About the South Coast

The region stretches from Berry and Kangaroo Valley, to Eden and the Victorian border.

The South Coast offers something for everyone. With numerous national parks and marine parks, countless white sand beaches, dramatic headlands, rainforests, coastal towns and quaint villages. There's everything from antique browsing, whale watching, fishing, mountain biking and four-wheel drive tours.

The Princes Highway stretches the length of the region and forms a popular coastal route from Sydney to Melbourne. The region can be divided into 3 areas

• The Shoalhaven
• The Eurobodalla
• The Sapphire Coast

The Shoalhaven
Just 2.5 hours drive south of Sydney, the Shoalhaven area is a huge holiday destination. Nowra is its main town (the largest town on the South Coast) and the area reaches south as far as Durras Lake and, north to Kangaroo Valley and Berry. This area boasts 109 ocean, bay and lakeside beaches and more than 300,000 hectares of national parks and state forest.

The Shoalhaven area also includes Ulladulla which is famous for its fishing fleet, Jervis Bay well known for its white sands and crystal clear waters and is an ideal destination for a beach holiday. Berry and Kangaroo Valley offer antique shops and arts and crafts galleries to browse.

The Eurobodalla
Also known as the "Nature Coast" it covers over 100 kilometres of spectacular coastline and pristine hinterland. The area stretches from the popular fishing and sailing resort of Batemans Bay, in the north, to Narooma and Central Tilba in the south. Other townships located in this area include Moruya, Bodalla, Tuross and the historic villages of Mogo and Nelligen.

The Eurobodalla has been growing in popularity over the years especially with holiday makers from Canberra. Further to the south are seaside townships of Moruya and Narooma. From Moruya you can access several spectacular national parks whilst Narooma is the departure point for tours to Montague Island to see its little penguin and fur seal colonies.

The area is also famous for its unique art galleries and art and craft working villages, including Mogo and Central Tilba.

Indigenous cultural tours are available at Umbarra, just south of Narooma. Aboriginal guides share their knowledge of the local aboriginal culture and history including Dreamtime stories, bush tucker and medicine.

The Sapphire Coast
Located on the far South Coast the Sapphire Coast is known for its beauty, untouched wilderness areas, sparkling blue ocean, mountains, eucalypt forests, spectacular bays, rocky headlands, and stunning clean beaches.

Stretching down the coast from Bermagui to the Victorian border via Eden and inland to Brown Mountain it also includes the Bega Valley. Game fishing is popular off the coast from Bermagui, whilst Bega is famous for its dairy industry producing its well known cheeses. The sea side towns of Merimbula and Eden are popular family holiday destinations.

Places to visit

In the Shoalhaven area:

Jervis Bay
Just a few hours drive south of Sydney. Here you will find a picturesque strip of unspoilt coastline which offers white sandy beaches, in fact Hyams Beach is unknown to have the whitest sand in the world. Here you can watch the local dolphins, scuba dive in crystal clear waters and visit Murramarang National Park which is home to the popular Pebbly Beach and the friendly kangaroos that live amongst the campers on the beach.

Kangaroo Valley
Kangaroo Valley is a National Trust classified village. Kangaroo Valley is a stunningly picturesque valley nestled between steep escarpments, and the beautiful white sandy beaches of the South Coast. Read more

Nowra
Located on the Shoalhaven River, Nowra is the South Coast's largest town. It offers many attractions including historic buildings, river cruises, fishing and Australia’s Museum of Flight.

Ulladulla
The harbour of Ulladulla is home to a large fishing fleet. On Easter Sunday each year the boats are blessed in the colourful “Blessing of the Fleet” ceremony, a must see if you are visiting the area at Easter. Fabulous surf beaches can be found at nearby Mollymook.

In the Eurobodalla area:

Batemans Bay
Located on the Clyde River's broad estuary, Batemans Bay is the starting point for houseboat cruises with 38 navigable kilometres along the Clyde River. There are beautiful beaches, surfing, boating, snorkelling, fishing, forest and coastal walk available. Local seafood is available in the many restaurants, and cafes. Or visit an art galleries or artists studio.

Moruya
Located on the Moruya River, this historic town provides access to the the Eurobodalla and Deua National Parks and the Araluen Valley. Moruya has a museum and several antique and second-hand shops. Read more.

Narooma
Known for its vast stretches of exquisite turquoise water, rainforests, private coves and examples of Aboriginal and European history. Game fishing is popular with Narooma's proximity to the continental shelf providing excellent fishing opportunities, or visit Montague Island, and see the fur seal and little penguins, or enjoy a whale watching cruise as the whales pass the coast on their migration to the Antarctic. In October, Narooma hosts a Blues and Rock music festival.

Tilba Tilba
Located just south of Narooma Central Tilba is a National Trust working village. Here you will see arts and crafts people displaying their wares in the 19th century weatherboard cottages. Read more.

In the Sapphire Coast area:

Merimbula
Merimbula is a gourmets delight with fresh local sea food and farm produce on offer at numerous first class cosmopolitan restaurants and cafes. The lagoon, lakes and ocean are separated by prisitne white sand, and fringed by unspoilt bushland stretching into the mountains beyond. Merimbula is a popular family holiday destination offering swimming, surfing, wind surfing, canoeing, diving and bushwalking. Read More

Eden
Located at the southern end on the South Coast near the Victorian border, Eden is set amongst sandy beaches with crystal waters, forests and parklands. The magnificent Twofold Bay is an ideal place to watch whales feeding as they migrate south. Humpbacks, Southern Right, Minke and even occasionally the endangered Blue Whale can be seen coming right into Twofold Bay. Read More

Environment

The mostly untouched coastline is the main feature of the South Coast region. There are many national parks and marine features including crystal clean white sand beaches along with old growth forests and spectacular headlands.

