Sydney - Melbourne Touring Route

Taking time, Rob McFarland made the most of his trip from Sydney to Melbourne via the Princes Highway.

This is not how I’d normally spend a Wednesday morning. I’m perched on another man’s lap in a miniscule plane with no seats. Behind me my instructor is tightening a series of straps while whistling with the nonchalance of a man who does this for a living. We hit 14,000 feet, the door opens and we’re out.

The next 60 seconds is a cheek-tugging, mind-rushing, scream-inducing blur. And then he opens the chute. I feel as if I’ve been in fast-forward and someone has just pressed the play button again. Our descent transforms into a serene succession of graceful arcs. He lets me steer and we swoop majestically between the clouds. Wollongong and its beaches far below have never looked more beguiling.

When we finally hit the ground, I want to hop straight back in the plane and do it again. Which, of course, is exactly what he does as an instructor for Skydive the Beach.

Instead, I let the adrenalin surge subside over a calming cappuccino and study the roadmap. I’m following one of the Sydney to Melbourne touring routes, a series of itineraries that highlights the myriad activities and destinations between these two great cities. There are two options: a nature-themed drive that weaves its way along the coast and an inland route via Canberra that focuses on the region’s cultural heritage. Side trips include the Great Alpine Road between Wangaratta and Bairnsdale and the Kosciuszko Alpine Way from Canberra to Albury. The beauty of these itineraries is that you can tailor them to focus on the experiences you enjoy most.

I’m following the coastal route and hope to cram in as much adventure as I can find.

From Wollongong, it’s a 3-hour drive to Batemans Bay where I overnight in preparation for an early-morning appointment with a man and a kayak.

Josh Waterson returned to Batemans Bay six years ago after spending an action-packed decade leading rafting expeditions all over the world. He now runs RegionX kayaking tours and I join him for a 4-hour paddle through the Batemans Bay Marine Park Sanctuary. Along the way I get an illuminating insight into the region’s history from its time as a timber port to a centre for prawn fishing. As we paddle past a series of dramatic coves and sea cliffs, Josh points out where the army once installed cannons to defend against a possible Japanese invasion.

For lunch we retreat up an estuary and find a sandy beach hidden among a forest of mangroves. Josh throws down a rug and magically conjures up a banquet of soup, chicken salad, homemade chocolate cake and freshly brewed coffee all from the bowels of his kayak.

From Batemans Bay, it’s only an hour along the Princes Highway to Narooma, a picturesque seaside town blessed with beautiful beaches and a labyrinth of inlets, lakes and rivers. I take a sunset stroll along the boardwalk that leads to the beach and watch fishermen filleting their catch and throwing the leftovers to an appreciative audience of seals and stingrays.

It turns out that Narooma has another trick up its sleeve. Head 8 kilometres out to sea and you hit Montague Island, a National Parks reserve famous for its historic lighthouse and varied birdlife, including 6,000 pairs of penguins that waddle up the beach each night to nest.

I’m here to meet some of the island’s other residents – Australian fur seals – and after an exhilarating ride clinging to the front of Island Charters’ 10-metre motorboat, I don a wetsuit, mask, snorkel and flippers and dive in.