After five action-packed, in-bed-by-10pm days in Sydney, it was time to begin the next leg of our journey through Australia: a road trip to Melbourne. 

Since we'd be sticking to the coast, the total trip would be just over 1,000km - about 13 hours of driving, not including side trips. We gave ourselves four nights and five days, which we hoped would be enough time to experience all of the sights along the way. 

We started our drive through the Royal National Park, cruising through dense forest and stopping at the Stanwell Tops to take in the stunning coastal views. A few hang gliders were taking off and a small crowd had gathered to watch them leap into the air and soar around. 

From there, we zipped across Sea Cliff Bridge, which wraps and winds dramatically around sheer cliffs, suspended over the cold, clear water below. 

As we passed through a strip of cute, small towns, we noticed a theme: at least one bakery, beach, and surf store in each, all of the latter with a tempting "SALE" sign out front, since it's autumn now in Australia. 

The most fun stop on this day was probably Kiama, known best for the Kiama Blowhole. We walked around for 30 minutes or so, watching for the spray of salt water from within the rocks, and cheering along with other onlookers when it shot particularly high. 

When we got to Greenwell Point, an adorable fishing village in the Shoalhaven region, we checked into our motel and walked down to the harbor to watch sunset with the pelicans. Of course, their harbor was much smaller than Sydney's. (The pelicans, however, were a bit bigger.) 

With a population of only 1,200 people, Greenwell Point was also much quieter, especially true on a Tuesday night. We chose from three (yes, three) open restaurants for dinner, and ate like locals at an "all you wish to eat" pizza and pasta night.... We figured we should carbo-load before our second day of driving.