The Sapphire Coast , New South wales, Australia

Sapphire Coast Overview

The Sapphire Coast is almost mid way between Melbourne and Sydney on the scenic coastal highway route (around 7 hours drive) and 3 hours from Canberra. It therefore makes a good destination if you are based in these cities or traveling to them.

The northern extent of the region is Bermagui and it extends south westwards to the border of Victoria.

The Sapphire Coast is named after the sparkling green colour of the sea but the area offers more than just unspoilt beaches.

There is the inland backdrop of an almost continuous thread of State Forests and National Parks and a string of small towns, each offering something unique, to enjoy.

Haven For Whale Watchers

The area is most famous for it's whale, dolphin, seal and penguin watching. The Sapphire Coast is regarded as one of the best places in Australia to spot whales and the numbers visiting these waters shows no sign of decreasing .

Between September and late November whales return along the eastern coast of Australia on their southern leg of their migration. Between May and July the whales migrate north to warmer waters to give birth or mate, however the whales are usually farther off shore and not as easy to spot as on the southward leg.

Eden has a Killer Whale Museum which tells the story of the area's once thriving whaling industry and remains of Eden's whaling station can still be seen at Davidson.

Fortunately today, sightseeing and conservationism has taken over, and Whale, dolphin and penguin sightseeing trips depart from the Sapphire Coasts ports.

Although Australian whaling finished long ago, Eden still has one of the states largest deep sea fishing fleets which unloads its catches at Eden Wharf on the shores of Twofold Bay.

Merimbula

Merimbula is a pleasant place to stay and has the 3 miles of white sands of Main Beaches, a lagoon, lake (with a boardwalk so you can walk around it) bushland and inland national parks.

There is a picturesque esplanade and many places to eat covering all standards of cuisine. The area is famous for its seafood and local produce.

Food, Crafts and National Parks

There are also beautiful coastal National Parks like Wallaga Lake, Ben Boyd and Mimosa Rocks to name a few. The famous Australian Cheese and Dairy Products Co-operative of Bega is located here in the regions rural centre.

Bega has a restful, softly rolling landscape which cradles many small cosy B&B's. To the west of Bermaguai is the small village of Cobargo which has a reputation for fine wood, leather and ceramic crafts.