From the Illawarra to the Southern Highlands into the Shoalhaven and back again, this South Coast loop ride up and down the Illawarra Escarpment offers fabulous roads, spectacular views, tasty treats and much more…
This South Coast loop is one of my favourite rides… and not just because it’s on my doorstep. This route takes in some of the most fun, twisty roads you can find and it’s less than a 90-minute ride south of Sydney. It also encompasses some fantastic scenery, some great places to stop for a feed and a drink, and plenty of other stuff to see and do.
The ride starts just south of Wollongong at Albion Park, where you can fuel up your bike before heading west along Tongarra Road, which soon morphs into the Illawarra Highway. Once you’re past the last roundabout, the road becomes a 90km/h zone and the countryside opens up with beautiful green rolling hills at the foot of the impressive Illawarra Escarpment. But don’t get too excited just yet; you’ll soon spot the recently re-opened Tullimbar Inn on your left, which trades from 8am on weekends and is a great spot to stop for brekky and a coffee. The building itself dates back to 1892, but the current restaurant opened in 2024.
Once you’ve fuelled up your body, continue west for 8km along the highway towards the foot of Macquarie Pass. This section of road is heavily policed, especially on weekends, and you’ll often spot mobile speed cameras set up by the side of the road, so keep an eye on your speed.
Those who like a bit of nature, and who don’t mind walking in their riding gear, should pull up in the small parking area on the right before ascending Macquarie Pass. The 2km return Cascades walk through shady rainforest and eucalypt forest leads you to a beautiful swimming hole at the base of a waterfall. It’s a great spot for a refreshing dip in the warmer months.
MACQUARIE PASS
The 11km ride from the base of Macquarie Pass up to the Robertson Pie Shop is packed with twists and turns as the road cuts its way up the steep escarpment. The speed limit here is 60km/h and the road surface is generally good as many sections have been recently resurfaced, but be wary of damp patches that can remain on some of the shady sections long after the area has seen rain.
As the road switches back on itself, there are plenty of 35km/h bends as well as a few particularly steep and tight corners with 25km/h advisory signs. It pays to keep a close eye on the road and conditions despite the beautiful scenery around you, which can include glimpses down towards the coast that are sometimes hard to ignore.
Other hazards on the pass can include oil patches, trucks and oncoming traffic. There are a couple of particularly narrow sections and if the weather is crook, there can be a decent flow of water over the road in parts.
While it can be frustrating if you get stuck behind a truck lumbering its way up the pass, it’s best to enjoy the scenery rather than make a risky passing manoeuvre; eventually you’ll reach an overtaking section just after a tight left-hand hairpin. You might spot a small plaque mounted in the basalt cliff at this point of the climb, and if you pull over to take a look you will learn that Macquarie Pass was opened on 4 July, 1898.
Vertically, the pass climbs up an impressive 600m, and while it might be warm and muggy down the bottom, it can be chilly up top and there is always the potential for fog as you climb up through the clouds. Bear this in mind when suiting up for your ride as you might want to slip on a thermal liner or don the wets if the weather turns foul.
As you near the top of the escarpment, the road begins to open up once more and the speed limit momentarily increases to 80km/h. Simply continue along the highway and you will happen upon the famous Robertson Pie Shop, where many fellow motorcyclists will have pulled up for a coffee and a pie. This is a great spot to ogle over bikes and have a chat, and I can strongly recommend the Portuguese tart if you have a sweet tooth.
DOWN TO KANGAROO VALLEY
From the pie shop, continue west along the highway to Robertson, where you might spot the Big Potato to your right; if it wasn’t signposted it could be mistaken for something else entirely. There are various food outlets here and a servo if you need to top up, as well as the obligatory knick-knack shops and galleries.
There are two options to get onto Nowra Road from Robertson. The first is to take a left on Pearsons Lane and then a right onto Myra Vale Road, which will eventually intersect with Nowra Road. The second is to turn left off the Illawarra Highway at Sheepwash Road, which will then intersect directly with Nowra Road. If you take the latter option, you will see the Fitzroy Falls Visitor Centre on your left; if you haven’t been here before it’s certainly worth a look.
Both routes wend their way through some pretty farmland dotted with cattle before Nowra Road becomes Moss Vale Road and the scenery changes into bushland as you make the steep descent towards Kangaroo Valley. It’s a fun ride down, with a couple of tight hairpins before the road opens up as you enter the valley. The temperature here can be significantly higher than on top of the escarpment and by the time you reach Hampden Bridge, you’ll probably wish you’d removed any thermal liner you may have slipped on previously.
The heritage-listed Hampden Bridge is well worth a look and you can pull up on the left just before crossing it to get a good view. Opened on 19 May, 1898, it is a single-span suspension bridge with impressive stonework at each end and a timber deck that crosses the Kangaroo River. This is a one-lane bridge so you have to give way to oncoming traffic.
Once across the bridge you’ll likely see a row of bikes pulled up outside The Friendly Inn Hotel… and for good reason. Depending on what time you started your ride, and how many stops you made along the way, there’s a good chance the sun will be over the yardarm… and the pub offers plenty of choice when it comes to cold refreshments. If you haven’t over-indulged thus far on brekky, pies and tarts, a hamburger or a Schnitty at the pub might be called for.
If the weather is too hot and the beer too cold to climb back onto your bike, there are plenty of accommodation options in Kangaroo Valley, but this is a popular tourist town and many places can get booked out when it’s busy, particularly during school holiday periods.
