Another gorgeous day, and Jonno was up at 7am for a 14km training run in preparation for his half marathon. This meant we were not in any rush to get going, giving us time to get the tents dry following the overnight rain. I even had time to buy fresh bread rolls for lunch.

We were wheels rolling around 10:45 and rejoined the coast cycleway to north Wollongong beach where we stopped for coffees and milkshakes in the sun. Back on the bikes, we continued along the path which headed along Springhill Road through Wollongong and then Five Islands Road around the steelworks. It was flat and fast riding, but definitely not scenic until we reached Port Kembla Heritage Park and rejoined the coast.

We stopped at Windang for a leisurely picnic lunch with stunning views across the estuary and were in no hurry to get back on the bikes, it was such a beautiful spot.

Our afternoon ride through Warilla and Shellharbour was sensational as the path meandered along the coast. We then headed slightly inland through Dunmore and then through bushland to Minnamurra and a rollercoaster ride around the headlands of Kiama. Enormous hills culminating in amazing views.

It was with some relief that we arrived at Surf Beach caravan park where we set up camp on what appeared to be the least grassy sites of the whole park. We had chosen this caravan park on the basis of its camp kitchen, and it didn't disappoint being well equipped with tables, lounges and even some frying pans.

Being fully laden with camping gear, we had no room to carry food, so headed into town for a delicious Indian meal at JJs Restaurant, conveniently located near Woolies so we could stock up on food for the next day.

It was only as we were packing the bikes that I remembered that the camp kitchen closed at 9:00pm sharp and it was now after 9:00. We raced back to camp, sending Jonno on ahead with instructions to see if the kitchen was still open. It was about to be locked, but the caretaker obligingly agreed to come back in a few minutes, giving us time to store our stuff in the fridge. Relief!

Jonno and Georgia rating: 9/10

Learnings: watch out for camp kitchen lock up times when planning a shop after dinner.

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