Montague Island, NaroomaCredit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoys a climb up through the Montague Island Lighthouse, as part of the Montague Island Discovery Tours experience
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Discover a natural treasure in the Eurobodalla region, a four-hour drive south of Sydney. Stretching from the town of South Durras down to Tilba Tilba on the far South Coast of New South Wales, this spectacular region reveals dozens of serene beaches, nature reserves teeming with wildlife, charming hinterland villages and delectable local produce. Add these highlights to your itinerary for a memorable visit.
Feast on gourmet local produce at the source
Slow down and sample locally produced delights, from fresh oysters to artisan cheeses, at Eurobodalla’s markets and farmgate stalls. Don’t miss the SAGE Farmers Market held in Moruya’s Eastside Park every Tuesday afternoon, where you can meet local producers while you fill your shopping basket.
Revel in the opportunity to sample the fruits of Australia’s Oyster Coast on menus across the region, with the Oyster Shed on Wray Street and the Pearly Oyster Bar in Batemans Bay just two of the fun places to try local oysters. Time your trip to take part in the Narooma Oyster Festival, a vibrant community celebration held in May with live music, fresh local produce and some of the world’s best oysters.
Cure cheese cravings in one of the oldest dairying regions in NSW, which has been producing quality cheeses since the 1870s. At the 1950s-style Bodalla Dairy Shed in Bodalla, fresh milk comes from the dairy every morning to make rustic cheeses infused with native ingredients, as well as nostalgic traditional milkshakes, warming coffees, and creamy yoghurts and ice-creams. Further south, step back into 19th-century regional Australia in the National Heritage-listed town of Central Tilba, where you can nibble gourmet cheeses and perhaps join a cheesemaking course at the ABC Cheese Factory.
Linger in local cafes and restaurants
Dive into the region’s vibrant café scene, with a few memorable choices including the Mossy on Pacific at Mossy Point; Alfresco Coffee Roasters in Moruya and Batemans Bay; and La Galette in Tilba Tilba, where the coffee pairs beautifully with the homemade French cakes and pastries on offer.
Drink in the sunset — and a cocktail — at tiki bar and restaurant Quarterdeck, overlooking Narooma’s serene Wagonga Inlet. Stay on for a casual dinner, with something for everyone on a menu highlighting fresh seafood, or prepare to be wowed at The Sandbar in Batemans Bay, where local produce is fused with French and Japanese techniques at this fine-dining favourite.
Treat yourself to another special meal at The River Moruya, overlooking its namesake river, where chef Peter Compton works magic with fresh regional produce. Or enjoy a deliciously lazy afternoon at the Tilba Valley Winery and Ale House, where craft beer and boutique wine is complemented by daily food specials from hearty steak sandwiches to local seafood chowder.
Wray Street Oyster Shed, Batemans Bay Credit: Destination NSW
Farmer with a freshly opened oyster at Wray Street Oyster Shed, Batemans Bay.
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Wray Street Oyster Shed, Batemans Bay Credit: Destination NSW
Farmer with a freshly opened oyster at Wray Street Oyster Shed, Batemans Bay.
The Quarterdeck, Narooma Credit: Destination NSW
Food and drink with a view at Quarterdeck Cafe, Narooma.
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The Quarterdeck, Narooma Credit: Destination NSW
Food and drink with a view at Quarterdeck Cafe, Narooma.
Sign up for thrilling cultural experiences
Board a boat in Narooma for an action-packed excursion to nearby Barunguba Montague Island, where you can tour its historic lighthouse, visit significant Aboriginal cultural sites, snorkel with seals and watch whales and marvel at little penguins, depending on the season. Montague Island Adventures is just one of several local operators that can take you to the island, arrange a fishing charter, or both.
Marvel at the spectacular coastal scenery of the Narooma area on a guided or self-guided e-bike tour with Southbound Escapes. Learn about the area’s history, wildlife and local secrets as you cycle alongside owner and director Sally Bouckley, or strike out on your own to the likes of the Narooma breakwall near Australia Rock, which is home to a playful colony of fur seals.
