About Eden

Eden is a picturesque, quiet beach holiday resort, located in Sapphire Coast area of the NSW South Coast. Eden is well known for its beaches of golden sand, crystal blue waters, and for the rugged of its forests, headlands and parklands.

Mount Imlay stands majestically in the background and provides a a splendid vantage point from which to view the Sapphire Coast to the north and south to the Victorian border and west to the plains of the Snowy Mountains region.

The exquisite Twofold Bay, the 3rd deepest natural harbour in the world, gives visitors to Eden a perfect view of the whales as they migrate every year to Antarctica.

Eden's history is steeped in the traditions of the sea. This area was once a major whaling port with men and Killer Whales working together to herd the gentle giants to the whaling stations. Their are numerous wrecks in the area offering wonderful diving and fishing opportunities. Everyday fishing trawlers can be found unloading their daily fish catch. Eden has numerous restaurants and cafes where you can sample the freshly caught local fish.

Their are several beaches on offer around Eden including Aslings Beach which is ideal for surfing and fossicking in rock pools, Corcora beach which offers great family fun and facilities or Snug Cove where you can explore beach caves.

Private boating companies offer scuba diving and fishing adventures from Merimbula to Green Cape. Whale watching tours are also available on Twofold Bay to see whales from September to November and dolphins and seals all year round.

Surrounded by pristine forests Wonboyn Lake is situated just 30km south of Eden , and is ideal for families looking for unspoilt beaches. The forest and lake abounds with native animal and bird life. It offers several safe swimming spots as well as , fishing and picnic areas. There are also many 4WD tracks to be explored by the 4WD enthusiasts. Wonboyn Lake has a great reputation for some of the finest lake, estuary, beach and land based game fishing on the coast. Oyster leases dot the lakes backwaters and offer fresh Oysters to the local restaurants.

The early history of Eden the bay is closely tied to the whaling industry and it is recognised each year with the Eden Whale Festival which is held in October. Records of the first whales being killed here date back to 1791. During the early years of the 19th century whaling ships took shelter in the bay from inclement weather, it was at this time that commercial exploitation commenced. 65 ships were lost off the coast of Eden 1800 and 1950. In the 1920s and 1930s Eden became famous for its killer whales. Twofold Bay and the area around Eden was home to a group of killer whales led by a whale known to locals as Old Tom. These Killer whales would hunt down whales travelling up and down the coast and herd them into Twofold Bay for the whalers to catch.

Beaches
Aslings Beach is the main surf beach and runs along the north eastern end of Eden. A wonderful rock pool is located at the southern end of Aslings beach. Cocora Beach offers swimming, picnic and shower facilities. It is an ideal beach for the family. Cocora Beach can be found at the end of Ida Rood Drive. The beaches, bays and headlands along the Eden coast are also ideal for walks.

Ben Boyd National Park
The spectacular Ben Boyd National Park is nearly 9000 hectares in area. It consists of beautiful beaches and promontories which stretch north and south of Twofold Bay, rugged coastline of cliffs, and caves. The the rare ground parrot as well as sea eagles, lyrebirds, yellow tailed black cockatoos, eastern grey kangaroos, monitor lizards wombats and yellow-bellied gliders can all be found in the Ben Boyd National Park.

Fishing
Eden offers fantastic fishing opportunities for visitors. Rock fishing spots can be found along the headlands around the bay, whilst the beaches including Aslings Beach offer superb beach fishing. For the boat fishing enthusiast you can easily launch you boat Quarantine Bay located 3 km south of Eden, where there is a four lane boat ramp. Quarantine Bay offers fish-cleaning tables and boat hire.

Historic Buildings
Eden still has numerous historical buildings including: The Surveyor's Office, The Great Southern Inn on Imlay street, The Court House, The Police Station (1857) in Cocora St, St George's Uniting Church (1865) in Chandos St.

Killer Whale Museum
The Killer Whale Museum is located on the corner of Imlay and Cocora Streets in Eden and is considered one of the finest regional museums in Australia. The museum covers the history of whaling in the Eden area. The skeleton of the killer whale known as 'Tom' can be found here.

Mt Imlay National Park
Mt Imlay National Park covers nearly 4000 ha and surrounds Mt Imlay (886 metres). Located about 30 km south west of Eden Mt Imlay National Park contains eucalypt forests and some subtropical rainforest. A strenuous 3 hour walk will get you to the summit of Mt Imlay. From the top the views are breathtaking. Due to the rough terrain and lack of facilities visitors should notify the Merimbula office of the National Parks and Wildlife Service prior to climbing Mt Imlay.

Nadgee Nature Reserve
One of the largest nature reserves in New South Wales, the Nadgee Nature Reserve, extends from the southern tip of Ben Boyd Park to the Victorian border. The reserve offers visitors forests, beaches, a freshwater swamp, a salt lake and creeks to explore.

Wonboyn Lake
Wonboyn Lake is an ideal destination for the fishing enthusiast. It offers 6 km of tidal river flow into the lake along with 4 km of estuary. Surrounded by state forest and national parkland Wonboyn Lake is known as "the fisherman's paradise". Flathead, bream, tailor, jewfish, trevally, luderick, whiting, salmon, tailor, bream and oysters are all on offer in either The lake, beaches, river or estuary.

The climate is mediterranean. Typical summer and winter temperatures are:

Eden
Average Winter temperatures: 5 degrees Celsius to 16 degrees Celsius
Average Summer temperature: 14 degrees Celsius to 24 degrees Celsius

Getting there