Blenheim Beach, VincentiaCredit: Destination NSW
Aerial overlooking Blenheim Beach, Vincentia.
#feelnsw
Relax on postcard-perfect beaches, sip wine overlooking thriving vineyards, sleep in luxury by the sea…sound good so far? Discover an idyllic coastal getaway in the Shoalhaven region on the New South Wales South Coast, just two-and-a-half hours’ drive south from Sydney. Create your perfect itinerary with these highlights.
Dine with all your senses
Clear your schedule for the afternoon, take a seat on the sun-drenched terrace at Mollymook’s Rick Stein restaurant, and prepare for a seafood meal you won’t soon forget. The international chef, restaurateur and TV presenter’s restaurant at Bannisters by the Sea hotel offers superb fresh local seafood in coastal-chic setting made for lingering.
Feel nourished in a whole new way at Milk Haus, just west of Mollymook. Situated in a former cheese factory, this wholefoods café aims to deliver fresh, honest, simple fare free of toxins, preservatives and anything artificial. Then discover how memorable food has deliciousness and simplicity at its heart at neighbourhood bistro Small Town Food and Wine in the nearby heritage town of Milton.
Revel in the freshness of the Shoalhaven region’s oysters as you slurp plump Sydney rock oysters or Pacific oysters beside the Crookhaven River at Jim Wild’s Oysters at Greenwell Point, a one-hour drive north of Milton. Also in Greenwell Point is Pelican Rocks Cafe, where you can tuck into oysters and other hearty seafood dishes beside the river as local pelicans watch on enviously. Or combine casual coastal dining vibes with a lush rural outlook at The Growers, near Nowra, where you can just pop in for a local wine, or pair your drink with local-produce-inspired dishes, from a South Coast prawns pizza to a seasonal gnocchi.
Get a taste for local wine
Retreat to the Shoalhaven hinterland to uncover one of Australia’s most exciting emerging wine regions, where the sultry climate and fertile soils produce some seriously drinkable chardonnay, chambourcin, shiraz and cabernet sauvignon, among other top drops.
Embrace farm life at Silos Estate near Berry, a working vineyard and alpaca farm where you can enjoy a refreshing stroll through the vines and the onsite art gallery before settling in for a tasting. Uncover a clutch of similarly wonderful wineries all located within 20 minutes’ drive to the south. Make a day of traipsing between Cambewarra Estate, Coolangatta Estate, Mountain Ridge Wines and Two Figs Winery at your own pace, perhaps treating yourself to decadent weekend lunch at Cambewarra Estate between stops. Or try something different and treat yourself to high tea seated inside a giant pink teacup among the estate’s chardonnay vines.
Gaze out over the vines from the popular restaurant at Cupitt’s Estate, a family-operated boutique winery, cellar door, restaurant, bar, microbrewery and fromagerie all conveniently located at the one beautiful coastal countryside setting between Ulladulla and Milton. Then soak up the rural ambience of Bawley Vale Estate near Bawley Point, where you can relax with a glass of wine by a duck-filled pond outside the sleek, modern-industrial tasting room.
Jim Wild's Oysters, Greenwell Point Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying freshly opened oysters with Jim Wild of Jim Wild's Oysters, Greenwell Point.
#feelnsw
Jim Wild's Oysters, Greenwell Point Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying freshly opened oysters with Jim Wild of Jim Wild's Oysters, Greenwell Point.
Cupitt's Estate, Ulladulla Credit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoying a wine tasting experience at Cupitt's Estate, Ulladulla.
#feelnsw
Cupitt's Estate, Ulladulla Credit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoying a wine tasting experience at Cupitt's Estate, Ulladulla.
Discover nature’s playground
If getting up close to marine life makes you smile, talk to the skilful crew at Jervis Bay Wild, based in Huskisson, to arrange a whale-watching or dolphin-spotting trip. Or get wet and wild with Kangaroo Valley Kayaks, which offers self-guided trips down the serene Kangaroo River. If you’re lucky, you might even experience the unforgettable thrill of spotting a platypus.
On land, immerse yourself in nature on the gorgeous White Sands Walk. Winding through the coastal forest of Jervis Bay National Park and past some of the purest sands in the world, the 90-minute return walk begins at Greenfield Beach picnic area in Vincentia and passes Chinamans Beach, before arriving at Hyams Beach. Enjoy the scenery for longer by starting at Plantation Point instead; the extended route also takes in beautiful Blenheim Beach.
Sleep in style by the sea
Check in and chill out at Bangalay Luxury Villas, just steps from Seven Mile Beach at Shoalhaven Heads, where each of its 16 stylish private fully self-contained one- and two-bedroom villas (and a four-bedroom holiday house) has golf course or garden views. Feast on fine local produce at the onsite Bangalay Dining restaurant, which also boasts a verdant outlook.
Soak up more seaside luxury at Bannisters by the Sea in Mollymook, with 34 stylish rooms and a clifftop day spa. Just down the road, the 35 beach-chic rooms and suites at sister hotel Bannisters Pavilion are an easy short wander from Mollymook Beach; rise early to start your day with an invigorating dip.
Connect more deeply with nature on a chic safari-style stay at Paperbark Camp, nestled in a peaceful bush setting just minutes from the coastal village of Huskisson. Relax under the paperbark trees on your elevated deck before savouring yet another delicious taste of the Shoalhaven region at its excellent restaurant, The Gunyah.
And if you loved wining and dining at Cupitt’s Estate, you can now opt to spend the night in one of 10 architecturally designed Luxury Pods looking out to the estate’s rolling green hills. Choose a King Bath Pod and luxuriate in the views from your balcony as you take a restorative outdoor soak at the end of a day’s exploring.
