Road Trip Diary: Jervis Bay, Australia

LOCATION: Jervis Bay, Australia
PHOTOGRAPHY: Brad Jarman

Boy-oh-boy, do I love a good old-fashioned road trip! Of course, these days road trips aren’t so ‘old-fashioned’ since we’ve progressed from games of I Spy and jammed Walkmans to cruise control and Bluetooth, but it still counts. There’s something about it that I just love; the music, the company, the conversations, the scenery, the freedom.

So, when Mazda invited us across the country to New South Wales to explore new coastlines, we jumped on the opportunity. Who were we to say no to two-days of beach-hopping, yoga-ing and glamping?

DAY 1

After spending a night in Sydney, Brad and I picked-up our very chic Mazda CX-5 (not going to lie, it’s one of our favourite cars ever!) and set off down the coast on our adventure. We’d never ventured south of Sydney before, so we decided to take the scenic route through the Royal National Park and, my goodness, it was absolutely beautiful in the most Australian way; think luscious native bushland and winding roads parallel with the South Pacific Ocean.

And then we spotted it; the infamous Sea Cliff Bridge in all of its awesomeness. Yes, I said awesomeness and I refuse to take it back. We must’ve stopped a dozen times along this part of the coast to take photos and admire its beauty. How lucky we are to live in such a diverse, magnificent country.

Before we knew it, we were on our way again, only to find ourselves running late by two-hours and stuck in traffic. Go figure. After a few wrong turns, we finally made it to our destination; Paperbark Camp in Jervis Bay.

After settling in in our very own glam tent (actually, it was more like a luxurious suite with a super comfy king-sized bed and outdoor ensuite), we joined the rest of the Mazda crew for a magical long table dinner and s’mores by the campfire under the stars. We even made new friends; a few very inquisitive and cheeky possums who proceeded to steal any lemon meringue tarts and chocolate-covered biscuits they could find. Naughty little things!

Outfit #1:

Cotton On midi dress, baker boy cap, Ray-Ban sunglasses, Zara straw bag (sold out – similar here and here), CLUSE watch and Acne Studios Jensen boots.

Outfit #2:

Denim jacket, Brad’s black hoodie, Seafolly leggings and New Era cap.

DAY 2

You don’t even want to know what time we woke up the next morning. It was far too early and the sun hadn’t even begun to make an appearance yet, but we dressed in our comfiest activewear, jumped in our Mazda CX-5, turned on the heated seats (best feature ever) and drove to the picturesque Greenfield Beach.

As the sun rose, painting the sky with streaks of pink and purple, we welcomed the day with an energising yoga session. I’ll admit, I absolutely suck at yoga, but I so do enjoy it! When we arrived back at Paperbark Camp, we enjoyed much-deserved mugs of coffee and a healthy breakfast, including the most delicious chia pudding I’ve ever had, at The Gunyah Restaurant.

We said our goodbyes later that morning and decided to set off early for the airport, just incase we got stuck in more traffic, but not before another quick visit to the white sandy beaches of Jervis Bay and the beautifully warm water, a stark contrast to the freezing Indian Ocean of home. On the way back, we stopped at Seven Mile Beach to admire the landscape and Kiama for another large cappuccino or two.

With the sunroof open, music playing loudly and caffeine cravings satisfied, we completed the final leg up the M1 to Sydney Airport, where we reluctantly said goodbye to our very chic Mazda CX-5 after 2-days of making memories together. Heck, we’d have driven it all the way home to Perth if we had the chance.