Fiji Alternative Program - Blue Mountains, white beaches, countless kangaroos and cute woolly creatures

After leaving Fiji earlier than expected, we had to deal with the aftermath of the destructive Cyclone Debbie during the flight towards Australia, approaching Sydney. The cyclone had recently wreaked havoc in Queensland, leaving a trail of destruction. Even the region around Sydney was affected by heavy rain (up to 500l per square meter within 24 hours :-//) and strong winds for several days. For us, this meant circling in the airplane before finally breaking through the thick layer of clouds. After arriving safely at the airport, we immediately picked up our rental car that we had booked during a night shift in Fiji, and said goodbye to Sydney for our additional 5 days in Australia.

We had planned our activities for these 5 days during the flight with the help of the Lonely Planet. The first stop took us to the Blue Mountains, about 1.5 - 2 hours inland from Sydney. We arrived at the camping site late in the evening, in pouring rain, which didn't bother us because the next day was predicted to be sunny and we could sleep in our SUV =)

Overnight, the weather changed completely and the next morning there wasn't a cloud in sight. So we headed straight to the first viewpoint in the Blue Mountains. The Blue Mountains are truly beautiful and, in our opinion, can easily compete with the Grand Canyon in the USA. We visited Echo Point (the most famous viewpoint, but unfortunately also very crowded), the recommended Sublime Point, and Evens Lookout. We also took some short hikes to Wentworth Falls and Leura Cascades. All of this can be done in a day, and we even had time for a leisurely coffee break in the charming town of Leura.

The next destination on our short road trip was Jervis Bay in the south of Sydney, which attracted us with its incredibly beautiful beaches and the opportunity to see dolphins and kangaroos. The region definitely lived up to our expectations, so we stayed overnight at the lovely town of Huskisson on a camping site and booked a dolphin tour for 35 AUD. Dolphins can be seen here all year round, so we didn't have to wait long during the 1.5-hour boat tour to spot the first ones. The dolphin tour is highly recommended, as we have rarely found such an affordable tour for observing dolphins in the wild. Afterwards, we received a tip from the locals for spotting kangaroos and decided to visit the golf course in Sanctuary Point, which is nearby and reportedly teeming with kangaroos. The golf course is highly recommended, as we saw countless kangaroos right when we arrived.

After our extensive photo session with the cute hoppers, we headed straight to our next hidden gem. This time we went to a camping site in Kangaroo Valley, which, to our surprise, was completely free of charge and awaited us with the cutest furballs in the world - the wombats. As soon as we arrived, we saw the first wombat roaming the beautiful meadow and couldn't believe our luck. Every evening, the wombats come out of their dug-out burrow systems to graze on the grass at the camping site, mingling among the campers. If you are staying in or around Sydney for a longer period and have time for a night, we highly recommend taking the 2-hour drive to the Bendeela Recreation Area in Kangaroo Valley and spending a night at the camping site. As a bonus, we saw countless kangaroos again. We liked the place so much that we decided to stay an additional night. Please note: The wombats scratch themselves on the cars at night, so it is possible that the car starts shaking in the middle of the night when one of the furballs rubs against it. This is completely harmless for the car and quite funny.

our campervan =)

On the last of our 5 bonus days, we headed back towards Sydney, where we had to return the car. We visited the famous Blowholes in Kiama, which are definitely worth a visit when the surf and waves are right. The force of the waves pushes the water through a narrow rock tunnel and shoots it to the surface. Looking back on our experiences, it would have been incredibly disappointing if we hadn't had the additional 5 days in Australia. =)