Journey to Jervis Bay by Rail and Road

Today is a very special one – a visit to Bundanon Estate and Art Museum, gifted to the nation by celebrated Australian landscape painter Arthur Boyd and his wife Yvonne in 1993.   Arthur Boyd was unarguably one of Australia’s most significant 20th-century artists, known for his deeply expressive paintings, prints, and ceramics exploring themes of love, loss, and the Australian landscape. In the later part of his life, Boyd was drawn to the Shoalhaven region, where the dramatic terrain became central to his art. In gifting Bundanon to the Australian people in the last years of his life, he envisioned it as a place for creativity, learning and connection to landscape – an enduring legacy that continues to inspire artists and visitors alike.

This morning after breakfast, we’ll board our coach and transfer to the original Bundanon homestead for a private guided tour of Boyd’s studio and family residence. Set on a bend of the Shoalhaven River, the site offers insight into the artist’s life and working environment, as well as the broader legacy of the Boyd family in Australian art.

We’ll continue to the new Bundanon Art Museum precinct and enjoy a catered lunch at the light-filled Ramox Café, with sweeping views over the surrounding bushland, before setting you loose to explore the Art Museum at your own pace. Designed by Kerstin Thompson Architects, the striking contemporary building is partly buried into the hillside to minimise visual impact on the landscape, and offers 2,500 square metres of exhibition space holding one of Australia’s most important single-artist collections – over 4,000 works including more than 1,300 by Arthur Boyd himself, plus works by Sidney Nolan, John Perceval, Joy Hester, Charles Blackman, Brett Whiteley, Margaret Preston. 

Later in the afternoon, we’ll return to Berry where dinner and the evening is at leisure.

Overnight: Mandala Signature, Berry (B,L)

This morning after breakfast and check out, we’ll settle into our coach and travel east through the lush Shoalhaven hinterland to the shores of stunning Jervis Bay, famous for having some of the whitest sand and clearest turquoise water in the world.  

Upon arrival, we’ll embark from Huskisson Wharf on a morning cruise through the pristine waters of the bay, renowned for its marine life – keep watch for bottlenose dolphins that live in the bay year-round, seabirds and, if we’re lucky, migrating humpback whales. 

After the cruise, we’ll wander into the Huskisson Hotel for a relaxed lunch overlooking the water, before delving into the maritime history of the region with a guided visit to the community-run Jervis Bay Maritime Museum, which focuses on the maritime, Indigenous, and colonial history of the Jervis Bay region. A stand-out exhibit is the historic Lady Denman Ferry, a 1912 Sydney Harbour ferry built in Huskisson that was returned to its ‘birthplace’ in 1980s.  

From here, we’ll continue to Paperbark Camp, an African-inspired luxury eco-retreat nestled among spotted gums and eucalypts. Tonight’s dinner will be at the camp’s iconic Gunyah restaurant, a magical candlelit treetop dining room offering fine food, and boutique regional wines in a relaxed yet refined atmosphere, showcasing true bush dining sophistication.

Overnight: Paperbark Camp, Wollamia (B,L,D)

After breakfast and a lazy morning enjoying the bushland surrounding Paperbark Camp, we’ll depart for the coastal town of Gerringong. Nestled between verdant dairy country and the sea, it’s one of the prettiest and most popular seaside towns on the NSW South Coast, loved for its relaxed village vibe, stunning beaches, rolling green hills, and great food scene.

We’ll stop here for a chance to explore the boutique shops and cafés of the town centre, take a short stroll along the headland, and enjoy lunch at leisure before climbing into the foothills of the Illawarra Range by coach for a visit to the wonderful Illawarra Fly. This 1.6km elevated treetop walk meanders through towering eucalyptus and rainforest canopies, offering dramatic views across the valleys and out to the Pacific Ocean. At the top of Knights Tower, breathe in the fresh mountain air and take in the remarkable landscape shaped by ancient volcanic activity and coastal erosion.

Back on our private coach we’ll descend from the highlands and follow the Grand Pacific Drive, a scenic route that hugs the coastline, weaving between dramatic cliffs, secluded beaches and sweeping ocean views, all the way to Wollongong. We’ll go directly to our hotel, located directly opposite North Wollongong Beach, and check in. 

Dinner this evening is at a popular nearby local restaurant.

Overnight: Novotel Wollongong North Beach, Wollongong (B,D)

This morning after breakfast and check out, we’ll board our private coach for a visit to the Nan Tien Temple, the largest Buddhist temple in the Southern Hemisphere, and one of the region’s most impressive landmarks. Established by the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order, the temple blends traditional Chinese monastic architecture with serene landscaped gardens, lotus ponds, and commanding views of Mount Keira, and promotes cultural exchange, spiritual education and personal wellbeing – standing proudly as a place of peace and inclusivity for people of all faiths.  We’ll explore the main shrine, pagoda and art-filled exhibition spaces on a guided tour. 

From here, we’ll immerse ourselves in a chapter of transport history at the HARS Aviation Museum in Albion Park, home to an extraordinary collection of vintage aircraft including a decommissioned Boeing 747. Adventurous guests may even have the chance to experience a guided wing walk on the jumbo jet. 

We’ll return to Wollongong for a celebratory farewell lunch at the esteemed K.Malu Kitchen and Bar, sending our luggage on to Sydney with our coach. After lunch, it’s just a short walk to Wollongong Station to board an afternoon train for the relaxed return journey to Sydney’s Central Station, where your luggage will be waiting.

Your tour concludes on arrival at Central Station around 4.30pm.

End of tour (B,L)