With our impending holiday to the beautiful and unspoilt Shoalhaven on the New South Wales South Coast, we contemplated flying but ultimately decided it was the perfect opportunity to take a road trip in a Holden Captiva. Holden Australia were nice enough to let us take one for an extended test drive and we didn’t waste time putting some k’s on the clock!
Travelling from Victoria, we travelled into New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory passing through Albury, Gundagai, Goulburn and Sutton Forest on our way to Nowra and Culburra Beach (our home for our holidays) before heading home via Batemans Bay, Canberra, and Albury before arriving back into Victoria.
HOLDEN CAPTIVA
Designed for maximum versatility, the Captiva has plenty of room for everyone. With up to 7 seats in three rows of adjustable seating, this family-sized SUV is available in two wheel drive and active all wheel drive with petrol and diesel options. Every Captiva comes with the very latest safety technology to look after your precious cargo! Detailed information about the Holden Captiva can be found HERE.
OUR EXPERIENCE
Positives
Comfortable and easy to drive with plenty of space for everyone and everything. Great storage and moveable seating making larger objects easy to transport.
MyLink entertainment system with touch screen, voice control, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto makes taking music for your road trip easy!
The blind spot alert is a light up warning feature on the side mirrors which was new to us. We loved this feature!
Keyless entry and ignition. You simply leave your keys in your handbag or pocket, touch the button on the door handle and turn the knob next to the steering wheel and you’re away. Perfect for when you have your hands full!
Rear view camera and rear parking assist allows you to park and reverse with confidence.
ISOFIX child seat anchorage technology ensures your precious little ones are kept safe with a rock solid connection between the vehicle and the seat. You’ll need to have a ISOFIX-equipped child seat to use this feature.
Negatives
No air vents in the back seat making the car uncomfortable in the heat (which is not good for those of us that suffer motion sickness). To accommodate this, the front passengers get cold trying to make it comfortable in the back.
Whilst there was no problem with the power on the open road, there is a distinct lack of power going up hills.
No CD Player which made it hard to play the audio books I got from the library!
There is Satellite Navigation via phone projection but this means additional data usage.
We have been looking for a 7 seat family car for a while and the Holden Captivacertainly ticked a lot of our car-selection boxes! At the end of our long drive, we were all happy and comfortable and dreaming of hitting the road again for another family adventure!
MORE INFORMATION
Contact your nearest Holden Dealer for more information or to book a test drive.
We were recently invited to experience beautiful and unspoilt Shoalhaven on the New South Wales South Coast and it’s not hard to see why this region is one of Australia’s most-loved surfing and family travel destinations. We all have fond memories of holidays at the beach in summer, and the Shoalhaven is an ideal place to relive those special times and make some new memories with your children.
Instead of flying into Sydney or Canberra and hiring a car, we decided to take a road trip in a Holden Captiva that Holden were nice enough to let us take for an extended test drive. Travelling from Victoria we passed through Albury (where we stayed for the night), Holbrook (where we climbed on the Big Submarine), Gundagai (where we saw the Dog on the Tucker-box), Canberra (for another overnight stay where we visited Questacon and the National Dinosaur Museum), Goulburn (where we saw the Big Merino) and Sutton Forest (we want to go back and explore this picturesque village) on our way to Nowra and Culburra Beach (our home for the next two days).
The Shoalhaven is just two hours from Sydney and Canberra (so flying in makes it really accessible if you are from interstate and don’t want to drive) and boasts unspoilt beaches, fun activities and delicious eateries to satisfy even the fussiest of little eaters!
With our copy of Shoalhaven Tourism’s “Surfing Shoalhaven” guide in hand we researched all the best beaches and waves, road trips and activities on offer in the region so that we could plan the most amazing stay – a holiday that has left us wanting to return and explore some more!
DAY 1
Shoalhaven Zoo
Shoalhaven Zoo is located in the town of Nowra about 2 hours drive south of Sydney. With more than 100 species of native and exotic birds, reptiles and mammals, the Shoalhaven Zoo is the largest zoo on the NSW south coast.
Spread over 16 acres of natural bushland, on the banks of the Shoalhaven river, this zoo is surrounded by an amazing backdrop of water views, rainforests and impressive cliff faces.
