Renewing the Spirit by Bruce Holmes

Where pioneering inventor Lawrence Hargrave's kite first lifted him five meters off the ground in 1894, brightly colored hang-gliders now soar with the birds over sea and hills.

This is Bald Hill lookout at Stanwell Park from which the Sydney Hang Gliding Center offers tandem flights for those with no experience and extended courses for others wanting more.

The lookout offers spectacular views of the North Illawarra toward Wollongong.

This seaside city is undergoing a resurgence, with booming conference facilities, a new Entertainment Center and substantial growth in tourism.

To see the vastness of Lake Illawarra take the heritage train, the Cockatoo Run as it winds its way up the side of the Illawarra Escarpment along the steepest section of rail in Australia.

The train passes though littoral rainforest with tree ferns, ash and cedar, over a sandstone viaduct, through tunnels, then stops at Summit Tank Lookout for the view before proceeding to the township of Robertson, where the movie Babe was filmed.

Converted diesel locomotives haul the old style carriages, except in summer. A relaxing trip, back to a time long past.

What else does the region offer to escape the hassles of daily life?

One place that's easily accessible is Minnamurra Rainforest Center, winner of Environmental Tourism Awards from 1993-5.

Located in a sandstone canyon Minnamurra enables people to see different types of rainforest and two thirds of the fern species in NSW. Its raised boardwalks protect the rainforest from intensive use while making it easier to get around.

There are two walks, a rainforest loop and an extension up to Minnamurra Falls. Allow about two hours for the combined walks.

Other spectacular waterfalls can be seen in the area. Carrington, Belmore and Fitzroy Falls offer dramatic views, and the latter boasts a substantial information center, which catered for over 400,000 visitors last year.

Fitzroy Falls, with its 81 meter drop, is truly an impressive sight.

A little further south there is something that children the world over are thrilled by. Dolphins at play.

Take the Baywatch Explorer cruise on their catamaran and go in search of some of the 70 bottlenose dolphins who live in Jervis Bay, an area six and a half times the size of Sydney Harbor.

You can feel the excitement of adults and children alike as the dolphins are spotted, and hear the little ones' shrieks as two of these playful creatures ride the bow wave of our boat.

This cruise takes you to Point Perpendicular with its 100 year old lighthouse, along the shoreline past spectacular sandstone cliffs with sea caves going in up to a hundred meters. These caves and the crystal clear water make the bay the second most popular scuba diving spot in Australia after the Great Barrier Reef.

From June to November the whale watching cruises follow the magnificent creatures as they migrate along the coastline.

Visitors to Huskisson can see Timbery's Aboriginal Gallery where they make boomerangs, didgeridoos, spears and shields. You might even see David painting a wooden pelican.

Having communed with nature in the parks and waters of this beautiful region, experience another sort of peace on your return to Wollongong at the Nan Tien Temple.

The largest Buddhist temple in the southern hemisphere, it attracts 200,000 visitors a year. Its rust colored curved roofs and towering pagoda make an impressive sight from a distance.

Inside the Great Hero Shrine sit five large colored Buddhas representing wealth, beauty, long life, confidence and calmness. Around the walls are 10,000 smaller Buddhas signifying the universal nature of mankind.

Accommodation is available at the Pilgrim Lodge and the dining hall, open to the public, serves a vegetarian smorgasbord.

Within two hours of Sydney, Wollongong and the near south coast provide a chance to escape from the everyday and to experience a calmness which renews the spirit.