We’ve come to realise Mazda doesn’t do things by halves (you may remember our trip to the Mornington Peninsula. For our next adventure we were flown down to Sydney for the night to experience the new Mazda CX-5. On arrival we were greeted by a sleek jet black model with white leather interiors, ready to cruise down the South Coast of NSW towards Jervis Bay. Heeding the advice of a local and forgoing Google maps’ suggestions, we took the scenic route. Note: this route will add a couple of hours to your trip to Jervis Bay, however we think the drive is more than worthwhile.
We’ve come to realise Mazda doesn’t do things by halves (you may remember our trip to the Mornington Peninsula. For our next adventure, we were flown down to Sydney for the night to experience the new Mazda CX-5. On arrival we were greeted by a sleek jet black model with white leather interiors, ready to cruise down the South Coast of NSW towards Jervis Bay. Heeding the advice of a local and forgoing Google maps’ suggestions, we took the scenic route. Note: this route will add a couple of hours to your trip to Jervis Bay, however we think the drive is more than worthwhile.
We headed out along The Grand Parade, a beautiful beachside strip dotted with cafes and luxury estates. We stopped in for a quick bite at Son of a Baker, located in San Souci. We highly recommend stopping here for good food, great service and a stylish fit-out. Eager to continue our drive, we took our smoothies to go and made our way to the Royal National Park. The Royal National Park was all too peaceful; we felt like we were the only car on the road for most of the time. The roads can be quite winding through the park and we were a little concerned we’d be left feeling unwell, however we found Mazda’s G-Vectoring Control really helped stabilise our drive.
The scenic route featured one picturesque spot after the next. Only a short distance after departing the National Park is the stunning Stanwell Tops Lookout. With views of the ocean and cliffed coastline, you get a great taste of the journey still the come. It can get ridiculously windy, but luckily the car park has uninterrupted views so we ate our afternoon snack inside the Mazda CX-5 and enjoyed the heated seats (we kept them on pretty much the whole trip, oops).
As we continued further south, we soon found ourselves driving along the infamous Sea Cliff Bridge. We were in total awe and found ourselves getting caught up in the view a couple of times. However the Mazda CX-5 360 degree camera system kept us alert and out of trouble.
As the sun began to set, our four-hour drive concluded at Paperbark Camp in Jervis Bay. We were shown to our accommodation for the night; a supped up safari tent kitted out with a king bed and open-air claw foot tub. Did we mention Mazda like to be a little extra? We’re usually not the biggest fans of bugs and camping but were pleasantly surprised at the setup of the glamping tents. The bedroom is fully enclosed so we didn’t have to worry about things that go bump in the night.
After a quick freshen up we joined the other bloggers at the evening’s main event; dinner under the stars with a fantastic singer playing an acoustic guitar set. The food and wine were delicious, but the company really made the night. We had a blast chatting away with the likes of @LionintheWild, @SarahsDay and @AndicSinger. To cap off the night, we swapped stories by the fire and ate one too many smores.
In the morning, we were up bright and early (6am early) for some seaside yoga. In our Mazda CX-5 models convoy, we drove to a beautiful Jervis Bay beach and set up on the sand. Hearing the waves crash and watching the sun rise whilst doing the warrior pose was an unforgettable experience. If yoga on the beach isn’t on your bucket list already, this photo alone should convince you. Our only disappointment was not being able to take a dip as the water was too cold, however, we made up for it back at Paperbark Camp with a luxurious bath.
After breakfast we were ready to make the drive back to Sydney with a picnic packed in the backseat. For the return trip, we took to a quick detour to the quaint town of Berry. This historic town is a great pit stop for a coffee and window-shopping. We were anticipating the rest of our journey would be just a laid back, however not long after leaving Berry we spotted a spiralling plane near Lake Illawarra. Turns out we were being treated to a test run for the Wings Over Illawarra 2018 air show. We parked the car, grabbed some snacks and watched the show preview play out in front of us. Those unexpected moments are the best part of a road trip.
We stopped at a few South Coast beaches on the rest of the way home; the whole time letting the beautiful Sydney sunshine in through the sliding glass sunroof. We did start to feel a little weary towards the end of our drive, but luckily we kept on course with the Active Driving Display which projects navigation cues on the front windscreen. This was our favourite feature of the Mazda SUV as it displays in your line of sight and you don’t have to keep looking down to check your speedometer. What’s even cooler is that only the driver can see the display.
A night away with Mazda always promises to be a new adventure and our trip to Jervis Bay was no exception. If you’re after a scenic drive in a car with all the comforts, take the journey to Paperbark Camp in the Mazda CX-5.
Find out more –
Website: www.mazda.com.au
Instagram: @mazdaaus
Facebook: /MazdaAUS