Immerse in the rich cultural significance of Gulaga National Park, which rises up behind Tilba Tilba, on the 40-hour Yuin Retreat with Aboriginal-owned and operated tour company Ngaran Ngaran Culture Awareness. The experience includes an option to take an interpretative ascent of the park’s namesake mountain, which is sacred in Yuin culture.
Lace your boots for invigorating walks in other local national parks, including the seaside Eurobodalla National Park, where you can hike the 13.5km Bingi Dreaming Track (look out for kangaroos!), and Deua National Park in the mountains, where you can camp, hike, swim and spot wildlife. Or delight in hopping between more than 80 beaches along the Eurobodalla coast, many of which feature unique rock formations such as Narooma’s photogenic Glasshouse Rocks.
Check into an atmospheric stay
Settle in for the evening at Oaks Ranch, a boutique hotel recently opened in Mossy Point with an excellent contemporary restaurant, Arlo, onsite. Feel revived by the expansive views of the rugged mountain ranges of Deua National Park to the west as you sip a cocktail by the magnesium pool, or play a round on the nine-hole golf course, with free buggy hire for hotel guests.
Memories of beach holidays gone by will flood back as soon as you walk through the burnt-orange doors of The Isla, an 1980s hotel in Batemans Bay rebooted into an 18-room, retro-styled getaway. Unwind under a sage-hued umbrella by the pool, perhaps with a Poor Toms negroni spritz from the one-of-a-kind vending machine in the onsite cantina. You’re on holiday, after all.
Retreat to the soothing, rolling hills of the Tilba Valley at Tilba Lake House, which offers a range of stylish accommodation options. Choose from comfortable guest rooms, a luxe glamping tent or four cosy, self-contained tiny house stays with scenic views and outdoor fire pits perfect for snuggling up on cool nights.
Splash out on a unique stay on Barunguba Montague Island in one of the island’s two beautifully restored Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottages, which sleep up to six and 10 people respectively. Rates include a ranger-guided island tour and boat transfers from Narooma.
Ngaran Ngaran Culture Awareness, Narooma Credit: Destination NSW
Aboriginal guide Dwayne Bannon-Harrison performing a smoking ceremony during a traditional welcome on a Ngaran Ngaran Culture Awareness tour.
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Ngaran Ngaran Culture Awareness, Narooma Credit: Destination NSW
Aboriginal guide Dwayne Bannon-Harrison performing a smoking ceremony during a traditional welcome on a Ngaran Ngaran Culture Awareness tour.
The Oaks Ranch, Mossy Point Credit: @abbie_melle
The Oaks Ranch, a boutique hotel in Mossy Point on the NSW South Coast, will open in September 2022 led by culinary expert General Manager Josh Tyler. The Oaks Ranch has 14 rooms under the categories of superior bungalow, deluxe bungalow, and premium bungalow.
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The Oaks Ranch, Mossy Point Credit: @abbie_melle
The Oaks Ranch, a boutique hotel in Mossy Point on the NSW South Coast, will open in September 2022 led by culinary expert General Manager Josh Tyler. The Oaks Ranch has 14 rooms under the categories of superior bungalow, deluxe bungalow, and premium bungalow.
Blue Pool, BermaguiCredit: Destination NSW
The scenic Blue Pool on the Bermagui coastline.
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You’ll find spectacular ocean pools dotted along the southern coastline of New South Wales. These handmade pools, fed by the ocean’s waves, are often built into the rocks near beautiful sandy beaches, can be hidden away along the coastline and are enjoyed mostly by locals. Ocean pools are great for kids learning how to swim, lap swimming and for a dip on the days when the waves are a little too big for your liking. Here’s where to find an ocean pool on the coast south of Sydney.
