Hiking to Garie Beach- Burning Palms - Figure of Eight Pools - If you have X-Ray vision you can see all the way to Wollongong which is about 50 miles south of Sydney and also on the coast. I liked the old cottages from the Depression years that are allowed to remain as long as someone with the same name owns the cottage as the original builder. So precious are these rustic cottages to the families that people change their name to keep the cottage. The hikers who accompanied me went swimming in the pools of water that are left filled with salt water when the tides goes out and the pools of water get warmed by the sun. There were surfers all along the beach.