This morning we will travel down to the Southern Highlands where we break our journey with morning tea at Mittagong. Continuing on, we leave the Hume Highway at Goulburn and after lunch and a brief heritage tour of our oldest inland city, we will use roads less travelled through Tarago and Lake Bathurst to reach Braidwood.

This afternoon we will enjoy some time to explore this interesting town which boasts such a rich history, dating back to the gold rush era. Despite being on the major thoroughfare between Canberra and the coast it has retained much of its 19th Century character. It has an appealing streetscape with numerous buildings classified by the National Trust and lots of boutique shops and galleries. Our local guide will illuminate Braidwood’s rich history, which dates back to the gold rush era, during our tour of the town. The final leg of our journey sees us travel down to the coast on the Kings Highway through the spectacular Clyde River National Park. We will arrive at the Sunseeker Motor Inn (Ph: 02 4475 5888) with a little time to rest before our dinner in house at 7.00pm.

Overnight: Sunseeker Motor Inn, Batemans Bay Meals Included: Morning Tea, Lunch, Dinner

This morning, following breakfast, we will head to Mogo Zoo to see their amazing collection of animals and learn about their successful breeding programs. Mogo works in conjunction with Taronga and Western Plains Zoos and is achieving outstanding results. It is home to over 100 animals of 38 rare and exotic species in world class facilities and we will visit various enclosures at feeding time. The dedicated keepers will provide us with information and insights into many of the animals including Bengal Tigers, White Lions, Otters, Meerkats, Gorillas and Giraffes.

This afternoon we will head over to picturesque Malua Bay for our picnic lunch. There will be time for a swim or paddle before we travel back to the Bay through some of the new coastal development. We will pass through Lilli Pilli, Circuit Beach, Denhams Beach, Sunshine Bay, Batehaven and back to Batemans Bay.

Later this afternoon we will pick up some of the best Sydney rock oysters to be found anywhere on the coast from Ralstons, (oyster farms in the Clyde for 4 generations) which we will enjoy at Maloney’s Beach. We will include liquid refreshments while sampling the oysters and provide nibbles for those that don’t like oysters??? There will also be the opportunity to buy oysters to take home with us. They will be freshly opened and placed on ice for the trip home on the morning of our departure. Dinner will be in house at 7.00pm.

Overnight: Sunseeker Motor Inn, Batemans Bay Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

This morning, we will commence with a visit to the Eurobodella Regional Botanic Gardens. They have been evolving since the mid 1980’s after a group of enthusiastic locals lobbied council to acquire land owned by State Forests of N.S.W. Over the years they have grown considerably and provide important habitat for a wide variety of native birds and animals.

The gardens provide a valuable educational resource and our guide will highlight many of the endemic species of the region planted here. We then return to the centre of the Bay to board the Escapade for our 3-hour cruise on the delightful Clyde River. We will explore the river mouth, taking in the Tollgate Islands before heading upstream. We will enjoy the freshest of fish and chips while cruising past oyster leases and lush grazing country on our way to Nelligen, where we will have some time to stroll around the village prior to heading back downstream.

Our afternoon sees us return to Batemans Bay with some free time to explore the town on foot, perhaps some retail therapy for the shop-a-holics, a stroll along the water’s edge or simply relax at our motel.

Overnight: Sunseeker Motor Inn, Batemans Bay Meals Included: Breakfast, Morning Tea, Lunch and Dinner

This morning, we will travel further south passing through Moruya and some lush grazing country. We will pause at Narooma for morning tea before heading on to Tilba Tilba. The entire town here, at the base of Gulaga (Mt Dromedary), has been classified by the National Trust and it boasts an excellent array of arts and crafts including the fabulous woodworks gallery. Our first destination is the Tilba cheese factory where we will sample some of their great products before exploring the village on foot.

We will then head to Bermagui, a great little coastal village famous as a location for game fishing. It is a spectacular drive through spotted gum forest and around Wallaga Lake into Bermy. After lunch we will head to Cobargo which was so severely affected by the black summer bushfires.

We will have some time to inspect the rebuilding and perhaps enjoy a coffee or some retail therapy to show our support. We will return through Broulee and Mossy Point.

Overnight: Sunseeker Motor Inn, Batemans Bay Meals Included: Breakfast, Morning Tea, Lunch and Dinner

Sadly we leave the Bay this morning, but with a spectacular drive in front of us. We will travel North through towering forests and picturesque towns such as Ulladulla and Milton before reaching Jervis Bay. Although a very popular destination, Jervis Bay has resisted high rise development and has retained much of its charm. We will drive through Vincentia and enjoy morning tea at Huskisson in a park looking over the sparkling clear waters and pristine sandy beaches of Jervis Bay.

We will then continue through Nowra, cross the Shoalhaven and enjoy a short break in Kiama, exploring the town on board the coach and on foot. After lunch we will travel along the Illawarra coast passing Shell Harbour, Wollongong and Bulli where we will take Lawrence Hargraves Drive up to Stanwell Park which offers more sublime scenery. We will return to Sydney by late afternoon.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Morning Tea & Lunch