Grand Pacific Drive - Sydney to Wollongong and Beyond

Come and experience Wollongong’s spectacular new coastal drive - Grand Pacific Drive, between Sydney to Wollongong and beyond.

Grand Pacific Drive begins at the Royal National Park which is the second oldest National Park in the world. Enjoy driving through coastal rainforests, hire a row boat and take a picnic on the Port Hacking River, visit picturesque beaches or enjoy some of the many great walking trails.

The Royal National Park ends at the point where Grand Pacific Drive meets Bald Hill - a magnificent lookout south to Wollongong. From here, watch the hang gliders and para gliders or marvel at the spot where Lawrence Hargrave first took flight.

Grand Pacific Drive then heads south through the Northern Wollongong Coastal Villages and along cliff hugging roads right above the South Pacific Ocean. Traverse along the magnificent Sea Cliff Bridge - the 665 metre over-the-ocean bridge.

The Northern Wollongong Coastal Villages are famous for their unspoilt beaches and rock pools, unique art and crafts, great fishing and surfing spots and many terrific cafes and restaurants.

From here, Grand Pacific Drive makes its way into the bustling city of Wollongong, offering countless adventure activities, great beaches and shopping, fantastic local restaurants and cafes, golf courses, art galleries and more. Wollongong is also a great place to stay with a huge mix of options from international hotel brands to quaint and unique B&B’s to backpacker accommodation - Wollongong has something to offer any traveller.

From Wollongong, experience Grand Pacific Drive’s ‘beyond’, south to Shellharbour, Kiama Shoalhaven, or west to the Southern Highlands and then onto Canberra. Grand Pacific Drive is also a great ‘appetiser’ to the Sydney to Melbourne coastal drive.

This coastal drive is once again reinstated as the regions premier tourist drive - Grand Pacific Drive, with the added attraction of the amazing bridge at 665 metres the bridge has two 3.3 metre-wide lanes with 1.2 metre-wide shoulders. A separate footpath has been built next to the traffic lanes on the eastern (seaward) side. The two-lane bridge spans the southern amphitheatre and the middle headland.

The bridge features include curved, 455 metre long balanced cantilever bridge along the coastline. Built up to 45 metres to the east of the existing road to bypass the unstable cliff line and rock falls. Multiple span curved 210 metre long bridge bypassing the middle headland to join the balanced cantilever bridge. Built 25 metres east of the existing road and seven piers and seven spans, the first 24 metres and the others 31 metres long.

Wollongong - must see, must do:

* Be adventurous and go skydiving at NSWs’ only beach skydive!

* Enjoy a Harley Davidson joyride along Grand Pacific Drive and Sea Cliff Bridge

* Try one of Wollongong’s many great seafood restaurants and cafes by the beach

* Visit Five Islands Brewery - Australia’s largest micro brewery - and taste some locally made beer

* Feeling energetic? - Explore Wollongong via the City Walk map, or cycle along the beachside cycle way

* Visit Nan Tien Temple, the largest Buddhist Temple in the Southern Hemisphere

* Relax on one of Wollongong’s 17 patrolled beaches

* Take in panoramic views of the Illawarra from Mt Keira lookout

* Take in some of Wollongong’s mining history with a visit to the historic village of Mt Kembla