Gerringong  New South Wales

Eleven kilometres south of Kiama on the Illawarra Coast, Gerringong has long shrugged off its image as a frontier cedar port to become a resort town overlooking white, sandy beaches caressed by rolling breakers. The local beaches attract surfers and anglers, while wind-surfers test their skills on Gerroa and Seven Mile beaches a few kilometres south of the town.

A memorial marks the spot on Seven Mile Beach where pioneer aviator Charles Kingsford-Smith took off for his 1933 flight to New Zealand aboard Southern Cross.

Despite the march of tourist facilities, Gerringong retains some of its historic old buildings and churches. The town's standout home is Willow Bank homestead, built on what is now Bridges Road in 1862 and lovingly restored and maintained by the present owners.

Although a small town, Gerringong has a proud sporting tradition, especially as a rugby league nursery and its most famous sons include goal-kicking, try-scoring Kangaroos, Rod Wishart and Mick Cronin, in whose honour the local footie oval has been named.