My Aussie GuideMy Aussie Guide

    Sydney (Royal National Park) → Nowra/Shoalhaven

    Grand Pacific Drive: the full drive guide

    The Grand Pacific Drive is the short one on this list, and the only one that works as a genuine day trip from a capital city. It leaves Sydney through the Royal National Park, drops down the Illawarra escarpment and runs along the coast to the Shoalhaven.

    Distance
    140 km
    Time needed
    1 long day, or 2 relaxed
    Vehicle
    2WD suitable
    Surface
    Fully sealed
    Best months
    Year-round; September–November is clearest
    EV suitability
    EV friendly
    Route style
    Point-to-point
    Grand Pacific Drive — New South Wales

    Route map

    Stops shown in driving order with a straight line between them, for planning only — this is not a turn-by-turn route. Always check current road conditions before you travel.

    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    Leaflet © OpenStreetMap contributors

    Route stops in order: 1. Sydney, 2. Royal National Park (Audley), 3. Bald Hill Lookout, Stanwell Tops, 4. Sea Cliff Bridge, Coalcliff, 5. Austinmer, 6. Wollongong, 7. Nan Tien Temple, Berkeley, 8. Kiama Blowhole, 9. Shoalhaven.

    Seasonal gate & outback safety

    Check before you commit to dates
    1. JJanuary — Caution
    2. FFebruary — Open — go
    3. MMarch — Open — go
    4. AApril — Open — go
    5. MMay — Open — go
    6. JJune — Open — go
    7. JJuly — Open — go
    8. AAugust — Open — go
    9. SSeptember — Open — go
    10. OOctober — Open — go
    11. NNovember — Open — go
    12. DDecember — Caution
    • Open — go
    • Caution
    • High risk / cut

    Open year-round and never seasonally gated. Amber months are summer weekend traffic and full car parks, not road risk.

    Wildlife warning: do not drive at night

    The Royal National Park and escarpment sections carry wombats, deer and roos after dark. Drive the park in daylight.

    Live road conditions

    Live Traffic NSW

    The centrepiece is the Sea Cliff Bridge at Coalcliff — a 665 m balanced cantilever bridge built out over the water in 2005 after the old cliff-base road kept getting hit by rockfalls.

    Because it is close to Sydney, the difference between a good day and a frustrating one is timing. Leave before 8am on a weekend or you will queue at Stanwell Tops and fight for parking at Kiama.

    The stops, in driving order

    1. 01

      Royal National Park (Audley / Sir Bertram Stevens Drive)

      0 km in · 45 min from Sydney CBD

      Critical supply point — No fuel inside the park. Fill in Sutherland or Waterfall before you enter.

      Australia's oldest national park (gazetted 1879). The drive through it is the proper start to the route.

      Tip: There is a per-vehicle daily park entry fee at the Audley entrance. Pay it, or take the Princes Highway around and rejoin at Waterfall.

    2. 02

      Bald Hill lookout, Stanwell Tops

      26 km in · 30 min

      The high clifftop view straight down the coast to Wollongong, and the launch site for tandem hang gliding and paragliding.

      Tip: Free car park, but it is small and it fills between 10am and 3pm on fine weekends. The best light is early.

    3. 03

      Sea Cliff Bridge, Coalcliff

      30 km in · 8 min

      The bridge itself, with a separated pedestrian walkway you can walk across.

      Tip: You cannot stop on the bridge. Park at the northern (Coalcliff) end and walk — round trip is about 25 minutes.

    4. 04

      Austinmer / Thirroul

      40 km in · 12 min

      Two of the best ocean rock pools on the coast, both free, both patrolled beaches in summer.

      Tip: Austinmer's pools sit right on the beach and are usually calmer than they look at high tide with a big swell running.

    5. 05

      Wollongong (Flagstaff Point)

      58 km in · 20 min

      Two lighthouses on one headland, the harbour, and the last large city services before Nowra.

      Tip: Best coffee-and-lunch stop on the route, and free parking is easier here than anywhere further south.

    6. 06

      Nan Tien Temple, Berkeley

      66 km in · 12 min

      The largest Buddhist temple in the southern hemisphere. Free entry, open to visitors, active place of worship.

