Student report by Jessica M. – Grand Pacific Drive and the story of driving on the left
New South Wales has plenty to offer, but the most impressive views are still along the rough coasts and the sandy beaches. The Grand Pacific Drive offers some great opportunities to see more of this beautiful nature on a one-day-road trip.
Yes, you heard correctly – a German tried driving on the left side over here. Let me tell you a little more about the fantastic day we had travelling along the pacific coast just south of Sydney and how driving over here works out for someone who’s never had a stirring wheel on the left side of the street.
The route of Grand Pacific Drive
Royal National Park
The stunning ride begins with a tour through Royal National Park, a huge park just south of Sydney. Streets are quite winding and go up and down some hills, but it’s doable. The drive offers some pretty views of the forest and valleys.
Along the way there’ll be several chances to park and get off to do some walks, also down to the coast. For us, a stop at Burning Palms Beach with a look over the Figure Eight Pools was the first one on the list. Make sure to look at the tide times beforehand though, or you may end up not being able to get there.
The most awesome view of the entire drive is probably offered around Sea Cliff Bridge. The Bridge was created a few years ago to replace a road that was carved into the cliff and regularly lead to incidents with falling rocks.
Coming from the north, there are some options along the coast to stop and take a look at the bridge in its entity. The Stanwell Tops Lookout is a very popular spot to gaze at the engineered miracle. After having driven over it, you also have the chance to park just south of it and walk the way back again to really get immersed in the sea, cliff, bridge and mountain views.
The Beach around Figure Eight Pools
After that, the next big stop on the tour is Wollongong. The third-largest city in NSW has a lot to offer, so take your time exploring the place. For us, it was the south beach with the industry views behind it and especially the two lighthouses around Flagstaff Point that really left an impression.
With the crashing waves, you’ll have a good chance to end up with some cooling sea spray over you! The two white lighthouses with the small beaches, grass area and colourful boats and cars around offer for great photography opportunities.
The driving
Sea Cliff Bridge
I thought that driving around here would be more difficult than it turned out to be. With a few explanations from some Australians before and obviously reading through the major rules before taking off, most of it went very smoothly. Obviously, what’s different is the side of the road you drive on.
I’d recommend getting an automatic car to make the entire adventure a lot more relaxed for everyone. Indeed, most cars around here come as automatic ones. Another point are the switched handles for screen wiper and indicator. Just be okay with getting it wrong at first and having your wind screen cleaned a few times more often than expected.
Other than that, staying in line, taking turns correctly and reading all the signs is pretty easy. It may require a little more attention than back home, but its’s clearly doable and worth it. You’ll get a completely different impression of the country from the road side.