Shoalhaven Zoo allows for both paid and free interaction with select animals. We walked through the kangaroo and emu enclosure (you can buy a bag of food from the gift shop), played with rabbits and a cheeky goat in the animal farm and were able to pat a koala, crocodile, python and possum during a keeper talk. We also watched Marmoset monkey training session which was informative and funny (just don’t stand too close to the monkey cage as we narrowly avoided a well directed wee!). The kids also loved the giant slide and running through the wide open spaces.
Georgina Says
If you want to make a day of it, there are picnic areas and gas BBQ’s so you can bring your own yummy lunch. If you are like us, and are not that organised, then there is a cafe with undercover seating that will help you fill your tummy! Don’t forget to save room for an ice-cream!
Opening hours: 9am to 5pm every day except Christmas day. Animal shows start at 11am.
Address: 23 Rock Hill Road, North Nowra NSW 2541
Cost: Adults – $25.00 Aged 16+ Seniors & Pensioners – $20.00 Upon presentation of a valid seniors/pension card Students – $20.00 Upon presentation of a valid student card Children (Aged 3-15) – $15.00 Family – $70.00 2x adults & 2x children
Culburra Beach
The Shoalhaven is home to more than 100 beaches so a visit to the beach is a MUST whilst in the region. We were lucky enough to be staying in the quiet beachside town of Culburra Beach (which is located 20 minutes from Nowra) and our holiday house was located two blocks back from the water.
Alegría and Isaac LOVE the ocean and it didn’t take long for them to be playing in the shallows or with a local dog named Sam!
The people were friendly and relaxed, whilst the coastline made a stunning backdrop for an impromptu photography session.
DAY 2
Jervis Bay Bike Hire – See the Bay in a Different Way!
Jervis Bay Bike Hire is a mobile business offering a variety of bikes, from BMX bikes for the kids to tandem bikes for the adults. As they are a mobile business there is no shop frontage so you need to order your bikes in advance by phone or email. Same day delivery is available providing the order is received before 11am and is subject to availability. They even deliver free of charge if you are staying close by or you can choose to pick up if you are staying outside of their delivery area.
We hired two ‘heist’ bikes (suitable for adults 168cm tall and above), as well as a ‘chariot’ and a ‘tag-a-long rider’ for the kids (helmets and locks are also provided with each bike). The ‘heist’ bikes were required for both the chariot and the tag-a-long rider to attach to, although if you have older kids (they even hire scooters!) or are going by yourself they had some great adult bikes to choose from.
We enjoyed a fun morning exploring the sights of Jervis Bay and feeling the fresh air on our faces whilst we rode our bikes around the Bay.
The bike track is very well maintained and we even stopped off at Nelsons Beach for a play in the super soft, white sand (there is a toilet block and playground here as well) before we headed back and said goodbye to our wheels. The kids loved both the chariot and the tag-a-long rider. Alegría and Isaac took turns having a go in each and even though Isaac couldn’t reach the pedals of the rider, that didn’t stop him from having a go!
Georgina Says
Don’t forget to wear comfortable shoes and pack some sunscreen, water and snacks.
Going for a bike ride is a great way to explore Jervis Bay, we thought it might be a “little” out of our fitness range but it was a highlight of our holiday. We all had such a great time!
Cost: from $30 per day for children’s bikes and $40 per day for adults bikes (discounts available for multiple days). Accessories such as the chariot and tag-a-long rider are extra.
Whale Watching
Our whale watching tour was run by Dolphin Watch Cruises / Eco-Whale Cruise who are located in Huskisson, NSW.
We were told that whale watching is an experience that is not to be missed when visiting the Shoalhaven between May and November. Unfortunately, we were visiting the area a week or two before the majority of the whales made their way back to Antarctic waters during the Southern migration, so whilst there had been successful whale watching trips in the days prior to our trip, on the day we didn’t see any whales.
What we can tell you though, is Sam and the crew from Dolphin Watch Cruises / Eco-Whale Cruise offer a friendly and well run tour business and we wouldn’t hesitate in recommending them.
