Wollongong will be showcased to an international audience of around 100 million people following a visit yesterday by celebrity adventurer Charley Boorman.
Boorman joined 400 motorcycle enthusiasts from around the state after choosing Grand Pacific Drive and Sea Cliff Bridge for the final leg of an epic journey from Ireland to Sydney.
But of all the places he had visited in 28 countries Wollongong stood out.
``I think it is beautiful,'' he said.
``I had heard of Wollongong. Sea Cliff Bridge sounds fantastic. This is the very last leg and it just seemed like the right thing to do is have bit of a ride into town.''
When Boorman asked his riding companions if it was a nice bridge to ride a bike on they all simultaneously responded ``it is beautiful''.
The star of the Long Way Round television series with Ewan McGregor was joined by his family in Shellharbour on Monday before spending the night on the foreshore listening to breaking waves and waking up to a picture postcard morning at Flagstaff Hill.
Tourism Wollongong general manager Greg Binskin described the opportunity to showcase Wollongong to tens of millions of television viewers around the world as ``absolutely fantastic for the region''.
``Having these people experience such a beautiful coastal drive on such a gorgeous day is just fantastic. It is a good day for Wollongong.''
Boorman was interviewed live on the Today Show while another film crew commissioned by Tourism NSW flew overhead in a helicopter and followed the convoy along the Wollongong coastline to Sydney.
Boorman's latest documentary is called By Any Means and will be shown to more than 60 million viewers around the world on BBC Television before being broadcast to 166 countries on the National Geographic Channel.
FULL STORY IN WEDNESDAY'S MERCURY