If you live near Sydney, you’re probably familiar with the Shoalhaven area with popular travel destinations such as Jervis Bay located in the area. The Shoalhaven is located in the south-eastern coastal region of New South Wales, Australia. It’s about 130 miles south of Sydney and full of coastal beaches, national parks, and an abundance of little coastal towns.
The Shoalhaven has countless small coastal towns and with them all fairly close together, it makes it great for a week-long road trip and exploring a lot in a short amount of time. We decided to make our ‘home base’ right on the beach in Bawley Point and make a number of day trips out to explore the area around us.
Where to Stay
We rented a lovely home right on the beach in Bawley Point. We were traveling with our dog, Freyja, so we had to find accommodations that were pet-friendly. Luckily, Bawley Point and the whole Shoalhaven area seemed really dog-friendly. This made finding a pet-friendly rental not too difficult.
We opted for this cute little three-bedroom house available both on Airbnb and stayz.com on Tingira Drive right across from the ocean. This home was not only fairly affordable but a comfortable option extremely close to the beach.
If you’re looking to save a bit of money when renting an Airbnb, you can save up to $90 off your first booking using my link here.
If you’re looking to stay in Bawley Point or in the area, we highly recommend this area, especially if you’re traveling with your four-legged friend. Across the street from our Airbnb, is the popular Bawley Beach. Everyday the car park filled up with countless cars for people going out to surf, swim, and lounge on the beach. However, regardless of the daily traffic, the area always seemed really quiet and relaxed.
Every morning with having our morning coffee, Freyja and I would watch the other neighbors walk their dogs and the surfers get ready to catch some waves. This was one of my favorite moments and was such a calm and peaceful way to start the day.
Once we found out how to work the heater in the house, our Airbnb was lovely and very comfortable for movie nights and home-cooked dinners. One of our favorite parts was that right around the corner from our Airbnb was an off-leash beach. This was the perfect place for us to bring Freyja every day to play around, catch some sticks and run in the ocean with other dogs. Not all beaches are off-leash beaches in the Shoalhaven, although most are dog-friendly, we really lucked out having an off-leash beach a 5-minute walk away.
The only downside with this rental is there wasn’t any Wifi included. If you’re looking to disconnect, this is great. However, I was still working remotely during our holiday, so it was a little difficult. Luckily, we did have cell service, (most of Bawley Point seemed to have no reception) and I could use my phone as a hotspot to work while we were staying there.
What To Do
There is so much to do in the Shoalhaven area. During this week-long road trip, we decided to focus our trip exploring from Ulladulla all the way down to Narooma. We’ve done previous weekend getaways to Jervis Bay, one of the most popular tourist attractions in the area and had been to Berry and Nowra a couple of times, so we wanted to expand further South on this road trip away.
Bawley Point
Bawley Point is a very small coastal town. There’s a small strip of shops that feature an IGA, real estate agent where we collected our rental keys, a bakery and a takeaway shop. There’s hardly any cell service in Bawley Point. That being said, thankfully our street where our Airbnb was located had cell service as mentioned above.
The town of Bawley Point doesn’t really have to much to do, but with its ideal location and acted as the perfect center point for us to go out and explore the surrounding areas.
Things To Do
Beach Day
In Bawley Point, the most popular thing to do is spend the day at the beach. Luckily, there are tons of beaches close by so there’s plenty to choose from.
Some of the best beaches include:
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Bawley Beach
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Cormorant Beach (Off-Leash)
Whether you’re looking to have a beach day, to catch some waves, or to allow your dog to run wild for a little bit, you definitely have a great selection of gorgeous beaches to choose from.
We also found that the beaches had hardly anyone on them at all. Granted we did make our road trip to the Shoalhaven area in July which is Winter in Australia, but we were expecting the beaches to be much more crowded than they actually were.
Bawley Vale Estate Winery
Unfortunately, the winery wasn’t open when we were visiting Bawley Point. Typically they’re only open on weekends and seem very popular in the area. However, after the bushfires that hit a lot of the Shoalhaven area, we noticed that a lot of places, like this winery and some National Parks, were still closed, which was disappointing but understandable. If you visit Bawley Point and the winery is opened, from the photos I’ve seen online, I would definitely make it a stop on your trip.
Ulladulla
Ulladulla is located about 24 minutes North of Bawley Point and is one of the “larger” cities in the area. We made the trip to Ulladulla a couple of times since it was was one of the major towns to get anything from takeaway food, grocery shop, and other entertainment.
Things To Do
Ulladulla Harbour Walk
This walk will only take you about 10 minutes or so, but it’s a great way to explore the harbor and take in the views of Ulladulla. I recommend picking up a coffee and enjoying all the views.
Warden Head Reserve
Another great walk is within the Warden Head Reserve. Throughout the reserve, you will find various walking tracks, picnic spots, and the Warden Head Lighthouse. The walking trails will take you under 30 minutes, but longer, if you stop along the way to check the various lookouts along the way. This spot is well known for being the perfect spot to photograph and capture some whales during whale season.
Where to Eat
The Fish Shop
You can’t visit the Shoalhaven area without getting some seafood. Ulladulla has a few seafood restaurants and after exploring the Warden Head Reserve, we were in the mood for some fish and chips. After looking at some reviews, we were blown away by the rating at The Fish Shop that we knew we had to try it.
This little small almost “shack” is located right near the roundabouts entering Burrill Lake. If you blink, you will miss it. This shop is extremely popular so depending on what time of day you arrive, you may have to wait in a long line with all the local who know just how good this place is.
We actually visited The Fish Shop twice on our Shoalhaven road trip. The first time we got a very generous portion of fresh fish and chips for $25! Not only was the pricing extremely cheap compared to other seafood restaurants in the area, but the portions were huge!
