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If you want to get out of the hustle and bustle of Sydney and explore the road less travelled, it’s high time you embarked on a South Coast New South Wale road trip.
The South Coast of NSW is known for having some of the best beaches, unspoiled national parks, ancient rainforests, and quiet small towns.
While you can drive from one side to the other in 6 and a half hours, it’s well worth slowing down and exploring this region properly.
In this guide, we share our ultimate South Coast NSW itinerary spread over a 2 week period, because there is so much to see and do, and this is the minimum amount of time you need to see the highlights.
After spending five weeks discovering the south coast, we were lucky enough to discover the beauty of this region and have selected our favourite spots for you to enjoy.
How long do you need for a South Coast NSW road trip?
While there is no set answer for how long you should spend road tripping the South Coast of New South Wales, we think the ideal amount of time to spend exploring this region is two weeks, not including Sydney.
With Sydney, you’d be looking at 2.5 weeks.
You could actually do five weeks, like we did, and not get bored, but most people generally have a two week period for travel.
The Ultimate South Coast NSW Itinerary
The South Coast of NSW region begins just outside of Sydney and stretches from the Royal National Park down towards the town of Eden.
You could do this itinerary in reverse, but since most people will be flying in from out of town, you may want to start in Sydney as it’s a major city and easier to pick up a rental car.
We love this regions of Australia because it’s quieter and more relaxed than when you venture north up the East Coast.
It’s known for having stunning beaches, unspoiled hinterland, hundreds of wild kangaroos hopping around, and quiet atmosphere compared to the north coast.
To help you plan your trip, the above map is of the following South Coast road trip itinerary. It includes each notable stop, surrounding attractions, places to eat and where to stay.
You can download this map onto your phone or save it by clicking the star icon at the top.
Stop 1: Sydney (2-3 Days)
Sydney is Australia’s glittering harbour city and one of the most famous cities in the world! It’s a place as beautiful as it is thriving, and has a very youthful and vibrant atmosphere.
Home to iconic landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, it’s the perfect place to start a road trip on the South Coast of NSW, since it’s so iconic.
Spend a day or two wandering around the CBD, the lively Darling Harbour precinct, and The Rocks District, soaking up the artsy vibes and do some world-class shopping, and spend another day surfing the waves at Bondi Beach, or take a ferry to Manly for postcard-worthy coastal views.
Stop 2: Royal National Park (2 Days)
- Distance from previous stop: 27.5 km via Princes Hwy and A36
- Drive time: 32 minutes
- Notable places to eat: no restaurants, bring your own food
Less than an hour south of Sydney is the beautiful Royal National Park, a sprawling coastal wilderness and the second-oldest national park in the world.
Covering over 15,000 hectares, it has a diverse landscape made up of eucalyptus forests, dramatic cliffs, secluded coves and beaches, and fern-filled gullies.
There are several walking trails in Royal National Park, but the most famous is the Coast Track, which extends for 26 kilometres along the rugged shoreline between Bundeena and Otford.
You don’t have to walk the whole track, but be sure to walk a section of it and stop to admire the stunning ocean views and look out for humpback whales (July to November).
Stop at the natural wonder of Figure Eight Pools, explore the lush forest around Uloola Falls, or spend a lazy afternoon swimming and picnicking at Wattamolla Lagoon.
There’s plenty of things to do here for two days, but you could make it a day visit if you want to reduce your vacation time.
Stop 3: Wollongong (2 Days)
Heading south from Royal National Park, make you way down the Grand Pacific Drive to our next stop, Wollongong.
Along the way, make a stop at Bald Head Lookout for some beautiful views, and the Scarborough Hotel for lunch.
After an hour and 45 minutes of driving, you’ll pass over the Sea Cliff Bridge to Wollongong.
Wollongong is a vibrant seaside town with so much to see and do.
Some of our favorite things to do in Wollongong are cycling on the Wollongong foreshore, and playing on North Wollongong Beach and Seven Mile Beach.
Some of the top attractions not to miss in Wollongong is the Nan Tien Temple, a peaceful Buddhist temple that serves delicious vegetarian food, and the Kiama Blowhole.
If you have kids, they may enjoy the Science Centre & Planetarium, which has wonderful educational programs.
Stop 4: Kangaroo Valley (2 Days)
After spending a couple of night’s in Wollongong, it’s time to explore the South Highlands.
Head south from Wollongong and stop in the town of Gerringong for coffee, and then lunch at the Great Southern Hotel in Berry.
After driving for an hour and 10 minutes, you will reach Kangaroo Valley, which is known to be as green as Ireland and with the Australian bush and escarpments framing it.
There’s so much to see and do here, it’s really a pretty place to spend a few days.
Some of our favorite things to do in Kangaroo Valley are hike to Fitzroy Falls, admiring the Historic Hampden Bridge, and cycling (or driving) the Upper Kangaroo River Road.
