Bermagui NSW

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We wanted to again visit Bermagui on our trek southwards, as we can never get enough of this picturesque south coast town. Our caravan park overlooks the ocean and is just a short walk to the local shops containing many fine cafes and eateries, including our favourite vegetarian restaurant, "Boneless". The nearby Fisherman's Wharf has the best fish and chips you will ever eat, along with The Gelati Clinic, who produce their own unique flavours of gelati.

Our first goal was to climb the stairs down the cliff face to the Blue Pool for a swim. The Blue Pool is a natural rock pool that was expanded to it’s current 50 metre length in 1937, and is probably the best of the more than 100 ocean fed rock pools that line the coast of NSW. The seals basking on the rocks and in the water around the Blue Pool provided good viewing. They effortlessly handle the large swell rolling in and crashing on the rocks. After lunch, it was off to Horseshoe Bay, which is adjacent to our caravan park, for a swim.

The next day was Anzac Day, and we were blessed to have two horseman dressed up in Light Horse Cavalry uniform lead the parade on “Waler Horses”. The Cenotaph is located on the headland overlooking Horseshoe Bay, which is a spectacular location. The service touched on the history of the “Waler” horses, and the important role they played in World War 1, including how the soldiers had to put down their own horse at the end of the war, as quarantine rules meant they were unable to be brought back to Australia.

Later that day, we drove through the small town of Cobargo (famous for its 2019 bushfires and the location of Scott Morrison’s refused handshake), on our way to visit our friends formerly from the Central Coast, Leonard and Sharon Bolst, who now reside on a small farm near Quaama. We walked around the farm, and enjoyed a hearty dinner with our friends.

A sunny morning the next day tempted us back to the Blue Pool for another swim, followed by a walk through the Bermagui Wetlands, along the beach and the breakwall to the Marina.

We had recently visited Camel Rock and Horse Head Rock near Bermagui with our friends, Liz and Darrol Lwin, and I have included a photo of a rock face near Camel Rock, depicting the face of an aboriginal woman. The rocks were a sacred place for the local Yuin aborigines, and the face of the aboriginal woman served as a warning of the dangers of the nearby beach. In fact, whilst we were on the beach taking photos of the rocks, a child was caught in a rip and had to be rescued by a strong swimmer.

Despite Bermagui's green coastal location, the 2019 bushfires forced the residents of the town to evacuate to nearby Tathra.

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