Dive Jervis Bay, Jervis Bay Credit: Jordan Robins
Man swimming with a seal during a snorkelling tour with Dive Jervis Bay.
#feelnsw
Dive Jervis Bay, Jervis Bay Credit: Jordan Robins
Man swimming with a seal during a snorkelling tour with Dive Jervis Bay.
Bannisters by the Sea, Mollymook Beach Credit: Destination NSW
A romantic getaway at Bannisters by the Sea, Mollymook Beach.
#feelnsw
Bannisters by the Sea, Mollymook Beach Credit: Destination NSW
A romantic getaway at Bannisters by the Sea, Mollymook Beach.
More Inspirational Stories
Montague Island, NaroomaCredit: Destination NSW
Couple snorkilng with seals as part of the Montague Island Discovery Tours experience
#newsouthwales #feelnsw
Narooma - A Beautiful Place For The Blues
You’ve heard of the Golden Triangle, well on the far South Coast of NSW - around a five-hour drive from Sydney - you’ll discover the turquoise triangle. The small beach town of Narooma (the name is thought to mean `clear blue waters’ in the local indigenous language), is situated in the Eurobodalla Shire and surrounded on three sides by the waters of the Wagonga River, its estuary and the sparkling Pacific Ocean. It’s impossibly, brilliantly, astonishingly blue. A blue expanse to surf, sail, kayak, fish and swim with seals on Montague Island.
You’ll also have more of Narooma to yourself, since it’s off the regular tourist trail because of its distance both Sydney and even Canberra. However you could also fly there on Regional Express (Rex) from Sydney to Moruya Airport, 35km from Narooma. It’s clearly worth the journey.
Narooma Institution Quarterdeck Is Suddenly Cool Again
Situated on the banks of the Wagonga Inlet in Forsters Bay, Quarterdeck once belonged to an oyster grower. Then it was a kiosk before becoming a fish’n’chippery. Now, there’s plenty of seafood including mind snapping local oysters on Quarterdeck’s menu but the space has been transformed into a tiki bar and restaurant with stunning views, kitsch beaded curtains and Tex-Mex inspired dishes. Think of it as a Tiki Bar in Tijuana with Mexican street corn, tostadas and fried chicken wings with chipotle sauce, as well as the more substantial steaks, fish and whole roasted spatchcock.
There’s an interesting Australian wine list or you could order one of the cocktails including the Wagonga Princess with tequila and Aperol or Watermelon Sugar, the intoxicating drink named after Harry Styles’ famous track. Whether you visit Quarterdeck for lunch, dinner, or anything in between, you’ll be sure of having your spirits lifted.
Whale Inn - Carrying Its Own Weight In Narooma
Slightly eccentric with a mishmash of decorating styles that include 80s OTT and chinoiserie, Whale Inn, situated on a hill in the centre of town with extensive views out to the coast, is a brilliant place to stay in Narooma. Choose from 17 spacious rooms and four styles of accommodation including the Premier Room, Executive Suite with a large balcony and kitchenette, or the Executive Spa suite, which also has a large balcony overlooking the sea and a decadent corner spa bath inside. There’s also a family room on offer with multiple beds. There’s plenty to do here, the Whale Inn also boasts a swimming pool, barbecue area and there’s a branch of the acclaimed, hatted Queen Chow restaurant. If only all hotel in-house dining could be this inspired.
Montague Island, Narooma Credit: Destination NSW
Getting up close to seals as part of the Montague Island Discovery Tours experience
#newsouthwales #feelnsw
Montague Island, Narooma Credit: Destination NSW
Getting up close to seals as part of the Montague Island Discovery Tours experience
Glasshouse Rocks, Narooma Credit: Destination NSW
Father and son heading out for a morning surf at Glasshouse Rocks, Narooma.
#feelnsw #newsouthwales
Glasshouse Rocks, Narooma Credit: Destination NSW
Father and son heading out for a morning surf at Glasshouse Rocks, Narooma.
Swim With The Seals On Montague Island
Montague Island, which is also known as Baranguba to the local Yuin Aboriginal people- the traditional owners of the land, is located 9km off Narooma and one of Australia’s premium eco-tourism destinations. The protected nature reserve is magical and one of the only places in the world to observe whales, fur seals, little penguins and more than 90 bird species. Your guided tour is just a 20-minute boat ride from the Narooma jetty with frolicking dolphins to welcome you along the way.
The island is teeming with Australian and New Zealand fur seals to see up close on a snorkeling or scuba diving tour. Whichever depth you decide to go to, swimming with seals on Montague Island is a surreal experience in the true sense of the word.
Immerse Yourself In The World’s Oldest Living Culture
There’s a rich seam of spirituality that informs the earth of this continent and you have the opportunity to experience it on the Yuin retreat with Ngaran Ngaran Cultural Awareness. The Narooma region has held sacred significance for the Yuin Aboriginal community for tens of thousands of years.
Ngaran Ngaran Culture Awareness is an Aboriginal owned and operated initiative, who invite you to come, walk and listen to a sacred dreaming of Djirringanj country heartland of the Yuin people. This very special experience will open the doorway to you for the cultural traditions and dreaming stories that have been passed down for thousands of years.
Embark on a two-night, one day Yuin Retreat which includes boutique niche accommodation and meals. Your immersive experience begins with a Welcome to Country including language, song and a smoking ceremony followed by dinner, a tour briefing and traditional yarning circle.
There’s a sunrise ceremony on day two with spectacular ocean scenery, followed by breakfast with indigenous foods including botanical jams. Afterwards choose between a guided walking tour into the sacred Gulaga Mountain. Or a Djirringanj dreaming experience drive and walk day tour. Whichever tour you choose, it’s a privileged way to plug into a different reality that will revitalise you in so many ways.