Windang NSW

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Heading for Wollongong, we were surprised as we drove past Lake George. The lake was full to the brim, the first time that we had seen that much water within it’s banks. The full lake was much larger than we imagined it could be.

After settling in to Windang Beach Tourist Park, being a hot day, we headed for the beach to have a cool off swim. The beach was relatively calm, and the water was a good temperature. Windang lies south of Wollongong at the entrance to Lake Illawarra. The name Windang is aboriginal for "scene of a fight".

With the weather the next day not being so inviting for a beach swim, we decided to tick the box of walking over the Sea Cliff Bridge. First we drove to Stanwell Tops lookout, and after taking in the view, wound our way down the hill to drive over the bridge. We then parked and walked the full length of the bridge and then back to the car. We then followed portion of the course of the Gong Bike Ride that I completed twice, heading towards Wollongong, stopping off for lunch at Thirroul.

It was up early the next morning, as the weather was looking much improved. We walked down to and along the northern breakwall of the entrance to Lake Illawarra. We then walked across the bridge to Warilla, before returning to our caravan. We had spotted a Thai restaurant near the Windang shops, where we enjoyed one of the best Thai meals ever.

After lunch, we headed to Bass Reserve at Shellharbour, to do some snorkelling. We were trying to find Bushrangers Bay, a marine reserve where fishing and spearfishing was banned, but we ended up at Maloneys Bay. We still enjoyed a good snorkel, although the water was not as clear as we had hoped. After we finished our snorkel, we kept driving through Bass Reserve until we found the path to Bushrangers Bay, and we walked down to see a perfect protected bay, full of snorkellers. Next time.

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