The Grand Pacific Drive is proof you don’t need to leave Sydney’s orbit for a world-class coastal road. In 140km from the Royal National Park to Nowra it stacks up a rainforest cliff pass, the famous Sea Cliff Bridge, a string of swimmable beaches and two of NSW’s best fish-and-chip harbours — all doable as a generous day trip or an unhurried overnighter.
The route
Enter the Royal National Park at Loftus and take Lady Wakehurst Drive south beneath the palms and coachwood — the "jungle section" locals use for a green fix. At Stanwell Tops, stop at Bald Hill for hang gliders against the coastline you’re about to drive, then drop to sea level for the Sea Cliff Bridge, the 665m curve suspended off the escarpment that gives the drive its postcard.
Best stops
- Austinmer & Thirroul — the coast’s best swim-then-coffee pairing.
- Wollongong Harbour — two lighthouses, one flat white, zero hurry.
- Kiama — the blowhole is the headline; the smaller Little Blowhole is the locals’ pick.
- Seven Mile Beach, Gerroa — walk the hard sand where Kingsford Smith took off for New Zealand in 1933.
- Berry — country-town lunch stop from our weekend getaways guide.
Timing
Two and a half hours nonstop, but that misses the point — allow a full day. Summer weekends jam the bridge viewpoints by 10am; go early, midweek, or in the golden weeks of May when the water is still warm and the crowds are gone.
Extend south to Jervis Bay’s white sand, or browse more Australian road trips.
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