NSW2 -  Narooma, Bermagui and Merimbula

Narooma Surf Beach inlet

This part of NSW is known as the Sapphire Coast and it really does have more than its fair share of pretty coves and inlets brimming with turquoise waters. Narooma is the largest town of any size and it's here that we go for day-to-day shopping. Around Narooma are a number of great swimming beaches including Mystery Bay, Bar Beach and Surf Beach. We did a quick circuit of all three and fully intend to spend as much time as possible at one or other of them.

Wannabe Ned Kelly at Surf Beach

Unsurprisingly, Bermagui sits at the mouth of the Bermagui River and it's every bit as pretty as Narooma. To get to town it's necessary to drive over a narrow causeway between the open ocean on one side and a huge inlet on the other. Moreover part of this causeway is a rickety, single lane wooden bridge. It's magical and we could have sat on a nearby bench for hours had it not gotten perilously close to fish & chip time. The beer-battered butterfish at Bermagui's fishing wharf was delicious but I can't tell you what it was. 

Pelicans at Bermagui awaiting their own fish lunch

The name 'butterfish' seems to be used as a generic name to disguise the use of some fish that people might find unappealing. It seems it can also refer to an escolar, a fish that can induce nausea, diarrhoea and vomiting, even when very fresh! Thankfully we had no such reaction.

We also visited the Montreal Gold mine, a work-in-progress tourist attraction just outside Bermagui, where we were shown around by Bob, a retiree volunteer. I'd say it was about three years away from being completed and, to be brutally honest, it probably won't excite very much even then. The area played out its alluvial gold after only three years at the end of the 1880s and all that remains now is around 180 holes in the ground in an otherwise unremarkable forest. Bob did his best but a hole in the ground yields only so much interest before becoming nerdily boring. 

"Well I don't know Bob, it's only another hole."

We discussed round Vs rectangular holes, cave ins and the water table. Thereafter we glazed over until Bob handed out some water-divining rods and we had a fun time finding underground water. Well it might have been water, it could have been a series of large magnets planted by Bob and his band of old codger builders, who probably have a cold beer and a good laugh after each visit. Bermagui's other main attraction is the Blue Pool, a once natural rock pool at the base of a cliff. It has been reinforced and extended to provide a safe salt water swimming pool. Sadly, we didn't swim as Fo decided there were too many steps down to it!

Oyster beds at Merimbula

The following day we drove further south along the Sapphire Coast until we hit Merimbula, yet another pretty town straddling a shallow lagoon. This one is famous for its rock oysters and, after a brief walk, we wasted no time in tucking into a dozen at a lagoon-side restaurant. We opted to have them covered in Worcestershire sauce & bacon and then grilled. Delicious. The grilled fish with salad that followed was not so spectacular but good nonetheless.

Blue Pool at Bermagui

From Merimbula we headed inland about 20K to Bega, the centre for cheese production in the area. Free samples were on offer at the Bega Cheese Factory, though I was still too full of lunch to try any. This didn't deter Fo, who munched through several before ordering an ice cream. I swear I don't know where the girl puts it. For me the whole place was too big and too commercial, right down to the cheesy corporate video playing on a loop in the cafe. The cheeses themselves were mass-produced and, although untried by me, undoubtedly not a patch on the home made artisan cheeses that our friend Trudy had made for us.

View from Surf Beach across to the adjacent headland.