Jervis Bay, a short 3h drive south of Sydney, offers a unique experience: wonderful beaches which and a great National Park. The best is, however, that it’s very easy to see cute kangaroos!
It did not start well. It was cloudy and windy and rainy and we could not find accommodation in Huskisson. My friend from Sydney had been there before and never had problems to find a room, so we did not book. But… why was everything fully booked that weekend?
‘There are three weddings’, the owner of a motel told us. He was very nice and helped us find in internet an available hotel room in a nearby town. We thanked him but I was a bit sad: it was very expensive.
The best B&B ever
We took the car and drove out of Huskisson in the direction of the hotel the man had told us. On the way we found a camping and stopped to ask. Fully booked. They gave us the direction of another camping, which was in the opposite direction than the hotel. Where to go? Let’s try the camping, we decided.
On the way to the second camping we saw a small B&B sign, which we followed without thinking. We reached a quiet area with a few houses, and one of them had a small B&B sign. We rang the bell with some hesitation, it looked like a private house!
A nice lady opened the door, confirmed that it was a B&B, and showed us the available rooms. They were wonderful! Spacious, comfortable, clean, cosy, filled with so many details, in addition to a kitchen, private bathroom and an annex room with sofa and TV. The room we liked the most was one with two double beds, kitchen and views over the garden.
We loved the place but we were not sure we could afford it, it was just perfect! The lady told us the price and I could not believe it, it was half price respect to the other places we had seen in internet. We could stay there!
Kangaroos and native birds
And when I thought that nothing could be better, we went out to see the garden… and there were kangaroos! So cute! Seeing a wild kangaroo was one of my dreams, at that moment I could not be happier!
The lady told us that there was a family of five kangaroos living in the area. She was very nice and talkative, she and her husband enjoyed to spend time with their guests. They told us stories about other guests, like that of a girl who arrived by bicycle on a rainy day. They also gave us a map and recommend us which places to visit around Jervis Bay.
There were also some native birds living in the nearby area, and she invited us to see how she fed them. It was so interesting and funny! They were all sitting and looking at her, waiting for their share of food. She talked to them and scolded one of them because the bird was trying to get too much food. It seemed like the birds were listening, even understanding!
Huskisson
Later that day the weather improved so we went back to Huskisson to visit it. Or rather, to walk along the beach. It was too cold to swim, I hoped that it would be warmer the day after, it would be nice to swim at least once in Australia!
Booderee National Park
On the second day we wanted to visit the Booderee National Park. It was again cloudy and a bit rainy, but we had the hope that it would improve in the afternoon, like the day before. On the way to the National Park we stopped to visit a beach that the couple from the B&B had recommended us.
We left the car and walked through a trail in the forest. I have seen several places like this before, but it still amazes me to find such a dense forest next to a beach. At the end of the short trail there were stairs to go down, and we walked back to the car along the beautiful beach.
After that we entered the National Park, where we visited a garden with a lake, the forest and some beaches.
For me, the highlight of the park were the kangaroos, we saw a lot of them, even next to the road! This was not so funny for my friend, who was driving. The kangaroos are cute but not very intelligent, they often jump in front of the cars. I heard that there are a lot of kangaroo accidents in Australia. Fortunately we did not have any accident and I enjoyed watching them eating, jumping, and interacting to each other.
And finally, the sun in Jervis Bay
On Sunday afternoon, when we were in the last beach we wanted to visit (the one in front of Bowen Island), the clouds dispersed and the sun came out! It was not very warm (specially for someone who just came from the tropics), but I really wanted to swim in Australia so I went into the water. It was coooold! But it felt so good!
Everything turned out well that weekend: thanks to not booking we found a great value B&B owned by a very nice couple who made us feel at home. I saw plenty of kangaroos in the wild and even got the chance to swim in the beach.
Thank you Australia, I hope I can come back one day!
GOOD TO KNOW
- Jervis Bay is located south of Sydney, approx 3h drive.
