Sydney to Melbourne Coastal Drive

As a way to get to know a new country, a road trip really can’t be beat.  What other form of travel allows you to so intimately explore the little towns and get to know the people along your route?  Among Australia’s many fantastic scenic drives is the Sydney to Melbourne coastal drive, a fourteen hour tour along Australia’s southern coast.

The first leg of the journey goes from Sydney to Jervis Bay.  The road here follows high cliffs overlooking the ocean and provides stunning scenery.  In Jervis Bay enjoy the pristine beaches and take advantage of the ample sea life by taking a dolphin-watching cruise.  Next, travel to the town of Mallacoota.  Along the way, you’ll want to stop in the village of Central Tilba to shop for wine, food, and local arts and crafts.  In Narooma be sure to check out the Montague Island Nature Reserve, where fur seals, dolphins, turtles, and penguins are a common sight.  If antique shops and art galleries are for you, then be sure to stop in Berry for some shopping.  Eden was once Australia’s whaling capital, and killer whales can often still be seen here.  Visit the Killer Whale Museum to discover more about these incredible creatures.

From Mallacoota, head to Wilson’s Promontory, the southernmost point of Australia’s mainland.  On this part of the trip you’ll pass Ninety Mile Beach and the town of Lakes Entrance, where local restaurants serve up delicious seafood.  Wilson’s Promontory is a beautiful national park that encompasses sandy beaches, eucalyptus forests, and granite mountains.  The final portion of the trip will take you through the delightful Phillip Island where you can easily view fur seals, koalas, and the penguins that make a nightly trek up the beach.  It is a short drive from Phillip Island to Melbourne, where the coastal drive ends and big city fun begins.


Aboriginal Galleries in New South Wales

New South Wales is home to many wonderful Aboriginal museums and art galleries.  Here are a few that you’ll want to check out while in the area.

With one of the largest collections of Aboriginal art in the country, the Yiribana Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Gallery is a must see when visiting Sydney.  Meaning “this way,” Yiribana’s highlights include seventeen pukumani grave posts, artifacts and birch paintings from Arnhem Land, and works by Australia’s leading Aboriginal artists, both past and present.

Also in Sydney, at Darling Harbour, is the Gavala Aboriginal Gallery, an Aboriginal-owned gallery and store.  Here you can purchase Aboriginal art from across Australia, including paintings, carvings, boomerangs and didgeridoos.  You’ll also find a good selection of books at the store.  Near the Port Stephens area is the Tobwabba Art Gallery and Studio, where twenty-two Aboriginal artists are showcased.  They style here differs greatly from traditional Aboriginal art, as these “contemporary coastal” artists blend modern and traditional images and use rich, vibrant colours.

The Muru Mittigar Aboriginal Cultural Center in western Sydney provides an incredible learning experience.  Although primarily focused on the Darug people, the museum also reflects the diversity of Aboriginal groups across Australia.  Dancers perform at the outdoor amphitheatre, and tour guides demonstrate such activities as playing the didgeridoo and using a boomerang.  The café features traditional Aboriginal bush tucker.

South of Sydney is the Umbarra Cultural Centre where visitors can learn about the Yuin people.  Tours of sacred areas can be taken both by four-wheel-drive and also on a boat cruise on Wallaga Lake.  There are many activities that visitors can participate in, including body painting with ochre, throwing the boomerang, building bark shelters, and listening to local stories.

Finally, if you are in the Pokolbin area, you might wish to visit Biame, based in the beautiful Hunter Valley Gardens.  Although they primarily sell authentic Aboriginal arts and crafts, there are also opportunities to take informative tours of the center and also of the local Wollemi National Park.


Aboriginal Culture Tours in New South Wales

Aboriginal tourism has become very popular in Australia’s states, and New South Wales is no exception.  To become even more intimately acquainted with Aboriginal life, you may wish to consider joining a guided tour.

To learn more about the original inhabitants of the Sydney area, consider boarding the Deerubin, an Aboringal-owned-and operated vessel, for a cruise around Circular Quay.  While on board, you’ll learn about Aboriginal fishing techniques, view old settlements and rock carvings, and enjoy Aboriginal stories.  One of the highlights of the tour is a stop at Clark Island where passengers can watch traditional Aboriginal dancing.

In the north west of the province lies the spectacular Warrumbungle National Park.  A fantastic way to explore the park is on one of the two Aboriginal Discovery tours led by the local Gamilaroi people.  The first tour involves an easy walk through the forests to Tara Cave, an Aboriginal settlement used for over 4,000 years.  The second involves a drive out to the Sandstone Caves with the park ranger and a local Aboriginal elder.  This tour requires participants to have their own vehicle.

For the more adventurous, how about trying a walkabout?  A walkabout is a traditional journey of self-discovery, a holistic way to develop a strong spiritual connection with the land.  Evan Yanna Muru of Blue Mountains Walkabout leads participants on an eight kilometer hike through the wilderness where they explore Aboriginal ceremonial sites, learn about Dreamtime, and even try their hand at body painting with traditional ochre paint.

In the far west of the province is Mungo National Park, where visitors can enjoy accommodations in the Aboriginal-owned lodge or cabins.  Tours explore Lake Victoria, where the oldest remains in Australia have been found, and also the dried up Lake Mungo and the sand and clay formations that flank it.  The evening can be spent enjoying Aboriginal songs and stories around a campfire back at the lodge.


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