Sapphire Coast Road Trip – Narooma, Montague Island, and Fresh MTB Trails

We acknowledge that this adventure is located on Yuin Nation, the traditional Country of the Yuin people who have occupied and cared for this land and water for thousands of years. We pay our respects to them as the Traditional Custodians and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.

Highlights

• Swimming with seals, turtles, and fish on Barunguba / Montague Island
• Mountain biking some of the most flowy trails we’ve ever ridden
• Mouth-watering seafood everywhere!
• Stumbling upon Ben Boyd National Park and the insane hiking trails including the Light-to-Light

Day 1 – Torquay, VIC – Saltwater Creek, NSW

Duration: 7.5 hours
Distance: 652km

We ventured around Melbourne and towards the NSW border via the Gippsland Hwy. Driving through the coastal mountains with burnt trees from the previous bushfires on either side of the road, then winding into valleys of lush green fields. We even drove past an alpine dingo out for a stroll in the late evening. 

Jess and I were after a relaxed, mountain biking adventure where we’d visit a small coastal fishing town I used to stay at as a kid.

During the drive we made a last-minute decision to drive an extra two hours and stop in at a place called Saltwater Creek. We’d never been there before but had heard of a little beach camp situated on the VIC/NSW border full of secret coves and hikes.

Heading to Narooma from Sydney? Read more: Sydney to Melbourne Coastal Road Trip

Day 2 – Saltwater Creek – Narooma via Eden

Duration: 2 hours
Distance: 162km

As the sun rose, the crisp morning revealed itself at the Saltwater Creek campground, we strolled down to the jagged rocks where Saltwater Creek meets the ocean to have our morning coffee on the beach. I put on my Merino Fusion 160 Wilderness Wear hoodie to stay toasty and comfortable while we walked. 

The info signs back at camp showed that there are several epic hikes in the area and also told the story of the Yuin Country where Ben Boyd is situated, and the Traditional Custodians used to fish and hunt. There are current talks with the local Elders to rename Ben Boyd National Park to a traditional Indigenous name.

We jumped back into the car and set our direction to Narooma, with a small stop over in Eden.

Eden’s a town like many along the Sapphire Coast, rich in Aboriginal history – the coastline has some of the most sacred Indigenous sites in southern NSW. 

One of Eden’s most talked about characters is an orca whale known as ‘Old Tom’. After the local Yuin people who were employed on whaling ships refused to kill the orcas, Old Tom, along with his pod, would actually help the boat crew herd Baleen whales into Twofold Bay in return for prized pieces of their carcasses. Crazy!

After we finished at the Port of Eden we swung past the main street for $9 bacon and egg rolls along with a coffee. 

We finished the short drive up to Narooma where we drove down to Wagonga Inlet and looked around town before checking into Beachfront Camping and Cottages Narooma for a chill afternoon by the pool.

Day 3 – Narooma

Distance: 0km!

Nothing beats sleeping in on a holiday. We woke up to the sun peaking through our swag and the sound of waves crashing on the beach behind our heads. The caravan park was full to the brim with holiday goers and nomads getting away for their NYE holidays, but it never felt busy or crowded. 

After breakfast we made a plan to seek out Narooma’s mountain biking trails.

We drove up into the lush green hills behind Narooma with the mountain bikes on the back of the 4WD to one of the two trailheads and began to get amped up to drop in (only one of the trail heads needs a 4WD to access). 

Feeling fresh with our new Wilderness Wear merino socks and my Cool Merino 155 Tee, we felt quick, like nobody could stop us slashing through the kilometres of flowing mountain bike trails. 

We spoke with a resident rider about how much work had been put into the trails from the locals along with the crew at the local bike shop. The trails have received close to $4 million dollars in grants with the Narooma Mountain Bike Club set to build 70km of brand new trails. 

We can’t wait to come back and ride the new trails once they’re built, alongside another 60km of trails proposed for Eden. Narooma, in our opinion, is just about to become a mountain biking mecca!

Day 4 – Barunguba / Montague Island

Distance: 9km boat ride with Island Charters Narooma

Cruising down to the harbour for a 12.30pm launch of the boat we met our captain and owner of the Island Charters Narooma. Full of energy with a big boat full of passengers we set sail towards the extinct volcano known as Barunguba / Montague Island. 

Known for many things over the years, Barunguba is now a marine haven for seals, birdlife and also a breeding ground for Grey Nurse sharks. While taking the Eco Island Tour with NSW Parks we learned that a section of the island has a huge significance for the Yuin people, as it’s a sacred place for young men’s initiation. 

We continued to tour around the island with our guide absorbing all the history before being picked back up by our boat. We then cruised around the point to jump into the water for a dive with a few very curious seals, I even spotted a sea turtle swimming along in the depths. 

The 9km trip over to the island is a must-do if you ever want to learn about the island’s Aboriginal history, bird life, and sea life, or want the thrill of snorkelling with seals or scuba diving to the depths and seeing the vastness of Barunguba’s marine life.

Back on dry land in Narooma after several hours on the boat we managed to score a booking at the Quarterdeck. We had an amazing tiki-inspired cocktail followed by fish tacos and ceviche on the water’s edge of the Wagonga Inlet while the sun went down. We then walked down the boardwalk to get some delicious ice cream to cap off a brilliant day.

Day 5 – Narooma

Distance: 0km

On our last full day in Narooma, we decided to make the most of the epic sunshine and spend the day at the beach relaxing. We grabbed our snorkels, and fishing rods knowing full-well that we’d never catch a fish (years of practice and still nothing!). 

We ventured down to a cove by the Wagonga Inlet and found a spot on the sand under the warm Australian sun and just relaxed, snorkelled and fished.

There’s no shortage of marine life in the lakes and inlets of Narooma with everyone giving their best shot at reeling in a big fish or two. But if you’re like me you can always go to the fishmonger and grab some fresh oysters, squid or fish and cook up a storm for yourself at camp like we did. 

We went to the local fishmonger in town next to the main roundabout and discovered that he and his family had been selling fish in Narooma for almost 120 years!

Day 6 – Narooma, NSW – Golden Beach, VIC

Duration: 6 hours
Distance: 510 km

With a pretty large drive ahead of us we packed up our stuff early and hit the road to stop in Bermagui for a ride of their mountain bike park, again. Luckily my Wilderness Wear merino socks and t-shirt didn’t even smell!

The trails were long with sweeping turns, but as the day began to heat up we decided to finish up and head for a quick dip in the Bermagui Blue Pool.

The Blue Pool made a list of the top 10 places to swim worldwide and you can easily understand why. The crystal clear, clean water that fills the man-made swimming pool was fresh enough to take your breath away, just like its gorgeous backdrop; a few seals thought it was the place to be too!

Read more: Staying Safe Around Swimming Holes

After cooling down and drying off after our ocean fix we jumped back into the car and drove down to get some fresh fish, oysters, and chips in the marina before driving the rest of the way to Golden Beach.

Day 7 – Golden Beach – Torquay

Duration: 4 hours 15 minutes
Distance: 350km

We set the alarm early to get up for a sunrise mission on the beach, seeing as it was our last day of holidays. As we watched the sun come up we were stoked reflecting on the trip we’d just had. 

Now, feeling refreshed and renewed, we felt like the holiday had the best mix of relaxation, with enough epic adventures in the mix. Happy and content with our holiday we jumped in the car and drove the final few hours home.

Essential Gear

• Mountain bikes
• Helmets
• Mountain biking clothes (Wilderness Wear is a good shout!)
• 4WD
• Fishing rod
• Snorkel
• Tent 
• Gazebo
• Sunscreen
• Hat
• Good hiking shoes