The South Coast offers an endless variety of beaches and seas as well as forests and parks.

National Parks

The South Coast is home to more than 10 National Parks including: Ben Boyd, Bournda, Mimosa Rocks, Mount Imlay Nadgee, Wadbilliga, Wallaga Lake and South East Forests.

The parks offer expansive beaches, countless walking tracks through rainforest gullies and old growth forests which team with wildlife.

The scenery in the parks varies from rugged cliff faces to sweeping coastal views, rolling green hills to towering eucalypts, mountain streams to rainforests.

Rare species such as the powerful owl, potoroos, ground parrots, pygmy possums and tiger quoll find refuge in these national parks.

Fishing

The South Coast region is a fisherman's heaven. With 100km's of coastline to choose from surely you can't miss catching something.

Beach Fishing
The South Coast offers some spectacular beach fishing spots. Salmon, Tailor, Bream, Gummy Shark, Whiting and Mullet can be caught this way .

Rock Fishing
Black and Silver Drummer, Leatherjacket, Groper, Luderick and Banded Morwong can be caught year round from numerous rock fishing spots. During summer Bunito, Kingfish, Tailor and Salmon are common. Always check rock fishing spots to see if they are safe. The seas along the south coast can be unpredictable.

Game Fishing
Game Fishing is dependent upon warm currents flowing southward over the continental shelf. This warm water carries a great quantity of Pilchards, Mackerel and other small surface fish known as bait fish. These small fish attract the larger predatory fish including Yellowfin, Bluefin Tuna, Sharks and Marlin. The peak fishing period is January - May when the water temperature rises to as high as 25 degrees Celsius. Exotic fish also appear during this period including Broadbill, Wahoo, Cobia, Dolphinfish, Short Billed SwordFish and occasionally Sailfish. Various species of Sharks also arrive at this time including Hammerhead, Tiger, Thresher, Bronze Whaler, Mako and Blues.

Deep Sea Fishing
There are numerous boat ramps along the coast, although be aware of sand bars in some areas. Flathead is the most common species caught when Deep Sea Fishing. They can be found at any depth from 10 - 120 metres. Other species often caught include Gummy Sharks, Gurnard, Mackerel and Barracouta.

Reef Fishing
There are several good reef fishing spots along the south coast with many productive reefs at various depths. Species common on the reefs include Snapper, Rubber lipped Morwong, Jackass Morwong, Leather Jackets, Rock Cod, Wrasse and Kingfish.

River Fishing.
The South Coast has several good rivers for fishing including the Shoalhaven and Bega River. Blackfin and Yellowfin, Bream, Dusky Flathead, Jewfish, Whiting, Mullet, Tailor, Estuary Perch, Bass and Luderick can be caught through the year.

Whale Watching

The NSW South Coast offers some of the best whale watching opportunities in Australia. From late September to late November each year, Humpback Whales make their annual migration southwards heading for the waters of Antarctica after having spent several months during the breeding season in warmer waters. Although it is mainly Humpbacks spotted off the coast, Southern Right, Minke, Blue, False Killer's and Bryde's Whales are becoming more common as well.

The Eden Whale Festival held in October celebrates Eden's involvement with whales. Eden's whaling history dates back to 1843. The Whaling industry shut its doors many years ago and instead today the whales are major tourist attraction drawing visitors from around the world.

Private charter companies offer Whale Watching trips from October to November. A few of the whale watching vessels are also fitted with hydrophones to listen to the whales singing.

Food and Wine

The South Coast region has ideal conditions for producing some of the best food in Australia. The clean unpolluted waters are well known for their oysters and fresh fish, whilst the lush pastures produce wonderful dairy produce including cheeses.

Many of the local producers sell direct to the public and the local weekend markets always have locally grown and produced honeys, chutneys, jams, fresh fruit and aromatic herbs.

Waterfront fish shops with stunning views abound throughout the region. Here you can enjoy freshly caught local fish, or purchase the latest catch to take home and cook yourself.

The South Coast has numerous medal winning wineries that are well worth visiting. Many of the local wineries offer tastings and cellar door sales.

Climate

The climate over the south coast region varies slightly from North to South. Typical summer and winter temperatures across the region are:

Nowra
Average Winter temperatures: 6 degrees Celsius to 17 degrees Celsius
Average Summer temperature: 14 degrees Celsius to 26 degrees Celsius

Merimbula
Average Winter temperatures: 4 degrees Celsius to 17 degrees Celsius
Average Summer temperature: 13 degrees Celsius to 25 degrees Celsius

Getting there

By Car
The South Coast region is well suited to self-drive visitors. It is easily accessed via car from Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne.

From Sydney take the Princes highway and follow the road along the picturesque coastline.

From Melbourne the New South Wales South Coast can be accessed either via Sale along the coast using the Princes Highway or via Canberra.

From Canberra it is an easy drive via Queanbeyan along the Kings Highway.

By Air
Air services are available to Merimbula and Moruya airports. Regional Express has services to these airports from Sydney. For more details see www.regionalexpress.com.au

By Train
Trains are available to parts of the South Coast from Sydney. Several services a day depart Central in Sydney for Nowra.

By Coach
Coaches operate from Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney to various destinations along the South Coast.

More information

For more information see the South Coast Regional Tourism Organisations web site http://www.southcoast.net.au/

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