A few days later, we returned back to The Fish Shop to get some fresh mussels to cook at home. If you’re looking to get some fresh fish to cook yourself or would like your traditional Aussie Fish and Chips, this is the place to go!
Bateman’s Bay
On the opposite side of Bawley Point, Bateman’s Bay is about 25 minutes South of Bawley Point and is another major town. When we visited Bateman’s Bay it was later in the evening so a lot of shops and restaurants were closed, but if you’re looking to do some shopping at Kmart or other retail stores, go out to eat, or walk around the Harbor, Bateman’s Bay is the place to go.
Things To Do
Harbor Walk
Just like Ulladulla, Bateman’s Bay has a picture-perfect, quaint harbor. With a bike path, you can easily take an afternoon stroll around the harbor and take in all the views or stop at one of the many restaurants along the way.
Shopping
If you’re looking to do some shopping, Bateman’s Bay is your best bet. Bateman’s Bay has a variety of chain stores like Kmart and other popular Australian clothing stores. They also have a wide range of boutiques in the town center as well.
Murranmarang National Park
Murranmarang National Park is actually 20 minutes away from Bateman’s Bay, towards Bawley Point, and located practically in the middle of the two. Murrangmarang National Park has tons of hiking trails, stunning beaches like Pebby Beach, and some places you can camp. We were able to drive in and watch the sunset at Pretty Beach. Unfortunately, with the bushfires, Pebby Beach was closed which was our original destination. However, it should be open in the near future, if not already back open.
Mogo
Visiting Mongo was a spur of the moment stops along the way to Moruya. When traveling past Bateman’s Bay, you’ll probably drive through the small, cute town of Mogo. Although it’s small, it’s definitely worth the stop.
Things to Do
Shopping
Mogo has tons of cute little shops from jewellery to clothing and toys, there’s a variety of small boutiques, perfect for some quick shopping. Almost all of the boutiques are located on one street so shopping is extremely easy as they’re all located right next to each other.
Fudge From Mogo Fudge
Whether you’re shopping for some lunch or just a sweet treat, Mogo Fudge has a great selection of sandwiches, burgers, and fudge! We decided to get a few different types of fudge to enjoy on the hour journey back to Bawley Point.
Mogo Zoo
Especially if you’re traveling with kids, the Mogo Zoo is the perfect place to stop and is a big tourist attraction in the area as well. Although we didn’t stop, it looked like a fairly large zoo and somewhere you could easily spend the whole day at.
Moruya
We ventured down to Moruya for the SAGE Farmers Market that occurs every Tuesday between 3-5:30 PM. Although we went down for the incredibly popular farmers market, we had a great time exploring the cute town. Located right by Moruya River, you can easily spend the day here hanging out by the water, exploring the little shops and cafes, or picking up some fresh produce at the farmers market.
Narooma
We explored Narooma on our second to last day and it was by far one of my favorite places we visited. Narooma is a fairly built-up area similar to Bateman’s Bay and Ulladulla and seems like a popular place for holidays.
Things To Do
Bar Rock Lookout Trail
Narooma is definitely picture-perfect and on the Bar Rock Lookout trail, there are a lot of photo opportunities along the way. This trail is a short 10-minute walk and leads you down to the Australia Rock and the breakwater area. Start driving on Bar Rock Road and you’ll be greeted with a parking lot. Park your car and enjoy the walk with stunning views as you make your way to the Australian Rock.
Australia Rock
Australia Rock is one of the popular natural landmarks in Narooma. Follow the Bar Rock Lookout trail until you walk down the stairs and you’ll spot the Australia rock. If you couldn’t tell how it got its name, this natural rock formation looks similar to the shape of Australia.
Walk the Break Water
After getting your photo-op at the Australia rock, you’ll want to continue your way to the breakwater path. This path allows you to get full views of the Narooma coastline while watching the waves crash all around you. What makes this breakwater especially special is if you go at the right time, you’ll be able to see seals sunbathing on the rocks along the way.
We saw quite a few seals during our trip to Narooma, which was definitely a highlight.
Montague Island Tour
Unfortunately due to the weather condition, we were unable to book a Montague Island Tour when visiting Narooma. This island is one of the major landmarks in Narooma and is only accessible by boat. On the island, you can get a tour of Montague Island Lighthouse, able to spot some seals, and sometimes catch colonies of penguins return back to the island. Although we didn’t get to see the island tour or the penguins, if you miss out on the tour, you’ll most likely be able to spot plenty of seals closer to shore anyways.
Where to Eat
Tilba Valley Winery
After exploring the coast of Narooma, we decided to make our way to Tilba Valley Winery for a glass of wine and a couple of burgers. If you’re in the area, I highly recommend you stop by this quaint winery. With live music on weekends, delicious fresh food, and winery and alehouse on-site, you can easily spend the whole day here. They have plenty of space for kids to run around and roll down the hill, have dogs wandering around, and a great overall atmosphere.
Getting There
To get down the Shoalhaven area, it’s only about 3-3.5 hours depending on where your destination is. We drove down from our home in Western Sydney which took about 4.5 hours with a few stops here and there. Especially with all the stunning, small coastal towns on the way, when it comes to a road trip through the Shoalhaven…
It’s about the journey, not the destination.
If you decide to make the trip down the South Coast of New South Wales, I hope you find this Shoalhaven Roadtrip Travel Guide helpful. With the abundance of small coastal towns, there is plenty to do whether you’re looking for a couple’s getaway, family vacation, or a solo exploration, regardless of what you’re searching for, the South Coast of New South Wales has something for everyone.
