July 2020
SAPPHIRE COAST
Accommodation: NRMA Merimbula Beach Holiday Park
There is definitely a whole lot to do and see around the Merimbula area and further down the Sapphire Coast! After travelling to this beautiful town for many years (10 actually), we still found new things to do on our trip for the week.
Originally we were meant to be heading up the coast towards Byron Bay, but unfortunately, like many other people, new Covid-19 regulations came into play and the borders were closing, quickly, very quickly. So quickly in fact that we had to half our trip and stay in just the one place. We are now glad Merimbula was this place!
After a trip through the beautiful ranges surrounding Canberra, we arrived at our well presented and beautiful accommodation for the next few days, NRMA Merimbula Beach Holiday Park. The staff here were incredibly accommodating, and every change we needed to make they were easy to communicate with and understanding.
The park is placed between both Merimbula Beach and Tura Beach, and surrounded by beautiful rock pools and edging! Each morning and night we made out way to the waters edge to watch the sunrise and set!
Make sure you head down to our all time favourite cafe and brewery at Oaklands in Pambula. It is a pleasant 10km ride along the highway then through the Panboola Wetlands, before you enjoy the scenic environment of Oaklands Farm. Children can visit the petting farm, ride ponies and see some baby animals for just a gold coin donation.
It is definitely worthwhile stopping at the cafe for a breakfast or bite to eat. Their carrot cake was to die for, and we have had some pretty good carrot cake. Some nights during the week you can find a great set of music/band playing at the Longstocking Brewery onsite, we enjoyed some locally crafted beer, wine and of course delicious wood fired pizzas!
Heading up the coast, Tura beach is a lovely, clean and beautiful place to spend some time, look at beautiful sea shells and waste the day away, well spent by the beautiful sounds of the ocean.
Further up the coast to Tathra, you can't go past without visiting the historic Tathra Wharf and state of the art mountain bike trails. On our way through we stopped for a quick coffee lunch at a wonderful cafe/surf shop call The Gap! Coffee was great, food was great and shopping in the same place makes for a pleasant time overall! Situated on the waters edge, makes for a lovely lunch date! And did I say SHOPPING!
If you head further up again, you will eventually reach Bermagui. The town of fishing!
We have spent many afternoons over the years eating fish and chips from Blue Wave Seafood on the fishing docks, this year it was even more special as we were visited by some beautiful stingrays. While we weren't able to capture any photos of these beauties, it was truely magnificent to watch these ocean giants glide between the fishing boats and under the piers. On our way out of Bermagui, we stopped quickly at a whale lookout. The views were simply stunning, with a visit from a family of seals.
From here, heading back towards Merimbula, we following the coastline drive, stopping in at a few inlets here and there. Our favourite hidden treasure was the Mimosa Rocks! With well kept campgrounds and bush walks surrounding, this was a stop we are so glad we saw, and especially at sunset! We could have easy spent the next few nights here and it is definitely on our list for the next time we are up that gorgeous coastline.
Some top towns you need to visit are Cobargo, Central Tilba, Tilba Tilba, Bega and although we didn't get all the way up to Mogo and Bateman's Bay, they are definitely places not to be missed!
On our way home, we went through Jindabyne and just fell in love! We weaved through
Kosciuszko National Park and over Mt. Kosciuszko. We stopped by the Birchwood Cafe for brunch, and although we did have to wait 30 minutes for a table, it was without a doubt the best decision we made for our way home.
