Jervis Bay is a hugely popular summer vacation spot for Australian families, with pristine white sand beaches, sparklingly clear and warm seas, abundance of National parks and historically important landmarks. Being just a few hours drive from Sydney and Canberra, it’s no surprise that Jervis Bay attracts so many visitors. We have always avoided the area on previous summer trips to Australia, seeking out quieter places and less traveled areas. Not that we have anything against families on vacation, just that Australia has so many options for incredible beach experiences that we don’t feel it necessary to disturb the family ambience of the ever-popular Jervis Bay.
But on this trip, we stayed in Australia way past the end of the long summer school holidays and decided to go see Jervis Bay for ourselves. Mid-February is a great time to visit , the schools are back in session, the weather is beautiful and everything is still operating in Summer mode ie. everything is open although maybe at shorter hours and reduced staffing levels. We are glad we made the trip, it is truly a spectacular area.
When planning travel we usually search on terms like “Australia’s best small town”, preferring to visit places that are a little off the beaten track. And what swung the decision to visit Jervis Bay is that Huskisson, at the heart of Jervis Bay, was awarded “Best Tiny Town” in Australia in 2024. How could you resist a visit? It conjures up images of bustling coffee shops, unique restaurants and browsable boutiques. Well, we were disappointed. It’s a seaside town that reminded us of Bridlington (Google it) on a rare sunny day. Fish-and-Chip shops, a huge and noisy “Hotel” that needs security to prevent unruly behavior and a mob of feral boys running around the town dock spitting at each other. How it won the “Best Tiny Town” award is completely beyond us – we visited once and did not return other than for a morning swim in the sea-pool.
But other than Huskisson, we loved our time in Jervis Bay. It is absolutely beautiful. We always try and support the local economy by staying at places that are owned by people who live in the area rather than out-of-towners who buy investment properties in tourist towns. This time we stayed in a great Bed-and-Breakfast that we booked through VRBO – By the Beach B&B in Sanctuary Point. It is owned and run by a retired couple who live on the property, Greg and Jan.
We met Greg as we pulled into the driveway. I have to admit that I thought he was the gardener as he was tending the yard, sweaty and disheveled in the afternoon heat. Within 5 minutes of arriving and being welcomed by Greg, we knew that he had just returned from Aspen where he spent some time with his son who lives in New York and his grand-kids (from another child – we forget the exact details) who live in Newcastle NSW, that his wife was “in town” having her foot checked because she had been in pain for a few weeks, that the Club Jervis Bay in Huskisson is better than the Huskisson Hotel and that Murrays Beach is the best beach in the area if you are willing to pay $20 to get into the national Park. The property was really good, 4 guest cottages staggered along a bluff overlooking St. Georges Basin. The property has direct access to a small beach with playground and barbecues and is on the beautiful Bay and Basin Walk that runs for several kilometers in each direction. We would describe By the Beach B&B as “reasonable” and “value for money”. The deck could have been brushed, the bathroom tiles scrubbed, the windows cleaned… But overall, we loved the place. The cottages were sufficiently equipped for 2 people – we cooked dinner in the kitchenette all 4 of the nights we stayed. Breakfast is provided in the form of basic provisions (bread, eggs, bacon, butter etc) that were beautifully presented and left in a basket outside your room each morning. Greg and his wife Jan live in the main house and were around but not intrusive in any way.
There are many things to do at different time of the year all around the area, check out Jervis Bay Tourism Information and Shoalhaven Visitor Information for details. Our favorite three things were:
Murrays Beach.
You have to enter the Booderee National Park, with a $20 per-car entry fee, to access Murrays Beach but it is well worth the money. The beach is stunning, white sands and crystal clear water that is calm (protected by a headland) and safe for swimming and snorkeling. The days we were there the car-parks were nowhere near capacity and there were no more than 100 people on the large beach. There are good toilet and shower facilities in the car parks but no other services so bring everything you need with you. An added bonus was that there were kangaroos in the carpark and we saw a Koala in the trees on the short walk from the carpark to the beach. There is a moderately easy walking trail from Murrays Beach to the Governor Head lookout that offers beautiful views over Bowen Island and its penguin population. It’s hard to believe that in the late 1960’s a nuclear power plant was proposed to be located close to Murrays beach, land clearance was done and concrete foundations laid but thankfully the project never went ahead.
Cape St George Lighthouse.
Built in 1860 and now derelict, Cape St. George Lighthouse offers stunning views and is a popular place to watch the whale migrations in the winter months. The lighthouse is not only a beautiful place to visit, it also has an intriguing history. Firstly, it was built in the wrong place and was not visible from the northern approach to Jervis Bay and Barely visible from the southern approach. From 1864 to 1893 there were 23 ships wrecked in the vicinity and the lighthouse was replaced in 1899. An investigation by the New South Wales Government reported that “errors – very grave errors, highly censurable – have been committed in the erection of this lighthouse.” Cape St George lighthouse was demolished to avoid any confusion between it and the new replacement lighthouse. In addition to being in the wrong place, the lighthouse is steeped in tragedy, the deaths of lighthouse keeper’s children from sickness, falling off the cliffs or shooting each other. Lighthouse keepers deaths by being kicked in the head by a horse and being dragged into the water and eaten by the sharks they were fishing for while their son watched. Despite all this, it is a beautiful place to visit and ponder the history.
The Bogey Hole at Mollymook.
Mollymook and the neighboring port town of Ulladulla are a short drive from Jervis Bay and the location we stayed in Sanctuary Point. Both are well worth a visit but the Bogey Hole was something quite unique. The Bogey Hole (also known as The Commandant’s Baths) is a naturally occurring rock pool located at the southern end of Mollymook beach and accessed from a carpark which you have to drive through the golf course to get to. It is a tidal pool and is very shallow at low tide, a great place to splash around and explore the rock pools. At high tide it is around 1.5m deep and perfect for swimming. On one of the days we visited there was a heavy swell and waves were crashing into the pool, which made it a lot of fun and a relatively safe place to enjoy the ocean on a day when the surf was heavy. It was also quiet, the first time we visited there were less than 20 people and the second there were only 5 of us, making it a very peaceful place in the busy town of Mollymook.
Overall, we are happy that we took the time to visit Jervis Bay and the surrounding areas, it is a stunning part of Australia with beautiful beaches, many hikes with varied terrain and scenery and an area steeped in history, both First Nation and Settler. We intend on returning to witness the whale migrations in the winter.
