[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]What do you do in Sydney when you have the weekend off, but have seen all of the beautiful beaches in the near area? Go for a beach that is a little bit further from Sydney! My friends and I decided to make a road trip to Hyams Beach – the beach that was proclaimed the whitest beach of the world, but apparently is only ONE of the whitest ones. This little exception doesn’t make it less worth the visit though. If you don’t have the time (or money) for the Whitsundays, Hyams Beach is your place to go.
A good road trip should be planned properly. We only planned. But it still kind of worked out. Here’s my road trip experience to Hyams Beach with a few tips for yours along the way:[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_custom_heading]Renting a car[/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text]Hyams Beach is easiest to reach with a car, so renting one (if you haven’t bought one) is your first step to actually getting your road trip going. What my friends and I did was probably not one of the smartest solutions. We rented a car at the airport car rentals which are usually more expensive than regular ones, so not necessarily recommended (try getting one in the outer suburbs or book online). We were short on notice with our plans though and we didn’t want to start in the city, so that seemed to be the safest option. Before taking the car for a drive remember to take photos of the car and especially of any scratches you can find to be on the safe side when returning the car so you don’t get hit with a repair bill for damages that were already there.
Take your driver’s licence. This might seem like an obvious one, but my friend, who was supposed to drive, was so convinced that her ID was her driver’s licence that she forgot her actual one – and someone else had to drive. So make sure you take it (plus your international licence) with you![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_custom_heading]Driving[/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text]Most car rentals will have automatic cars as their cheaper option – simply because it’s easier. At least that’s what one might think. But in Germany, where the friend that was actually driving and I are from, it is still more common to have a car with manual gear shift. And driving from the airport with an automatic car for the first time was not necessarily the best idea. We had quite a rocky start as the brakes were far more sensitive than my friend was used to and it was weird for her to drive without a clutch. She was able to manage after a few minutes, but what I recommend is – test driving with an automatic car before you actually drive on the streets.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading]Driving on the left[/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text]From Sydney airport it was about a 3h ride and we were on the highway 90 percent of the time. This was actually a pretty good way for my friend to get used to driving on the left. Having a front passenger next to you that also keeps an eye on the road can also be helpful in case you really get confused and drift to the wrong side when turning.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading]Wildlife crossing roads[/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text]I know you have probably heard of this but thought ‘yeah, sure, a kangaroo randomly crossing the road, that’s not going to happen’. Let me tell you, it does happen. It was just a 10 minute drive to the beach from our accommodation and in those 10 minutes we actually had a kangaroo suddenly crossing the road just before our eyes and if my friend hadn’t been alert in the first place, we easily could have hit it. So yes, ALWAYS keep an eye out for wildlife outside big cities in Australia.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_custom_heading]Kiama blowhole[/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text]On our way we stopped by Kiama to see the lighthouse and the Kiama blowhole. Unfortunately it was extremely rainy so we only stopped by for about half an hour and had our lunch there. Kiama itself is a lovely coastal town and worth a visit as it is on your way anyway. The blowhole was not as spectacular as we had hoped, but we still had a good break there (it may be good to check the tides before stopping by as the water goes up way higher when it’s high tide).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image media=”32767″ media_width_percent=”100″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image media=”32768″ media_width_percent=”100″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_custom_heading]Accommodation[/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text]My friends and I rented an Airbnb only a week before our departure for $30 per person. We stayed in a cottage about a 10 minute drive from the beach. There are also quite a few villas right next to the beach available, but they are obviously pretty expensive and have to be booked in advance. Accommodation in the area of Hyams beach usually starts with $100 per night, but not necessarily per person, so taking friends with you makes your trip a lot cheaper.
The cottage we stayed in was very cosy and had a kitchen so we could buy groceries and cook for ourselves. We even had kangaroos sitting in the front yard and jumping around through the garden. One of them was even staring at my friend brushing her teeth in the morning.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image media=”32770″ media_width_percent=”100″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image media=”32772″ media_width_percent=”100″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_custom_heading]Hyams Beach[/vc_custom_heading][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_single_image media=”32777″ media_width_percent=”100″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Hyams Beach and the surrounding beaches in Jervis Bay are by far the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen and you will never look at other beaches the same way again. The sand is super white as it consists of pure quartz and the water is clear with almost no waves, so it’s perfect for swimming and relaxing. We woke up extra early on Sunday to drive to the beach and witness the sunrise over the beach and it was amazing! See for yourself, but remember those kinds of things always look better in real life than in photos![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_single_image media=”32780″ media_width_percent=”100″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_single_image media=”32781″ media_width_percent=”100″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_single_image media=”32779″ media_width_percent=”100″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Next to Hyams Beach there are also Chinaman’s Beach and Seaman’s Beach. The neighbouring beaches are just as beautiful and most of the time less crowded, so if you’re visiting in the peak time you might want to consider going to these options. In peak times, parking spots can be limited around the beaches, so you should either be early or be prepared to walk.
After our 2 days at Hyams Beach we made our way back to Sydney. Before that we wanted to see a few other beaches in Jervis Bay (Territory) – if you go further south and enter the Jervis Bay Territory, you have to pay to enter $11 for day pass for the Booderee National Park. There you can find camping sites and a few other beaches such as Greenpatch Beach and Bristol Point Beach. We went down to Bristol Point beach for an hour and came across a mini figure 8 pool:[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_single_image media=”32771″ media_width_percent=”100″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]The rest of the way back was pretty quiet as everyone was tired from the weekend. If you don’t want to stop on your way back, make sure to bring some snacks and enough water – especially in summer when it can get really hot!
The return of our car went smoothly and we could head home directly after. Even though we could have planned better we all enjoyed our short trip to Hyams Beach. Not only was it an adventurous yet relaxing experience , but we also grew closer on this journey. Whether it is Hyams Beach or anywhere else, I definitely recommend grabbing some of your friends and taking them on a roadtrip![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]