Today was meant to be a driving day. Without detour our next hotel was 300km or 4 hours drive away from Sanctuary Point. To make the trip more interesting we decided to deviate from the Princess Highway and took the Old Princess Highway that is marked as „Tourist Drive“. This road takes you more or less along the coastline. It adds about an hour driving time to the trip but is well worth it.

In Batehaven we stopped at a lookout and saw this small penguin colony on a rock just right in front of us.

Heading further South we crossed the Moruya River. From the highway we saw market stalls and since I am a huge fan of local markets we stopped. We strolled a bit and as we came across a coffee stall we joined the queue to get a „long black“ (black coffee). Hubby started talking to a lady who commented on the long drive she had to get to the market. When she asked hubby where he came from she was thrilled to learn that we called Germany our home. Turned out the lady spoke fluent German as her parents were Germans who migrated from South Africa to Australia. She felt so sorry that she had an appointment as she would have wanted to invite us to her home. Hospitality is just another level here in Australia.

But we were given great advice on which route to take from Moruya. This drive took us to Australia Rock- a rock that features a hole that resembles the shape of Australia mainland (without Tasmania).

The Tourist Drive took us further South across extensive farmland and through forests smelling of Eucalyptus, along incredible beaches until we reached the next stop we had planned: the Pinnacles close to Eden.

By then the weather had finally cleared up making the Pinnacles hike that we had planned to do quite enjoyable. The Pinnacles loop walking track is a pleasant, easy walk that meanders through the woodland and heath. After about 15 minute walk you arrive at a platform overlooking the fascinating Pinnacles formation – a spectacular erosion feature that consists of cliffs of soft white sands capped with a layer of red gravel clay. Aren‘t these colors just to good to be true? Trust me, this image is not photoshopped in any way.

After dinner we turned into our hotel in Eden for the night. Another day of driving awaited us the next day.