Kiama has a hole in the rocks, and the whole town has built a personality around it. The Kiama Blowhole, a seawater spout that shoots up on a big swell, sits on the headland near the lighthouse, and on a day with the right tide it throws spray as high as a small house. The town itself is a handsome, relaxed seaside place on the Illawarra coast, with Norfolk pines along the shore, a small working harbour, rows of old terraced cottages and about seven thousand residents.
The basalt here is the story. The black volcanic rock was quarried in the nineteenth century for the roads and buildings of Sydney, and you can see the old quarry scars and the dark stone in the harbour walls. The same volcanic soil, rich and reddish, makes the hills inland, the Jamberoo valley, among the greenest dairy country in the state. A short ride up there brings you to pasture, rainforest edges and, near Minnamurra, a boardwalk through subtropical rainforest that feels a long way from the city.
The Grand Pacific Drive, which ends here, begins at the southern edge of Sydney and winds through Royal National Park, then clings to the Illawarra escarpment. Its most famous section is the Sea Cliff Bridge near Coalcliff, a curving concrete viaduct built out over the ocean in 2005 after rockfalls repeatedly closed the old cliff road. Riding across it with the Pacific on your left, in morning light, is one of those experiences photographs do not quite capture. Traffic can be thick on summer weekends, so aim for an early start and a late lunch.
For the end of the ride, Kiama does everything right. There is fuel, there is fish and chips, and there is a row of cafés on Terralong Street. The harbour has a rock pool where locals swim, and the lighthouse, built in 1887, is a good place to take the last photo. In winter, whales pass offshore during their northern and southern migrations, and from the headland you can sometimes see them blowing. Bring a jacket, since the sea breeze can be cold after a hot ride.