthouse on the headland, but walkers are allowed.
Eat brekkie like a local
It’s not just the Wollongong set who like to enjoy breakfast at Diggies, housed in an iconic heritage listed building on North Beach.
Try the Berry Good PJ, of mixed berries, low fat yoghurt and pineapple juice for $8 with an ocean view.
Those who’ve already done their hour’s jog or surf refuel with a healthy brekkie here such as the Ravenous Athlete’s Muesli with watermelon and mint ($14). For those throwing caution to the wind, go for the fluffy stack of buttermilk pancakes at $19.50.
But, get there early. After 9am the queue is out the door.
For a downtown breakfast, drop into Lee N Me in Crown Street in the CBD, and while away time at a pavement table experiencing ‘rush hour’.
This pretty 1890 former terraced house serves Campos Coffee and the owners are partly responsible for the burgeoning coffee scene across the city, training several baristas who have gone on to open their own establishments.
It’s therefore a good spot to grab a shot of caffeine. Healthy types will be happy with rice porridge, fresh fruit and almonds ($15), although their most popular early morning choice is eggs benedict on sourdough ($15).
Food with a view
Watching a fishing boat return to Wollongong Harbour and unload its catch counts as a highlight in this sleepy spot – and it’s also a surefire way to build up an appetite for a seafood supper.
And if you want more than plain fish and chips, the second storey Bombora restaurant at the far end is the best spot to tuck in and take in the great view.
Light and airy with an open kitchen, all the regulars are here, from a bucket of prawns to salt and chilli squid. The oysters ($25 a dozen) and the crumbed flathead were excellent.
If you want to push the boat out, a hot and cold seafood platter for two ($140) includes champagne lobster, moreton bay bug, mussels with chilli, ginger and garlic on jasmine rice and a mixture of fish fillets, calamari, king prawns and smoked salmon.
Pizzas are the order of the day at Northbeach Pavilion, a changing room for bathers in the 1930s converted into another light and breezy restaurant.
A long strip, with a huge, blue wood-fired oven, this place is fun.
Window seats offer views of the beach – where you can watch the surfers at sunset – but you’re here to look at the pizzas, and if you have a family you best plump for the metre-long number.
Pork belly, olives and pine nuts are among the more unusual toppings, but you can opt for a half-and-half so can’t really go too far wrong. We had the Diavola, with salami and chilli oil, split with olives and anchovies.
But save room for dessert; there’s Italian donuts, a host of ice cream flavours and for adults who deserve a treat, affogato (best with Frangelico of course).
Ride the Funnel Web
Tucked into the hills near Budderoo national park a half-hour south of Wollongong, you get no sense you are closing in on a theme park until you turn a corner and see Jamberoo’s multi-coloured slides nestling in the valley.
It’s not as flashy as Wet ‘n’ Wild in Sydney’s west but there’s plenty to do, especially for the little ones. There are fewer high thrill rides here but no fast passes, which means you’re all in this together.
The must-do ride is the Funnel Web which up to four people can experience together.
As you gently head off, things go dark... but you know what’s coming – a huge drop, before careering at high speed, screaming, whirling round the funnel and being dumped in an ungainly fashion in the pool at the end.
Other rides include Rapid River, which is pretty relaxing in an inflatable, Surf Hill and the Bobsled, which is nearly 1km long and arrived at by a scenic chair lift.
There is also a pool with a wave machine and aqua play area, but the best activity is one of the simplest: the super speedy hillside water slides.
Try Australia’s 11th best burger
His Boy Elroy’s is a hole-in-the-wall joint and part of an exciting new laneway scene in Wollongong.
The venue is dark and seductive, with exposed pipes, an open kitchen, a mix of high and low chairs and tables with candles in jam jars, and a cute bar serving craft beers and cocktails.
The chai-infused vodka cocktail called Jane His Wife is a pleasant companion while perusing the menu, which includes pulled pork, chicken in breadcrumbs and a prawn burger, plus a curry, salad and noodle dish for those wanting something different.
But the $13 Fat Boy burger, which was voted the 11th best in Australia on the Urban List website, is what people come here for.
The chunky wagyu beef patty comes with iceberg lettuce, cheese and pickles, packed into a glazed bun. But it’s the top secret special sauce, which we’re guessing involves mustard and tomato, which makes you want to sing the Star-Bangled banner afterwards.
It can be found in the cobbled backstreet of Globe Lane, which is just about the coolest spot in Wollongong, with murals decorating the buildings and a fine looking patisserie over the road.
Tip-toe through the tree tops
If you want a bird’s eye view of the Wollongong area there’s only one way to go – and that’s up.
In just under an hour, a scenic drive from the coast will take you through beautiful, green rolling hills, before the road winds upwards into a dark and ancient rainforest high in the Southern Highlands.
Perched right at the top is the Illawarra Fly Treetop Walk. It’s a 1500m walk through the forest, with 500m of it along a steel walkway attached to the tree trunks, 25m above the ground.
If you’re not averse to heights you can climb a tower – around 100 steps – which will give you an even more spectacular view.
Add a little fun to the experience by whizzing through the trees on a series of three ziplines and a wobbly bridge – think I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! A guide will amaze you with some facts and figures about the surviving flora and fauna in an area once heavily logged.
Australia’s best beach for surfing beginners
If you’ve been putting off learning to surf, because the water’s too cold, you’re worried the waves are too big or you think you’ll make a fool of yourself, there’s no excuses to be had at Killea Beach, half an hour south of Wollongong, past Shellharbour.
We had a family surf lesson with instructor Josh Chapple of the Pines Surfing Academy, who host sessions at a few locations in the area.
The sheltered bay, which can only be reached by walking along a dirt track through a park, was beautiful, almost empty and most importantly, had slow, long, rolling waves.
By the end of the hour even somebody with poor balance and little in the way of core muscles should manage to stand up on the board and enjoy an exhilarating moment.
Put your feet up and say hello to the cockatoos...
The writer stayed at the Novotel Wollongong North Beach, where the locals are really quite friendly.
For more information, visit the Destination Wollongong website.
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