Kiama NSW, Australia's Kin to Carmel and Big Sur, California

Every few years, we make it a point to visit good friends in Sydney, Australia. The weather in New South Wales is very similar to that of our home in California, but of course the seasons are reversed. We look forward to our Australian getaways because Sydney is a beautiful city, and the people of Australia are about as hospitable as you can find. Additionally, there's a special enjoyment in sharing life's pleasures with old friends in foreign lands.

Getting to Kiama is part of the fun

When our Australian pals are working we can take the train from their suburban home in Turramurra to just about anywhere we want to go, and that includes Kiama. The trains in Australia are inexpensive, clean and always on time.

It's a lovely two and one-half hour train ride to Kiama from Sydney, and if you prefer to drive the scenic highways, the trip will take a fast 90 minutes.

When you pick up the scent of the brisk clean ocean air, and hear the clamoring of sea birds, you will know you have arrived in Kiama - and it's time for your mind and body to downshift.

First things first - food

After checking into any one of the comfortable bungalows or hotels along the coast, we recommend a walk to Kiama Harbor for a bite at Barnacles takeaway. This is our favorite al fresco restaurant and it is only a few steps from the local boat ramp. It's not fancy, and the fresh fish and fries are served in heaps on butcher paper - but oh, my goodness, is there any other way to eat fish and chips!

Enjoy your meal while you watch the fishermen clean their latest catch and dispose of the remains in a most ecological manner - feeding the patiently waiting pelicans and seagulls.

Time for a walk

It's fun to walk off your meal with a brisk stroll among the Norfolk Pines and Kiama Harbour Cabins up to the scenic Lighthouse on Blowhole Point. Just beyond the great white tower, you will find one of the two highly charged blowholes in Kiama.

The ocean in this area is wild and magnificent. The sea pounds the coast with a mighty "woomph," that pushes a rushing geyser of foamy brine through natural holes in the rocks and then high into the blue Australian sky. "Kiama," is derived from an indigenous word meaning, "where the sea makes a noise." For those who have enjoyed the famous blowhole on Oahu in Hawaii - you ain't seen nothin yet!

Unique among the family attractions in Kiama are two extraordinary salt-water rock swimming pools. There is one on each side of Kiama Harbor. Harnessing the tidal action of the ocean, these unusual pools are as beautiful to look at, as they are to enjoy for a refreshing swim or frolic.

If you have the shopper gene, Kiama has its fair share of charming boutique shops and interesting restaurants. If you would like to mail trinkets to friends back home, you can't miss the town's bright pink Italianate Post Office.

Next winter when you are looking around for a new warm weather adventure; give a thought to a balmy vacation in a beachfront bungalow in Kiama. You may never want to leave.

Happy travels!