In the Illawarra
You’ll find many spectacular ocean pools in the Illawarra area, from south of the Royal National Park all the way through to the popular seaside town of Kiama. These include lovely pools at Coledale, Bulli, Towradgi, Port Kembla and North Wollongong.
Take the road through the Royal National Park to Stanwell Park and onto Coalcliff Beach, where the ocean pool is set against a dramatic backdrop of the escarpment.
Nuns Pool, at Flagstaff Point in Wollongong, is one of the oldest in the state, dating back to the 1830s. (The title of oldest ocean pool goes to the Bogey Hole in Newcastle, north of Sydney. It was built by convicts in 1819.) Located below the lighthouse, the Nuns Pool (formerly known as Chain Baths and used by the nuns of St Mary’s convent) sits in a small, sheltered cove and is accessed via a narrow path chiselled into the sandstone.
Further south at Kiama, the Blowhole Point Ocean Pool offers a safe swimming spot near the area’s famous blowhole, the largest in the world, on a headland near the town centre. This beautiful, hand-cut pool is an irregular shape and has a varied depth and rock bottom – it was also once a men-only bath. You can also take the 15-minute walk around Kiama Harbour from the blowhole to Black Beach Reserve. Here you can do 50-metre laps in the Olympic-size Continental Ocean Pool.
A 15-minute drive south of Kiama is the tiny coastal town of Gerringong. Head down to Gerringong’s Werri Beach for a swim at Ourie Ocean Pool, at the southern end of the beach. This rectangular pool, carved into a flat rock shelf, has a smooth concrete bottom and is perfect for a summer’s day dip.
Bulli Rockpool, Bulli Credit: Destination NSW
Sun setting over Bulli Rockpool, Bulli.
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Bulli Rockpool, Bulli Credit: Destination NSW
Sun setting over Bulli Rockpool, Bulli.
Ourie Pool, Gerringong Credit: Destination NSW
Scenic aerial over Ourie Pool off Werri Beach, Gerringong.
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Ourie Pool, Gerringong Credit: Destination NSW
Scenic aerial over Ourie Pool off Werri Beach, Gerringong.
From the Illawarra to the Shoalhaven
Drive an hour further south into the Shoalhaven region and seek out Huskisson Sea Pool at Huskisson. This coastal town has a rich shipbuilding heritage, which you can explore at the Jervis Bay Maritime Museum after your swim.
A 45-minute drive south of Huskisson brings you to Mollymook, where you’ll find the South Coast’s famous Bogey Hole, a natural rock pool on the headland south of the beach. There’s also a lovely ocean pool at Ulladulla, a five-minute drive further down the coast.
On the Sapphire Coast
One of the state’s most famous ocean pools is found at Bermagui, a little over five hours by car from Sydney, on the Sapphire Coast. Bermagui’s Blue Pool is revered as one of the prettiest, filled with azure-hued water fading to turquoise and green. At 50 metres long it makes for a great lap-swimming pool and there’s also a shallow wading pool, ideal for kids, just next to the pool.
One of the southernmost ocean pools on the NSW coastline is the Aslings Beach Rock Pool, a hidden gem carved into the pink-and-white cliffs at Aslings Beach in Eden, a six-hour drive from Sydney. It’s only a short walk from town, but its low profile makes it hard to spot from further down the beach. Make your way over the rocks from the beach and take a dip at low tide before the waves have a chance to deposit any seaweed.
Blue Pool, Bermagui Credit: Destination NSW
The picturesque Blue Pool situated along the Bermagui coastline.
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Blue Pool, Bermagui Credit: Destination NSW
The picturesque Blue Pool situated along the Bermagui coastline.
Aslings Beach Rock Pool, Eden Credit: Destination NSW
Aerial overlooking Aslings Beach Rock Pool in Eden.
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Aslings Beach Rock Pool, Eden Credit: Destination NSW
Aerial overlooking Aslings Beach Rock Pool in Eden.