Jervis Bay & Winery Adventure

Tour Highlights

• A coastal flight from Kiama to Jervis Bay and then Silos Estate for lunch.
• Hyams Beach - The finest, whitest sands in Australia.
• Return from Silo's via the mountains, waterfalls and gorges of the Great Dividing Range
• A packed 54 minute flying schedule of spectacular mountain and ocean views 
• Experience the unique thrill of a helicopter take-off and landing
• Only minutes flying time from base to the golden beaches and rugged mountains of the Illawarra

Itinerary

• Kiama Blowhole
• Gerringong and Gerroa
• Seven Mile Beach
• Shark Hatching Ground
• Callala Bay & Huskisson
• Hyams Beach
• Silos' Estate Restaurant
• Carrington Falls
• Macquarie Pass

Additional Info

• Headsets are available for all passengers inside the helicopter so that they can talk to eachother and share the experience while flying.
• Feel free to engage your friendly pilot for his informed narrative and commentary
• Customers should allow 4 hours in total for the whole experience including check-in, safety briefing, photo opportunity around the helicopters, boarding, flight time and then disembarking after flight. 
• Free tea and coffee facilities as well as a comfortable viewing lounge overlooking the helipad is available for all passengers as well as for family and friends spectating on the ground
• Safety is paramount. All safety processes and procedures as required by Touchdown Helicopters and the governments Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) are strictly adhered to in all aspects of conducting this scenic flight.

Detailed Tour Description

Departing from Illawarra Regional Airport, we'll join the coastline over Kiama where you’ll have a birds-eye view of the famous blowhole and fishing harbour. From the air you'll see all the little bays, beaches and coastal walking tracks that make Kiama a popular tourist spot throughout the year.

The coastline south of Kiama, as we track towards Gerringong, is as spectacular as it is dramatic. Having seen the meandering, rolling, Kiama to Gerringong walking track from the air, you'll want to make that the next item you tick off your bucket list. The architectural masterpieces built as homes in some of the hills and valleys just off the coast are a sight to behold and a dream residence for most.

Gerringong itself is home to two award winning vineyards; Crooked River and Roselea Vineyards. But Werri Beach is the main attraction, especially amongst surfers who get to choose which of the two point breaks located at either end of the beach to surf.

As we continue down the coast, the view ahead is consumed by Seven Mile Beach stretching out into the distance. Back in 1933 Sir Charles Kingsford Smith used the beach as a runway for the first commercial aeroplane flight from Australia to New Zealand. These days the avid beachgoers don't have to worry about low flying aircraft churning up the sand while they are sunbathing. If you look down below you will see the local surf school trying to teach students the noble art of balancing on a surfboard.

As we continue along Seven Mile Beach, approaching the town of Shoalhaven, you will begin to make out Jervis Bay in the distance. Looking inland you can see the standalone Coolangatta Mountain - home to the popular Coolangatta Estate - which is believed to be an old volcano but is actually just a product of the natural erosion of sandstone in the area.  Casting your gaze across the plains beyond Coolangatta Mountain, as the foothills rise up to meet the Great Dividing Range, you will be able to spot the location for Cambewarra Mountain Tearooms and Lookout at the base of the TV, radio and mobile phone antenna.

Just south of Comerong Island, which sits in the estuary of the Shoalhaven River, the picturesque Culburra Beach sweeps passed on the way to Currarong. But we will divert into Jervis Bay overhead the shark breeding ground of Cararma Creek which spills into Jervis Bay at Hare Point. During the breeding season you will see between 50 to 100 baby Bronze Whaler Sharks slowly navigating the waters of the creek.

Following the shoreline of Jervis Bay the pure white sands contrast with the golden sand of the ocean coastline. Together with the transparent, tranqil, aquamarine waters of the bay these are the most beautiful beaches on the planet.  After Callala Beach, next on the itinerary is Huskisson, home to the famous Huskisson Pub and home port for both whale watching and dolphin watching cruises.

By far the most well known beach in Jervis Bay and particularly well known for its blinding white talcum powder sands is Hyams Beach. The colour of the sand is due to the pure quartz mineral composition. Your photo's of the clear aquamarine waters gently lapping at the sands of the beach could easily fool people into thinking you have been whisked away by helicopter to the Caribbean.

Having overwhelmed your visual senses its is time to turn towards the quaint little village of Berry for lunch at Silo's resturant, where your taste sensations are next in line for a thorough workout. Your flight path will take you over some beautiful rolling, patchwork, countryside and foothills tucked under the ever watchful gaze of the mountains of the Great Dividing Range.

Before long we are on final approach for Silo's Restaurant, established way back in 1870, long before a helicopter was ever considered in the minds of rational people, but now an everyday means of transport to bring guests to sample their "honest and fresh, farm style food" and their selection of wines fermented from grape vines, hand pruned and picked on the premises. 

After a couple of hours for lunch, wine tasting, contemplation and a relaxing walk around the grounds, it is time to head home. But the adventure is not quite over yet. You've seen the coast now to capture a brief look at the dramatic canyons, gorges and waterfalls of the Illawarra Escarpment.

As we depart from Silo's we turn to fly over the centre of the picturesque village of Berry. Famous for its arts and crafts shops and its cafes, you can look down to see the swarms of people milling around, walking the streets, browsing the shops and enjoying this warm, welcoming countryside village. Every now and then make sure you take a look up and out to capture the full panorama of the mountains and rolling foothills in which Berry was originally settled way back in 1822.

As the helicopter continues to rise up leaving Berry and Silo's behind, you will be able to catch glimpses of the distant Kangaroo Valley as well as the Fitzroy and Wingecarribee Reservoirs out to the west. To the north you will see the whole of the Illawarra laid out before you with Lake Illawarra at its centre. Strain your eyes some more and you might just be able to make out the distant jagged skyline of Sydney over a 100 km's away. And passing underneath is some of the most beautiful green, lush, countryside Australia has to offer, sitting side-by-side with ancient rainforest, tucked underneath the sandstone cliff faces of the Great Dividing Range. 

As we track homeward bound and back over the Illawarra Escarpment, keep a lookout for the tree top walking platform and viewing tower of the Illawarra Fly. Give a wave to the tourists as you fly over the mountain ridge line and down into the Illawarra coastal plains. This is an ideal time to look up and take in the full majesty of the Illawarra Region, a land caught between the mountains and the sea.