Get up slow with a coffee machine coffee and some left overs from last night’s dinner ????

Check out is at 10am – when did this become the norm?? – and we’re only 20 mins late

We set off!

First stop, under an hour away, is Fitzroy Falls – it’s a little town as well as an actual waterfall

We’re now in the Yarrunga Valley in the northern end of Morton National Park

From the view point you can see the volcanic Mount Scanzi and we spot a pair of Black Cockatoos!

There’s supposedly the opportunity to see most of Australia’s famous animals – including Platypus, Kangaroos, Echidnas and Wombats, but also the Powerful Owl – but we don’t get a view

In this National Park there’s also 10% of the entire NSW Koala population!

The bush walk here takes us to Twin Falls where we turn back

Though not before Dave spots a Superb Lyrebird in the thickets!

As we exit, there’s a little tourist info centre and shop that has information on all the animals you can see and, unfortunately, a lot of them taxidermied ????

Back in the car, it’s only another short drive to Kangaroo Valley

Here, we stop at Shoalshaven where there is Hampden Bridge: the only surviving suspension bridge from the colonial period, of NSW, being opened in 1898

We get our swimmers on and head down – mighty cold and murky but there’s a bunch of wildlife around

You can even go SUPing or kayaking

Little stop before back in the car for an ice cream: strawberry for Dave and raspberry for Daisy

After, we go in the car for a recommended lookout point

Cambewarra Mountain Lookout is 678 metres above sea level and you can look down on the flat plains of NSW

With some good eyes, and weather, you can even see Jervis Bay

To our hotel for the night: Parkhaven

In here for a little freshen up before going further towards the sea!

We meet the margin for Jervis Bay Territory and it’s a paid entry National Park – A$13 per vehicle for 48 hours so not too bad

We get to Murray’s Beach which is the furthest on the Bay

On route to the sea, we spot a Kangaroo/Rock Wallaby!

A sign tells us that this area was meant to become a nuclear plant but it got cancelled and being abandoned it got overtaken by a swamp – great habitat for some rare frogs!

Reaching the beach, we see it’s beautiful and soft white sand; it’s windy as well so the waves are crazy and it’s pretty empty

We explore left towards the rock pools – only a couple crabs and skinks we’re spotted

The water is very chilly so we think to come back tomorrow when it’s a bit hotter to brave it, potentially

Back to the other end of turn beach and there’s a tiny beach on the side that Dave conquers shortly

Getting pretty hungry, as we only thought to have a little ice cream instead of lunch ????, we go back to base in Nowra to park up and find food

Round the corner is Postman’s Tavern – it’s not the fanciest or fullest of places but it has dinner and a schooner for us each

Full rack of ribs to share, yummy

We pop to Coles round the corner to pick up a little dessert/road trip snack as well as a breakfast for tomorrow

En route back home, it seems we’ve found the place where all the Cockatoos in the world reside at night; their noise is immense!

This is just a snippet of the noise and just from one tree – there’s got to be at least 3 figures flying and squarking for the entire town ????

Make it back to the hotel and there’s even several Grey-Headed Flying Foxes (bats) coming to their bed for the night in the trees above

Time for bed ????