For nature lovers, go to see wild wombats at Bendeela Picnic Area, or sit by the Upper Kangaroo River for a picnic or BBQ.
Stop 5: Jervis Bay (3 Days)
Drive from Kangeroo Valley south and you will reach our next destination, Jervis Bay.
Jervis Bay is magical and easily one of the best beach destinations in Australia. I have no doubt you will be blown away by the beauty just like I was.
The Jervis Bay area needs most of your attention, which is why I recommend you stay for 4 nights/3 days at a minimum.
There is so much to see and do around Jervis Bay, from exploring its lush beaches, taking whale watching cruises or exploring the beautiful Booderee National Park, which are arguably the best beaches in NSW South Coast.
Some popular beaches in Jervis Bay are the famous Hyams Beach, which looks as beautiful in real life as the postcards, Green Patch Beach, Murrays Beach, Chinamans Beach, and Greenfields Beach.
You can also do the White Sands Walk, go hiking in Booderee National Park, and admire the Scottish Rocks. For more adventures, go kayaking along Currambene Creek or go fishing or whale watching.
Stop 6: Murramarang National Park (2 Days)
Now we’re getting into rural territory, it’s time to ditch technology and enjoy cutting off for a couple of nights.
The drive between Jervis Bay and Murramarang National Park is short, but you will want to drive slowly and stop off along the way for amazing coastal views.
Take a detour over to Milton and the neighbouring towns of Mollymook and Ulladulla on the way to the national park, which is known to have amazing places to eat such as Rick Stein at Bannisters. Be sure to check out Cupitt’s Estate Winery in Ulladulla if you’re a wine lover.
Murramarang National Park is a great place to go camping, either by pitching a tent or staying at a caravan park near Batemans Bay or Bermagui.
It’s one of the best places in Australia to spot eastern grey kangaroos.
If you have time at your disposal, you can walk the entire Murramarang South Coast Walk, which takes 3 days, and takes you through the parks most beautiful sites, from craggy cliffs to grassy headlands.
Some other things to do in Murramarang National Park and places to play are Pretty Beach, Pebbly Beach (famous for kangaroos), Depot Beach and Durras Beach.
A shorter walk you can do is the Pretty Beach to Merry Beach coastal walk, and there’s also Mogo Wildlife Park.
Stop 7: Narooma (2 Days)
- Distance from last stop: 89 km via Princes Highway and A1
- Drive time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Where to stay: Horizon Holiday Apartment
- Notable places to eat: The Quarterdeck (cool cafe and bar on the water)
Drive south along the Princes Highway and you will reach Narooma.
Narooma is another sleepy town that is simply stunning. The scenery is breathtaking and so unique, in fact, the name Narooma means “blue water” in ancient indigenous language, so you can pretty much expect beautiful waters here no matter when you visit.
I don’t think I have ever seen water that colour before in any other place in NSW.
It’s also a great place to rent a bike and cycle between beaches, check out impressive rock formations, take a boat cruise over to the nearby nature reserve, Montague Island, where you can see native seals and penguins, or you can simply bath on the beach.
Some other things to do in Narooma are cycle The Mill Bay Boardwalk (look for stingrays), relax on Bar Beach and admire views from Bar Lookout.
If you enjoy bike rides, there’s a 12 km cycle way to Dalmeny Beach. You can also take a boat ride to Montague Island Nature Reserve, a breathtaking wildlife sanctuary, or drive over to Camel Rock and swim in the blue pool ocean pool.
Don’t miss Australia Rock at sunrise, the Central Tilba Markets, and the Bodalla Dairy Shed to learn about Tilba Cheese.
Stop 8: Merimbula (2 Days)
From Narooma, it’s another short drive south to our next and final stop, Merimbula.
We actually stayed in Eden when we visited Merimbula, but don’t stay in Eden. Merimbula is a nicer town. We make these mistakes so you don’t have to!
Merimbula is a small town on the Saphire Coast and is known for having surf breaks over a sandbank at the beach, so surfers can find excellent waves all year round.
The nearby Short Point is a great place to see humpback whales during their annual migration (June to November).
Some other things to do in Merimbula are cycling the Merimbula Boardwalk, hiking in Ben Boyd National Park (don’t miss the Pinnacles) and Mimosa Rocks National Park, and whale watching in Eden.
For beach lovers, don’t miss Merimbula Bar Beach and Short Point Beach, and if you want to see native wildlife, head to Potoroo Palace to see wombats, echidnas and kangaroos.
Final Thoughts
The South West Coast is an underrated region in Australia and one of our favorite parts of New South Wales.
It has some of the best beaches in Aus, incredible natural beauty, and a sleepy small-town atmosphere that allows you to disconnect and recharge your batteries.
I hope that this guide gave you some inspiration for how to plan your South Coast NSW road trip and helped you work out where to stay and what to do.
Are you planning on visiting the South Coast of NSW? What places are you most excited to visit from this list? Let us know in the comments.