Georgina Says
Don’t forget to bring along some sunscreen, a hat, your camera and warm clothes / closed shoes. To say it gets chilly on the water is an understatement!! It is FREEZING! The crew gave out red ponchos and if it wasn’t for them then we would have been miserable! We were still cold, but it was nothing compared to how we were before we got the ponchos. Don’t be a hero (like Tim) and think you will be okay as Tim froze for 2 hours and was only warm when we turned around to head back to shore.
As their business name suggests, they run dolphin tours all year round. There are resident pods living in Jervis Bay, so if you want guaranteed animal sightings then a dolphin tour would be the way to go.
Address: 50 Owen St Huskisson NSW 2540
Phone: (02) 4441 6311
Cost: Adults – $65.00 Aged 15+ Concession – $62.00 Children – $32.00 Aged 2-14 Family – $165.00 2x adults & 2x children
Greenfields Beach
As our holiday was very much a beach holiday, we couldn’t resist heading to Greenfields Beach in the Jervis Bay National Park. Greenfields Beach was listed by the Guardian UK as one of 12 best beaches in the world earlier this year– taking a coveted place alongside the world famous Bora Bora in French Polynesia, Starfish Beach in Panama and Source d’Argent in the Seychelles. The Guardian UK also named Greenfields Beach as one of its “50 best beaches in the world”, as chosen by its readers. The only Aussie beach to make both lists, Greenfields Beach is described as being “framed by a dense forest of gum trees and a small sandstone cliff” and we just had to see it for ourselves!
Georgina Says
There are amenities such as outdoor showers and toilets, ample car parking, and a picnic area with amazing views all the way to Point Perpendicular. Greenfield Beach is the most wheelchair accessible beach in Jervis Bay National Park, with a flat and grassy picnic area and access to the beach via a short boardwalk.
Greenfields Beach is nestled between the already famous Hyams Beach and the town of Vincentia. The kids loved running on the white, squeaky sand and playing in the shallows. It really is a beautiful beach and the perfect place to spend some time with your family!
DAY 3
Mollymook Beach Surf School
We couldn’t visit all of these beautiful beaches listed in our copy of Shoalhaven Tourism’s “Surfing Shoalhaven” guide without actually going Surfing IN the Shoalhaven! So, we packed up our car and said goodbye to our accommodation in Culburra Beach and travelled an hour south to Mollymook to meet our surfing coach Geoff Hansen from the Mollymook Beach Surf School.
The Mollymook Beach Surf School was first established in 2010 and is led by Geoff Hansen, the principal coach. Geoff has been delivering surf lessons in and around Mollymook since 2006. He has been a surfer for 36 years and is well-respected in the local surfing community.
We met Geoff and Katharine for our two-hour private surfing lesson in the pouring rain! As Geoff happily told us, surfing is one of the only outdoor activities you can do it the rain and it doesn’t matter! All our equipment, including a wetsuit and surf board, was provided and in no time at all we were all ready!
The kids helped to wax our surfboards, and then we went down to the beach for some on-the-sand instruction before we hit the waves! Geoff and Katharine were fantastic instructors and made sure we had the required knowledge and assistance for us all to stand up on our boards!
Isaac was a little jumping jack and popped up without a worry in the world, until one too many wipe-outs had him heading for the beach for a play. Alegría spent the entire 1.5 hours in the water and at 6 years old could have a future in surfing (if only we didn’t live 2 hours away from our nearest surf beach)! Tim and I LOVED the experience, we were a little nervous about the kids, but 5 minutes with Geoff and Katharine and our worries disappeared.
We have not stopped talking about our surfing lesson and had the BEST time! Amazingly, even though it was “Death On A Stick” weather conditions, we saw whales playing in the distance which made for a perfect end to a fantastic experience.
Georgina Says
I CANNOT recommend a surfing lesson with Geoff (and Katharine) and Mollymook Beach Surf School highly enough. We have been RAVING about it!! If you think that it will be too cold, or the kids are too young, or the weather is terrible, or you aren’t fit enough or any other excuse you can come up with then STOP! Give it a go. I feel the cold, and Geoff gave me a thick wetsuit and I wasn’t cold at all. Isaac is 3 and can’t swim but still had an amazing time. Tim and I are not the fittest people you will meet but we had a fantastic time. Alegria still talks about how to spot a rip, go under the waves and where to stand on the board. Honestly, learning to surf was a sensational family holiday experience.
