Kiama

17 March 2020. Kiama holds special memories for us as we have visited with our girls Jessica and Nicole many times over the years. On this occasion, we stayed three nights at Easts Beach caravan park. We drove to Saddleback Mountain, Mt Keira Lookout and the Nan Tien Buddhist Temple near Wollongong. On our third day, we visited beautiful Berry for breakfast before visiting The Treat Factory (details below). We then drove towards Kangaroo Valley to enjoy views of the Illawarra escarpment from Cambewarra Lookout.

We are living in difficult times with the Coronavirus. When fear rises, Faith sounds the battle cry. “For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear; I will help you.” Isaiah 41:13. We have nothing to fear. 

Kiama is a coastal town 120 kilometres south of Sydney in the Illawarra. One of the main tourist attractions is the Kiama Blowhole.Kiama was the site of two strong volcanic flows, called the Gerringong Volcanics, which came out of Saddleback Mountain, now a collapsed volcanic vent. The Kiama Blowhole is part of an erosion process.The Kiama headland is composed of volcanic rock called latite. A volcanic extrusion known as a dyke, cuts through the latite. The dyke is composed of a softer rock called basalt. Over millions of years the softer basalt has eroded faster than the latite creating a tunnel under the headland. Eventually part of the headland collapsed creating the Kiama Blow Hole. The Blow Hole was first described by surgeon George Bass who visited Kiama on December 6, 1797 during his examination of the coast south of Port Jackson.

During the early settlement of eastern Australia, the Kiama area was settled by wheat farmers, since the soil was volcanic and rain-swept unlike most of Australia. Early Jamberoo was the population centre from about 1830 to the 1860s and when the wheat failed to grow, the farmers switched to dairying. During this period Kiama became the best example of ‘chain migration' in Australia as many assisted migrants came from Northern Ireland on clearing leases and eventually half the marriages in the Kiama Anglican Church in a hundred years had Northern Irish Protestant ancestry. Kiama was one of the birthplaces of the Australian dairy industry with the first Dairy Factory (The Kiama Pioneer Factory) and first Dairy Co-operative in Australia.

The Treat Factory is a family business producing preserves, condiments, old fashioned confectionery and quality Belgian chocolates from recipes handed down over 4 generations.

They are the region’s largest gourmet food providor, producing more than 300 varieties of jams, marmalade’s, sauces, chutneys, dressings, chocolates, confectionery and more. Their products have a strong reputation of quality winning many Fine Food awards over the years. They are located in the historic Central Creamery in Berry, NSW, Australia. The Treat Factory is nestled adjacent to picturesque dairy fields and the historic building in which it resides and retains its  original exterior and heritage charm. The heritage township of Berry is surrounded by rich dairy country, boutique eateries, wineries and is a thriving  tourism destination. The Treat Factory has been operating for 25 years and grown to become a popular tourist destination on the South Coast.

The Cambewarra Lookout sits at the peak of Cambewarra Mountain, 678 metres above sea level, that's 2,225 feet if you favour the old scale. To the east, you can see right out to the coastline and will enjoy panoramic views of Coolangatta Mountain in the north all the way to Sussex Inlet in the south.

You can test your geography skills by attempting to locate all of the following Shoalhaven locations spread out like patchwork before you - Broughton Creek, Black Head, Seven Mile Beach, Seven Mile Creek, Meroo, the Shoalhaven River mouth, Crookhaven Heads Lighthouse, Berry's Canal, Crookhaven River, Greenwell Point, Beecroft Head, Terara, Point Perpendicular, Jervis Bay, Bomaderry, Cape St George, Huskisson, Nowra, St Georges Head and St Georges Basin.