Hi Guys, How are you today? I hope you guys all in good condition, healthy and happy. For anyone that feels sick today or sad, I hope reading my blog can raise your mood. OK, Here we go, In this post, I will tell you about my experience traveling to Wollongong , New South Wales, Australia. The main attraction that we want to visit is Nan Tien Temple. I went to Australia with my Dad, and Big Sis and I definitely 100% sure that my dad will love to see this temple with chinese architecture.
Luckily, that day my brother in law, Big Sis’s husband is free, so he drove us there, and that’s great because we can stop to another attraction before going to Nan Tien Temple. FYI, this trip is consisted of 4 people (Me, My Dad, Big Sis, and Her Husband) and this trip took place in Oct 2018 (sorry for very late post) before Covid-19.
Stanwell Tops
So, Our Fisrt stop is Stanwell Tops. Stanwell Tops is known for its beautiful coastal, escarpment and cliff views. The hills that rise sharply from the coast to the escarpment with strong air currents make Stanwell Tops a prime spot for hang gliding and paragliding as well as the perfect spot to take a photo and admire the views of the ocean, the escarpment and the Sea Cliff Bridge. The view so amazing up there but so windy. When I went there, the weather is so good, the sun shines bright but because it’s still autumn, the wind is still cold, but I like this kind of weather.
Sea CLiff Bridge
Second Stop is Sea Cliff Bridge, it’s not far from Stanwell Tops. It’s only another 10 minutes drive down the hill before you arrive at the bridge. There is parking along the side of the road both before and after. From the photo below, you can see some pillar that rise from the sea and support the road, this sea cliff bridge make we can enjoy so breathtaking view while drive, you also can park your car in the side way and walk this bridge to enjoy the view, don’t forget to take a lot of photo.
Wollongong Head Lighthouse
Our Third Stop is Wollongong Head Lighthouse. This lighthouse also known as Flagstaff Hill Lighthouse or Flagstaff Point Light, is an active lighthouse. In this area you can see 2 lighthouse, the modern one and the historical one. This Flagstaff hill Lighthouse is the historical one , this lighthouse was first lit o 23 July 1937 and has been inactive since 1974. But In 2000 to 2002, a complete restoration returned the lighthouse and its lighting equipment to its original configuration, and the light was relit in connection with an international lighthouse conference in Sydney. That’s why now Wollongong is the only point on the eastern coast of Australia which has two lighthouses.
Nan Tien Temple
Ok, here we Go, our Last stop and the main reason we went to Wollongong Nan Tien Temple. Nan Tien temple is the largest Buddhist Temple in the Southern Hemisphere. It was founded by and constructed under the auspices of the Mahayana Buddhist organization known as Fo Guang Shan, and completed in 1995. In the entrance there is a restaurant that provide vegetarian food, we having lunch there, and the food is good. But if you enter the temple you can find cafetaria that sells vegetarian food with cheaper price and buffet style. In this Nan Tien complex, you can find pagoda, and a lot off cute little monk statue. We got so blue sky here and the natural light is so good for taking photo. We went here in the end of autumn so you can see the trees is already back to green, but if you go here in the middle of autumn you will get yellow and green leaves instead. That will be so beautiful. There is a lotus pond in Nan Tien temple area, Its quite beautiful, if you arrive early you can see the lotus blooming, but we arrived too late so, the lotus back to bud mode
The best way to travel to Nan Tien temple is by car, it will be faster than another option. But if you don’t have a car or can not rent a car, the best way to travel to NanTien Temple from Sydney is by Train. We can rode a train from Sydney to Unanderra Station (2 hours), and continue to walk 24 min (approx 2.1 km).
FYI, all of the tourist attraction that I mention above is free, but far from Sydney, so transportation fee might be expensive, but if you want to change the city mode to more nature mood , you can choose this day trip to Wollongong , enjoy the view and calmness in Nan Tien temple. So, that is our story, hope you enjoy it.
By Lil Sis