From Sydney to Melbourne
If you are in Sydney and want to continue your travel in New South Wales and head for Melbourne,I can recommend you to drive along Australia Southeast Coast.
You will see a beautiful coastal sceneray, fine sweeping beaches, enjoy water activities and bird and whale watching, spot and feed kangaroos. If you are looking more for a relaxed itinerary and want to stay off crowds the south east coast is the perfect choice. It is far less busy than the North Coast of Sydney, where people who love party will definitely visit places like Byron Bay and head further north into Queensland.
The Australia Southeast Coast is the ideal place if you crave serenity and peacefulness.
How to get to around
A car is the best way to make the most of the south coast. I used a combination of train and bus, so I could not access the inland and the off-the-beaten track gems of the region. My tip: hire a car and drive by yourself ! Leaving from Sydney you can if you wish include a stop at the Royal National Park or if you prefer heading south you can stop along the coast. I have made a list of the major interesting places for you to check out. Read on and check out my Australia South Eastcoast Travel Guide
Where to stop along the Southeast Coast from Sydney to Melbourne
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Wollongong
Has good surf beaches and a beautiful hinterland, the Illawarra Escarpment, a good place for woodlands walks and great coastal wievs. For more information visit the Wollongong visitor centre.
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Kiama and Gerringong
Kiama is a nice little seaside town with a famous blowhole, good surf beaches. You can reach Kiama from Sydney by train which run regularly. A short drive south of Kiama you find Gerringong with fine sand beaches. You can enjoy great walking, especially along the beautiful Seven Mile Beach, a huge sand beach stretching between Kiama and Gerringong, bounded by bush and forest.
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Jervish Bay
Jervish Bay is a beautiful stretch of coastline with fine white sandy beaches, forest and bush. Here you can enjoy all water sports, especially kayak and is a great place for whale and dolphin-watching with a good offer of tours and daily cruises. From Sydney there are lots of organized daily tours to Jervish Bay during the summer season.
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Narooma
This is also a very impressive place along the south coast, it's very peculiar, its inlets, its lakes, the forest, the lovely twitt of the bell birds, the crab soldiers on the shore. If you crave for peace and good resting, in Narroma you will find a beautiful corner of unspoilt nature to indulge yourself with prime tranquillity.
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Merimbula
Is located further south, it's a busy holiday resort during summer, visited mostly by families and retired people. The place has an impressive inlet and lovely beaches, like Pambula beach. Outside the village you can play golf while wild kangaroos undisturbed graze on the golf course. It's an ideal place for a good rest.
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Eden
this little place has great charm with a twofold bay, a beautiful spot for watching humpback whales when resting and feeding before their migration to the Antartic waters. Do not miss a visit to the Killer Whale Museum where you can learn about the fascinating history of whale hunters and killer whales and the whale industry.
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Lakes Entrance
We have now entered the state of Victoria. Lakes Entrance is the gateway to 400km² huge lakes, a very popular holiday region which offers fantastic sand beaches, the access to the Ninety-Mile-Beach a huge stretch of pristine beach backed by dunes, lagoons and swamplands.
For finding accommodation on Australia South East Coast you can visit this great accommodation metasearch tool.
The National Parks of Ausralia's Southcoast
Along the south east coast you find many beautiful national parks with a great offer of driving and bushwalking tracks, a variety of activities including fishing, surfing, bird and whale watching, and more. Here below I have picked 3 out of the long list, although I personally have visited only one of them, because by bus I could not access them, unfourtunately:
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The Booderee National Park
Located south of Jervish Bay the Booderee National Park is bounded by the ocean, with rugged cliffs, here you have both the rough sea on one side and gentle waves on the other. You can enjoy cliff beaches, heathland, dune lakes, rainforest, botanic gardens. This National Park offers a good range of beachfront camping sites.
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The Murramarang National Park
If you are stopping overnight in Batesman Bay, it could be a good occasion to take a walk in the Murramarang Natonal Park, I did thhis walk because I wanted to reach Pebbly Beach, which you can access by walking through this park or directly from Ulladulla . You walk in a huge stretch of forest and woodlands mostly along the coast to finally reach pebbly Beach, where storms of lorikeets and hungry kangaroos will surround you and welcome your hand feed.
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The Ben Boyd National Park
This is a National Park you should not miss if you are stopping in Eden, just 15 km outside the little village. The Ben Boyd National Park has good beaches and camping site. There are several Aboriginal heritage sites, you can whale watching, or visit the impressive lighthouse. It is very well visited by Australians during the summer season.
Click on this link if you want to learn more about the New South Wales National Parks.
Want to learn more about Australia's Southeast Coast ?
If you want to find out more about this region, you can read about the South East Cost and download your FREE Pick & Mix Chatper directly form the Lonely Planet website. And you can also choose which individual chapter or travel guide you want to buy. Take a look at their pubblications for the Australia South Coast.
If you want to ask any question or want to add your tips or personal experience to this mini guide about the Australia South Coast please feel free to contact me and I will be pleased to add your contribution.
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