      Tip: Closed Mondays other than public holidays. Cover shoulders and knees.

    7. 07

      Kiama Blowhole

      90 km in · 30 min

      A sea cave that fires spray up to 20 m when a big south-easterly swell is running. Free, floodlit at night.

      Tip: The blowhole only performs with a decent south-east swell. Check a surf forecast the morning you go — in flat conditions it does nothing.

    8. 08

      Shoalhaven (Berry, Nowra, Jervis Bay)

      140 km in · 40 min

      Where the drive ends. Jervis Bay's Hyams Beach is another 30 minutes off-route and has famously white sand.

      Tip: Hyams Beach parking is heavily restricted in peak summer with residential permit zones — check current signage or park at Greenfield Beach and walk.

    Drive planning: legs, fuel and conditions

    Three paces, same road: highway pace, a towing or 4WD rig, and what the day actually takes once fatigue and photo stops are in it.

    Grand Pacific Drive — honest timings by leg
    LegDistanceStandard vehicleHighway pace, no stopsTowing / 4WD rig90–100 km/h cruiseRealistic paceFatigue + photo stopsFuel
    Sydney CBD → Royal National Park35 km45m55m55mSutherland
    Royal NP → Sea Cliff Bridge30 km40m50m45mHelensburgh
    Sea Cliff Bridge → Wollongong28 km30m35m35mThirroul, Wollongong
    Wollongong → Kiama32 km30m35m35mShellharbour, Kiama
    Kiama → Nowra50 km40m50m45mBerry, Nowra
    Whole route3h 5m3h 40m3h 35m

    How we get these: standard is moving time at signposted highway pace. Rig time assumes a 90–100 km/h cruise and slower acceleration — roughly 20% longer. Realistic pace adds a 15-minute fatigue stop every two hours (the national driver-fatigue guidance) plus about ten minutes an hour for photos, fuel and legs. Plan daylight around the realistic column, not the standard one.

    Grand Pacific Drive — leg conditions
    LegDistanceFuelNotes
    Sydney CBD → Royal National Park35 kmSutherlandPark entry fee applies at Audley
    Royal NP → Sea Cliff Bridge30 kmHelensburghSteep descent at Otford; low gear
    Sea Cliff Bridge → Wollongong28 kmThirroul, WollongongBeach suburbs, 50 km/h zones
    Wollongong → Kiama32 kmShellharbour, KiamaFast dual carriageway option inland
    Kiama → Nowra50 kmBerry, NowraBerry is the food stop; it clogs on weekends

    What can go wrong

    • The Lawrence Hargrave Drive section through Coalcliff and Clifton is a signposted rockfall zone. Do not stop or park under the cliff faces outside marked bays.
    • Royal National Park roads close during total fire bans and after storms. Check NSW National Parks alerts before setting out.
    • Kiama's blowhole platform gets swamped by rogue sets. The wet zone on the rock is the warning line — stay above it.

    Conditions change seasonally and after storms. Check current conditions with the road authority before relying on any of this.

    Common questions

    Driving time alone is about 2.5 hours for the 140 km. With the Royal National Park, Bald Hill, a Sea Cliff Bridge walk, lunch in Wollongong and Kiama, allow 7–8 hours for a comfortable day trip from Sydney.

    No — there is no stopping or parking on the bridge itself. Park at the Coalcliff end and use the separated pedestrian walkway, which takes about 25 minutes return.

    Yes, a daily vehicle entry fee applies at staffed entrances such as Audley. If you would rather not pay it, take the Princes Highway south and rejoin the coast route near Stanwell Tops.

    It needs a south-easterly swell. With a solid SE swell running it can throw spray 20 m or more; in flat conditions it barely moves. Check a swell forecast on the morning of your visit rather than relying on luck.

    Where this is researched from

    • NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service — Royal National Park entry fees, closures and fire bans
    • Destination Wollongong / Kiama Council — Parking rules and blowhole platform safety notices

    This is a researched guide, not a firsthand trip report. How we research.

    Spotted something we should update? Let us know.