- Where to stay: Riverside Retreat B&B, 47 Edendale St, Woollamia. Phone (02) 4441 6688
- National park entry ticket: AUD$11
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Lovely.
Thanks!
Those beaches really are beautiful. What luck you found such a great B&B, and one full of wildlife as well. Sounds like a perfect trip.
Yes, I think it was a perfect weekend! 🙂
What a great place to stumbleupon when you’re out of accommodation options. I’m always way too nervous to not prebook ahead of time. Lucky for you guys! And agreed, kangaroos are the cutest!
Yesss kangaroos are the cutest, and koalas! Traveling without booking is a bit risky, I usually book if I’m traveling in high season or I arrive in the night, and let the trip lead me otherwise. This time was a bit difficult but worth at the end 🙂
What beautiful photos Laia! I haven’t stayed here but we did stay down near Ulladulla further south from here on the NSW coast and loved it. Glad you saw so many kangaroos! Sadly it is true that they do run in front of cars not only getting killed but can cause some serious road traffic accidents. That’s why many cars that go into the country have roo bars on them to protect the car (but not the kangaroo 🙁 . There are some kangaroos near where my daughter and her family live (they are near the Perth Hills which is more rural than here) and our little granddaughter loves visiting them! Am glad you managed a quick dip in the water whilst you were here too! Happy travels 🙂
Thank you Rosemary! Ohhh it must be so cool for your granddaughter to have the kangaroos around! So sad to hear about the car accidents though. I hope the kangaroos learn how to cross the roads. Happy travels!
Yes she loves seeing the kangaroos! We are in a more suburban area so we don’t see them but we do get lots of kookaburras in the trees. Yes the poor kangaroos – they are active at night and so drivers often don’t see them until it’s too late. If you ever see one though lying by the road you should check the pouch as quite often the “joey” survives. If they are found they get taken to animal sanctuaries – it’s common there to see little kangaroos who’ve lost their mums. They need a road traffic awareness programme for kangaroos! Happy travels 🙂
Kookaburras! That was the name of the birds we saw in the B&B, I had forgotten the name! Haha thanks Rosemary! Glad to hear that there are programs to create awareness for kangaroos, and also to save the little ones. Happy travels 🙂
What an adorable B&B!! And how awesome is it that there are wild kangaroos right next to it?! I seriously squealed at the kangaroo pictures… they’re just too cute! I love the fluffy birds on the property too. We always book our accommodations beforehand, so sadly, we miss out on random gems like this. 🙁 This was such a good find!
Yes, this B&B has been my best find so far! I usually find normal places though, hidden gems like this are not common 😉 I also squealed when I saw the kangaroos and the fluffy birds… so cute! 🙂
Love this post! ?
It is a lovely place! 🙂
Hi there, I am just planning a trip to Jervis Bay this weekend.
Could you please let me know the exact spots/ beaches you managed to see so many wild kangaroos!! 🙂
Thanks!
Hi Suvik!
I saw the kangaroos in the Booderee national park. I don’t remember the exact spots but they where everywhere: next to the road (careful while driving!), in a picnic area and in several beaches.
Good luck!
thanks!
Wow, what a great pictures. We often forget that exploring while travelling can lead to the nicest surprises. Internet can be wonderful, but make the experience dull.
Thanks Diana! Yes, sometimes the unexpected can lead to the nicest surprises 🙂
Qué maravillosa experiencia, yo en Australia vi Koalas, que me encantaron y que pude cargar, pero los Canguros los vi en el zoo y no es lo mismo definitivamente. Tiene que ser una pasada la experiencia guapa, qué chévere, me alegro un montón que lo hayan disfrutado y mira, a veces uno encuentra lo mejor donde menos lo espera. Súper!!!
Ohhh a mi me faltó ver koalas! Pero fui muy feliz de ver canguros en libertad, era uno de mis sueños, y además al encontrarlos en el lugar menos esperado fue una gran sorpresa! Que guay que ustedes vieran koalas! A mi me queda para la próxima visita 😉