If you want to surf in the Shoalhaven area, then the “Surfing Shoalhaven” guide makes interesting reading. It’s available to download from www.shoalhaven.com.au/surf, and provides surfing etiquette tips, surfing conditions and maps, local suppliers, stories of the champions and so much more!
Aussie surfer Tyler Wright is the 2016 WSL Women’s World Champion and grew up in Culburra Beach whilst learning to surf in the Shoalhaven.
“Some of my fondest memories I have are of daily surfing sessions with my brothers and sister. At the time, we couldn’t comprehend that we’d all end up where we are now. We were just over the moon to be out there with everyone at our local beach.” – Tyler Wright, Australian Professional Surfer, No. 1 in the world.
Tyler Wright, Australian Professional Surfer, No. 1 in the world
Phone: 0411 392221
Cost: Adults – $90.00 Aged 17+Children – $75.00 Aged up to 16
WHERE TO EAT
There are so many fantastic places to eat all over the Shoalhaven. You will be spoilt for choice! We have picked our favourite breakfast, lunch and dinner venues so that it one last thing you will need to worry about!
BREAKFAST: – Seasalt Café, Culburra
When you have adventurous day ahead of you, a beautiful, wholesome breakfast is exactly what you need! Seasalt Café is a small business located in the heart of the seaside village of Culburra. Seasalt Café opened in December 2012, and has successfully grown into a busy kitchen feeding locals and holiday makers. The menu includes a variety of meals suitable for all tastes and they have a toybox to keep the kids entertained whilst you wait for your meal!
Following your morning exploring Jervis Bay, it’s time to refuel before your afternoon’s itinerary. Pilgrims Café Huskisson is a popular café with the locals. The menus include delicious meals for all tastes, from pancakes and granola to burgers, pies and wraps. Perfect to take with you or sit back and admire their postcard perfect views!
Treat yourself to an exceptional meal from the famous Rooftop Bar & Grill at Bannisters Pavilion. The Rooftop’s menu is inspired by Mediterranean, Southern Californian and Mexican cuisines, complemented by seasonal cocktails, craft beers and an amazing wine list. You HAVE to try the eggplant chips with burnt onion aioli! There’s also a special children’s menu that includes dessert and a drink! The staff are friendly and are happy to bring colouring pages and crayons out for the kids so you can sit back, relax and enjoy the view!
We stayed at the “The Batch”, which is a lovely self-contained holiday house located just 500m from Culburra Beach and 700m from Warrain Beach so it is perfect for a family beach holiday.
It is comfortable home away from home where we all felt relaxed with everything that we needed as a travelling family. The Batch is located in a quiet street where the only sounds you will hear are the waves crashing and the birds singing.
There is a cosy wood fire for those chilly winter evenings (we didn’t use it as we were concerned about the kids as it is right in the middle of the room, but the heater worked wonderfully so we were not cold at all!).
The yard is fully enclosed so the children could play freely – it would be perfect if you were travelling with your dog as well.
This property is proudly managed by The Holiday Rental Specialists – Beach and Bay Holidays and they made our stay so welcoming. Prior to arrival, they had put on the heater and switched on the porch light leaving us with a welcome note and a little something to enjoy after the kids went to sleep!
We would highly recommend The Batch as your base whilst exploring the Shoalhaven region. We loved it and the kids keep asking to go back to “our holiday house” so I guess we better start planning!
We were guests of Shoalhaven Tourism for this family holiday. All opinions are own and correct at the time of publication. Please visit the Shoalhaven website prior to your holiday for additional information on what to do in the region.
You can also follow the team at Shoalhaven Tourism here:
Please note all details quoted are correct at the time of publishing. All details are subject to change without notice and Kidding Around Australia takes no responsibility for information contained in this post. Please check the appropriate website to ensure that information is still correct and current.
