South Coast NSW
All the basics are done well at Wandarrah Lodge: clean, if institutional dorm and private rooms, a lounge and TV room, and backpacker must-haves like laundry and lockers. It's a place for a peaceful night rather than a party, though the barbecue area and dining room are pleasant places to mingle ('Wandarrah' is an Aboriginal word meaning 'meeting place').
Note the late check-in (4pm) and early check-out (8am).
16.42 MILES
Divided into two sections north and south of Eden is 104.85-sq-km Ben Boyd National Park. Boyd was a Scottish entrepreneur in agriculture and whaling who…
16.29 MILES
A supermarket mainstay in Australia, Bega cheese isn't the stuff of a gourmet detour, but the heritage centre devoted to the brand (established 1899) is…
14.45 MILES
At the end of Edrom Rd is the turn-off for Boyd’s Tower, built in the late 1840s from Sydney sandstone. It was built as a lighthouse, but the government…
9.83 MILES
The 2655-hectare Bournda National Park has empty surf beaches, rugged headlands and forested walking trails. Around 200 bird species flit around its…
26.39 MILES
At the southern tip of Ben Boyd's southern section, elegant 1883 Green Cape Lightstation offers awesome views. There are tours (by appointment only) and…
3.46 MILES
An admirable community project has protected 77 hectares of wetlands for native bird species. The well-managed realm of mangroves and salt marshes is…
4.78 MILES
Warmly run Potoroo Palace, a not-for-profit animal sanctuary, has a menagerie including echidnas, dingoes, koalas and native birds. Keepers have an…
12.42 MILES
Tathra Wharf is NSW's last remaining coastal steamship wharf; today it's a listed building and an attractive place to watch local life unfold, from…
0.32 MILES
Following the estuary for 1.7km, the boardwalk is a pleasant stroll past mangroves, oyster farms and melaleucas. You'll spot seabirds, scuttling crabs and…
0.78 MILES
Get to know your wrasse from your kingfish at the aquarium beneath the very good seafood restaurant Merimbula Wharf. It's an educational, if not very…
3.46 MILES
An admirable community project has protected 77 hectares of wetlands for native bird species. The well-managed realm of mangroves and salt marshes is…
4.78 MILES
Warmly run Potoroo Palace, a not-for-profit animal sanctuary, has a menagerie including echidnas, dingoes, koalas and native birds. Keepers have an…
9.83 MILES
The 2655-hectare Bournda National Park has empty surf beaches, rugged headlands and forested walking trails. Around 200 bird species flit around its…
11.93 MILES
This long-running museum satisfies appetites for tales of seabound adventures, local Aboriginal history and blubber-based medical cures. As its…
7. Sapphire Coast Marine Discovery Centre
12.17 MILES
There's a school-classroom feel to the family-focused Marine Discovery Centre, which has touch pools full of harmless creatures and a dark room that glows…
12.38 MILES
Between late September and late November, a good spot to look for whales is at the scenic lookout south of the wharf. This can also save you the time and…