What to do in Bermagui – Sapphire Coast NSW

This post was originally published on the 4th March 2014 on the website Mums on the Go. With Mums on the Go closing down in March 2016 I wanted to ensure this story was preserved.

Beach or river?

Fishing or swimming?

How lovely when these are the most complex decisions that need to be made in a day.

Located on the Sapphire Coast (NSW), about 5 hours south of Sydney, Bermagui is famous for great fishing and beautiful beaches and did not disappoint.

Swimming

Depending on your mood, the weather, the age of your kids there are plenty of places to swim.

• Bermagui River – the river was easy walking distance from where we stayed. There was a lovely sandy beach area with shallow swimming available. Perfect for a quick dip.
• Bermagui Beach – a patrolled surf beach opposite the main shops of Bermagui. There are rock pools to explore and an enclosed playground nearby.

• The Blue Pool – stunning ocean pool! I treated myself to some laps here alone on my birthday. There is a kids pool and an adults pool. The adults pool actually has a lot of fish in it so pack goggles or even a snorkel. We took the kids for a swim here one day but the wind was blowing the wrong way and it was very exposed.

• Cuttagee Beach and Lake – a 10 minute drive out of town this is a great place with young kids. The lake offers safe, shallow water to swim or chase tiny fish around. For older kids, fun can be had at the change of tide when “rapids” form under the bridge where the lake feeds into the ocean. The lake is popular place for kayaks and stand up paddle boards.  Note – there is nothing else there … no toilets, no shops, no parking lot (park on edge of road).

Fishing

I don’t know anything about fishing, I don’t even like fishing but I do know Bermagui is a big fishing town. My husband took our kids fishing down at the river and they caught enough to eat for dinner which was a lot of fun for them.

You can buy fish and chips down at the Marina and have a picnic if you don’t have any luck with the rod.

Where we stayed

We stayed at the Blue Pacific Holiday Units which suited us perfectly. Basic units/cabins where you don’t feel like you have to worry about kids and their sandy feet. Shared BBQ facilities and washing lines available. The units are great value – we were there absolute peak of the Christmas holidays and it was very affordable.

The absolute winner for me here is the owners, Leigh and Gordon, who are some of the nicest people I have ever met. They live in a house right by the units so you see them around all the time. They are very generous in sharing their local knowledge and Gordon is more than happy to tell you his favourite fishing spots.

Note – we were full paying customers during our stay so I am sharing this with you just because I want to.

Would I go back to Bermagui?

Absolutely … only next time I would make sure we could stay longer.