ALL PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES ON THE KIDDING AROUND AUSTRALIA WEBSITE ARE THE EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OF THE KIDDING AROUND AUSTRALIA AUTHORS (UNLESS CREDITED OTHERWISE). ALL IMAGES ARE SUBJECT TO COPYRIGHT AND CANNOT BE USED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM KIDDING AROUND AUSTRALIA (OR ORIGINAL SOURCE AS CREDITED).
Last Friday, I was invited to a pre-Mother’s Day function at Oakridge Wines in the Yarra Valley with Holden Australia and a select group of Melbourne Bloggers.
We met at Holden HQ in Port Melbourne to pick up our vehicles and learn more about Holden’s important safety features, such as the new Isofix car seat system. The cars available for test-drive were the Cascada, Captiva, Trax, and Insignia and as we are in the market for a 7-seater I chose to take the Captiva for a spin.
We were all welcome to bring our children along, but as Alegría was at school, I opted for a peaceful drive and stress free lunch so Isaac stayed with our friend Payno. Thank you, Payno!
I drove out to the Yarra Valley with Christie from Kids Business (who worked with Holden to organise this fantastic day). The Captiva is equipped with the MyLink entertainment system with Apple CarPlay so Christie plugged in her IPhone (I’m an android user) and after figuring out the handbrake (don’t judge … it’s so easy, I found it tricky! For the record, it is a simple push/pull button!) we were off.
The car itself was easy to drive and has features such as a touch screen, reverse camera, USB connectivity and blind spot alert. My favourite feature was the keyless entry and ignition. You simply leave your keys in your handbag, touch the button on the door handle and turn the knob next to the steering wheel and you’re away. Perfect for when you have your hands full!
The weather was amazing – on a day surrounded by rainy days, we were blessed with sunshine.
Once we arrived, we settled into a barrel room and had a pickling class with celebrity chef Matt Stone. Matt taught us how to make homemade vegan kimchi. Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish made of fermented vegetables with a variety of seasonings. There are hundreds of varieties of kimchi, however, ours was made with fermented chilli paste, wombok cabbage, carrot, ginger, garlic, spring onion and pink lake salt (which is harvested by Mount Zero Olives and traditional land owners, the Barengi Gadjin Land Council, from a crater-like pink salt lake near the Grampians in Victoria). After getting our hands messy making the kimchi we all filled a jar so we could take home some of this goodness – I can’t wait to try it.
I’m sorry I can’t post the recipe here for you to enjoy, however, Matt has a cookbook coming out later in the year which will feature the recipe. Put it on your Christmas list!
After the masterclass, we went into the main building to a private dining room set up with beautiful flowers, a view of the Holden range and vineyards that went on forever. Those children who did attend were spoilt with a special guest appearance from Cinderella who made balloon animals and flowers, painted faces and played games. I did feel a little guilty for not taking Alegría and Isaac. Just a little.
The food, as you would expect, was yummy. I could eat the entrée antipasto platter everyday and be a happy, happy lady! As we bid everyone goodbye, we were give a beautiful bunch of flowers and gift bag with a bottle of Oakridge chardonnay. What a special day it was.
On the drive back, I joined Olivia from House of White and Tara from Branche and No Cake for Breakfast. They are both such nice people, but I made the error of sitting in the back and got terribly carsick. The lovely Tara swapped with me but the damage was done – it was all I could do to not spew in front of my new friends!!! Thankfully, I held it together but it was a long trip home!! Sorry that I wasn’t my chatty self ladies!
Kidding Around Australia will be working with Holden again in the future – we will be taking one of their vehicles on a road trip and we can’t wait to share that with you!
Thank you Holden for inviting me – I had a fantastic day!
Please note all details quoted are correct at the time of publishing. All details are subject to change without notice and Kidding Around Australia takes no responsibility for information contained in this post. Please check the appropriate website to ensure that information is still correct and current.
ALL PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES ON THE KIDDING AROUND AUSTRALIA WEBSITE ARE THE EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OF THE KIDDING AROUND AUSTRALIA AUTHORS. ALL IMAGES ARE SUBJECT TO COPYRIGHT AND CANNOT BE USED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM KIDDING AROUND AUSTRALIA.
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