ACROSS BERRY MOUNTAIN
The next section of this ride loop covers some pretty rough roads as you leave Kangaroo Valley and climb uphill once again and across Berry Mountain. After leaving The Friendly Inn Hotel you’ll want to keep a close eye out for the left turn onto Kangaroo Valley Road around 4km up the road – it’s just over a rise and comes up quick.
You soon get a taste for how potted the surface will be as you start along Kangaroo Valley Road, and it only gets worse as you make your way up Berry Mountain. There is a straight section along here with just enough room to pull over to the left to take in the view back over Kangaroo Valley and to the escarpment. After this you will be climbing up a steep and bumpy road with some super-tight hairpins. There are a couple of spots that look like T-junctions but so long as you keep bearing left along Kangaroo Valley Road, you will eventually pop out onto the Princes Highway at Berry. If you make a wrong turn, you won’t get lost; you’ll just end up back on Moss Vale Road which pops out a little further south near Nowra.
Those who want to check out Berry will find a quaint little tourist town with a bustling main street on weekends when visitors head there to take in the historic buildings, many restaurants and cafes, art galleries, lolly shops and boutiques. Once you’re finished with Berry, head north along the Princes Highway towards Kiama.
KIAMA AND JAMBEROO VALLEY
The 24km section from Berry to Kiama is best described as a transit stage as these days it’s all dual carriageway, so this part of the ride isn’t very engaging until you get to the famous Kiama bends. Of course, the 100km/h speed limit is reduced to 80km/h for the bends to stop drivers from spearing off into the scenery, but there is still plenty of evidence to suggest many struggle to stick to the blacktop. While you might be tempted to fang it a bit through the bends, just remember there is usually a fair bit of traffic along here and some of it can be unpredictable, so take care.
Just as you round the final left-hand bend, you will see the first Kiama exit and this is the one you want to take. If you feel the urge to check out the Kiama Blowhole, take a right at the T-intersection with Saddleback Mountain Road and head through town, then out onto the point. There are plenty of shops and eateries in Kiama, as well as a supermarket and service station.
If you want to skip the blowhole, there are two great riding options that will take you into Jamberoo. My favourite one is accessed from the first Kiama exit by hooking a left at Saddleback Mountain Road and heading over Saddleback Mountain itself, and then down Fountaindale Road. It is incredibly picturesque through here and little used compared to the other option, so you might get a run without seeing any traffic at all until you join up with Jamberoo Road.
The other route to Jamberoo is best accessed by taking the second Kiama exit off the Princes Highway onto Spring Creek Drive, and then just following Jamberoo Road. Although there is more traffic on this route, there is a nice little section of bends after the roundabout that various motorcycle magazines have been using for eons to capture that perfect cornering shot; the surrounding countryside used to be all rolling green hills but housing development in this part of the world is rapidly eating into the landscape.
The ride into Jamberoo is a ripper, with some nice sweeping bends before you hit the township where you’ll be rewarded by the site of the Tudor-style Jamberoo Pub. A better place for a coldie you’d be hard-pressed to find, and if you perch yourself out the front of the hotel you’ll end up with a sore neck from watching all the bikes and interesting cars go by. Oh, and if you find that the amber ale is going down too easily, you can book a room at the pub, which also offers tasty bistro meals.
JAMBEROO PASS
As you leave Jamberoo Pub, head around 100m to the west and then turn to the north at the roundabout. After cresting a hill when leaving town, turn left onto Jamberoo Mountain Road. From here it’s not far to the Minnamurra Rainforest, and if nature is your thing I highly recommend taking a stroll through here – it really is stunning.
The first section along Jamberoo Mountain Road is again through lush green paddocks, but you soon get into a wooded area as the road begins its climb back up the escarpment. There are plenty of tight twists and turns through here and the road is quite narrow in sections, so take it easy and keep an eye out for oncoming traffic that might take a wide line when exiting corners.
Eventually the road begins to open up as you near the top of the escarpment and the road surface also improves markedly. Keep following Jamberoo Mountain Road until you see a lookout to the right; it’s well worth the effort to stop here as the view back to the coast is both expansive and stunning.
There’s a series of bends not far from here that provide plenty of joy if you get them just right, and then a relatively straight run back to the intersection with the Illawarra Highway at the Robertson Pie Shop. Go on, you know you want another Portuguese tart!
Sydneysiders can either head back towards Bowral and Mittagong from here and then ride back up the Hume Highway, or they can tagalong with their mates from the Gong for a run back down the epic Macquarie Pass and head home via the Princes Highway. I know which way I’d go!
FUEL, FOOD AND REFRESHMENTS
Fuel
• BP Tongarra Rd Albion Park, (02) 4256 4003
• Enhance Robertson, (02) 4885 1501
• Mobil Kangaroo Valley & IGA Friendly Grocer, (02) 4465 2025
• BP Kiama, (02) 4232 2313
Refreshments
• Tullimbar Inn, (02) 4231 9488, zeusessouvla.com.au
• Robertson Pie Shop, (02) 4885 1330, www.robertsonpieshop.com.au
• The Friendly Inn Hotel Kangaroo Valley, (02) 4465 1355, www.thefriendlyinn.com.au
• Jamberoo Pub, (02) 4236 0270, jamberoopub.com
WORDS DEAN MELLOR
PHOTOS SHOALHAVEN CITY COUNCIL & DM
