Sydney to the Sapphire Coast camping guide

Sydney to Jervis Bay

Leave Sydney through Royal National Park or take the faster highway south. Kiama and the Shoalhaven make good food stops before the beaches around Jervis Bay.

National park, council and commercial campgrounds all use different booking systems. Summer and Easter sites disappear early.

Murramarang to Bermagui

Murramarang National Park mixes spotted gum forest with small beaches and wildlife around camp. Store food properly and keep a respectful distance from kangaroos.

Batemans Bay, Moruya and Narooma cover fuel and groceries. Bermagui gives the trip a slower small-town night before the more remote coast south.

Mimosa Rocks to Eden

Mimosa Rocks has beautiful simple campgrounds, but access, water and facilities vary. Read the exact campground page before turning in.

Finish around Eden for caravan parks, roofed stays and a full resupply. In fire or storm conditions, stay flexible and use the main highway rather than forcing a park road.

The stretch that makes this trip

South of Wollongong the coast opens into Jervis Bay, Ulladulla, Batemans Bay and the Sapphire Coast, with white sand beaches and national parks running most of the way to the Victorian border. It is around 500 kilometres to Eden.

Jervis Bay has some of the whitest sand in the world at Hyams Beach and Booderee National Park, which is jointly managed with the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community and charges its own entry fee separate from NSW parks.

The Grand Pacific Drive and Sea Cliff Bridge just south of Sydney are worth the slower coastal start rather than taking the highway. It adds under an hour and is one of the better short drives in the state.

Booking national park campgrounds

NSW National Parks campgrounds along this coast are booked online and the popular ones, particularly in Murramarang and Booderee, sell out months ahead for summer and school holidays. Walk-up availability is rare.

Vehicle entry fees apply to many parks separately from camping fees, and an annual All Parks Pass is worth it if you are visiting several. Check whether your campground booking includes entry.

Outside peak periods the same sites are quiet and frequently available a few days ahead, which makes autumn and spring the easy time to do this route.

Kangaroos on the beach and other wildlife

Pebbly Beach and Depot Beach in Murramarang are known for eastern grey kangaroos on the sand, and they are entirely wild despite being habituated to people. Do not feed them, and keep a distance, because large males can be dangerous.

Whale migration passes this coast twice a year, northbound roughly May to July and southbound September to November. Eden has a whale festival and land-based viewing from headlands is genuinely good.

Seals, dolphins and little penguins are all present along the coast, and Montague Island off Narooma runs tours to a seal colony and penguin rookery. Trips are weather dependent.

Bushfire awareness on this coast

The South Coast was severely burnt in the 2019 to 2020 fires and remains high risk in summer. Fire danger ratings are posted at park entrances and on roadside signs, and total fire bans are common in summer.

Have a plan for a catastrophic day, which usually means leaving early rather than sheltering. Campgrounds in forested areas are among the worst places to be, and roads close quickly once a fire is running.

Download the Fires Near Me app or equivalent and check it daily in summer. Reception is patchy along parts of this coast, so check while you have signal rather than assuming you can look it up later.

Oysters, dairy and the food stops

The Clyde River at Batemans Bay and the Pambula and Wapengo estuaries produce some of the best oysters in the country, sold directly from the growers at a fraction of restaurant prices.

Bermagui, Central Tilba and Milton are the food stops worth planning around, with Tilba a preserved dairy village and Milton a good base between Ulladulla and Jervis Bay.

Eden at the southern end has the Killer Whale Museum and works as either a turning point or a stop on the way into Victoria.

NSW National Parks releases campground bookings on a rolling window, and the best coastal sites for summer are taken within minutes of becoming available.

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