First stop the blowhole on the head at Kiama. Not much action today, there was hardly any breeze & the ocean relatively calm.
The volcanic rock, latite, was used as a blue metal for the railways & roads in the early days of settlement. The first settlers in the area in the early 1800's transformed the dense forest into farmland. The Cedar getters arrived first, hauling out the valuable rainforest timbers, followed by the farmers who cleared much of the remaining vegetation for agriculture. In 1831 the first house in Kiama was built by a Cedar getter & in 1839 the plans for a town were approved. The land was sold for £2 per acre.
On to Saddleback Mountain Lookout, a pretty drive with lots of wildflowers on the roadside verges, crocosmia, verbena, thistles, clovers & flowering grasses all thriving in the cooler conditions away from the coast. Again a steep ascent, past dairy farms with herds of Holstein (black & white) cows. Views this time over Jamberoo Valley, (which contains Australia's southern most sub tropical rainforest), Illawara escarpment (120km of sandstone which forms the boundary between coastal plains & southern highlands), Hoddles track (a remnant of the first road from the southern highlands to Kiama), Wollongong, the Minnamurra river & the coastline.
Into the Minnamurra rainforest in Budderoo National Park.
Different vegetation - the cedars, plundered by the early settlers now replaced with towering Strangler Figs, Coachwoods, Lilly Pilly trees,Wonga vines, Cyatha & Dicksonia tree ferns, Livistonia & Bangalow palms. Birdsnest & stag horn ferns grow huge in the tree branches.
The Strangler Figs are so called because their seeds germinate on the branches of other trees, as the roots grow down they put on a growth spurt & start to grow around the tree, fusing together & constricting the host so it can no longer take up nutrients & eventually all that is left is a hollow trunk. They form huge buttress trunks & grow to 45 - 50 m tall.
Quite a strenuous walk to the Falls, but worth it, especially as we saw four Lyrebirds along the way.
After tea we walked aanother section of the coastal path. More wonderful ocean views & some lovely proprties too. We have enjoyed this interesting town with its stunning scenery. The combination of mountain, valleys & ocean is a winner & yet again we will be sad to move on tomorrow, but we have The Blue Mountains to explore next & guess they will be equally srunning!
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