Jervis Bay is a piece of paradise.
Australia has several thousands of beaches, and most of them look quite pretty. But after you visit enough, you get used to their average beauty and they won’t make your jaw drop. Well, the beaches of Jervis Bay will!
With velvety, snow-white sand, crystal clear, turquoise waters and evergreen forests, they look almost too perfect to be true. And no, there’s no deadly marine stingers or saltwater crocodiles in these waters. 😛 The water is usually calm and safe to swim, and the creatures you’re most likely to meet are bottlenose dolphins. And can you believe that it’s not an overdeveloped, crowded giant resort, but an area that’s actually kept relatively untouched and home to a national park?
Jervis Bay was one of our favorite stops on our road trip along Australia’s eastern coastline, and we were sorry not to have more time there. Surprisingly few people outside of New South Wales know about it in the first place, and it’s rarely recommended in typical Australian itineraries. But with its heavenly, unbelievably white beaches, bushwalks, adorable beach towns and even more adorable resident kangaroos and wallabies, Jervis Bay is guaranteed to break hearts when it comes to saying goodbye.
Whether you have two days or two weeks, this is a region that will stun you. And here are the best things to do in Jervis Bay:
1. Do the White Sands Walk
I could tell you that the White Sands Walk is an easy and scenic coastal hike, but it’s more than that. It’s the best way to see all the most stunning beaches in Jervis Bay, so if you can only choose one activity on a short visit, choose this. And on a longer visit, you can take a peek at all the beaches and choose which of them you like the most to chill out in the upcoming days.
The White Sands Walk begins at the Greenfield Beach Picnic Area and ends at Hyams Beach. It’s pretty straightforward, clearly marked and follows the coastline, anyway. It’s about 2.5 km (~40 minutes) one-way, and you can make it a loop by returning to Greenfield Beach via the Scribbly Gum track that takes you away from the coast and through evergreen woodland. A perfect combination of fabulous coastal views and a typical Aussie bushwalk.
2. Swim at the best beaches in Jervis Bay
So once you pick out the beaches you’d like to spend more time on, do exactly that. Jervis Bay is enclosed, so the waves never get too big, and most beaches are safe for swimming. But make no mistake, this is still the ocean, so you can enjoy wading in the waves. 😉
The soft sand creaks under your feet, and surprise, this snow-white, squeaking sand doesn’t get hot, so you can enjoy the beaches barefoot, and kids can endlessly play in the sand. (You’ll have a hard time sweeping the sand off you at the end of the day though, because it also sticks quite well.)
Hyams Beach is the most well-known of the beaches, but Chinamans Beach was our favorite, with the same breathtaking beauty and even fewer people (by which I mean we had the beach to ourselves, because that’s what a “less busy beach” means in Australia). There’s also Greenfield Beach, Green Patch Beach and Murrays Beach – these last two in Booderee National Park, a bit further from the White Sands Walk.
Greenfield Beach has a large grassy area with picnic tables, gas barbecues (free!), toilets and outdoor showers. Murrays Beach has resident wallabies and looks like a Pacific island. Honeymoon Bay is on the opposite side of Jervis Bay, near the town of Currarong, is also sheltered and has those spectacular colors.
Cave Beach is not in the bay, but on the other side of the peninsula in Booderee National Park. It’s mainly a surfing beach, surrounded by picturesque rock formations. Steamers Beach is on the same side of the peninsula, and it can only be accessed by a 3 hour hike. It also has the postcard looks, but is not suitable for swimming, because of rip currents and sharks who are frequent in that area.
Moona Moona Beach in Huskisson is the most ideal for families with small kids. It offers lots of shallow spots, shady areas, gas barbecues, toilets and outdoor showers. But the shallow lagoon completely empties at low tide.
3. Spend a full day at Hyams Beach
From all the beaches at Jervis Bay, Hyams Beach is the most famous. It’s known to have some of the whitest sand in the world, and we let it have that title. Though to be fair, all the beaches we’ve seen in Jervis Bay can just as rightfully have it. A white sand beach is not hard to find here. We’ve never seen such pure, soft, snow-white sand anywhere else in Australia, except in the Whitsunday Islands in tropical Queensland. Jervis Bay sand is simply perfect.
Hyams Beach stretches for 2.8 kilometers, and even though it’s the busiest of the beaches, it only meant a few dozens of people spread out on the beach when we visited. I imagine the school holiday is different, and it can truly get crowded during that time.
4. Join a whale-watching cruise in Huskisson
Huskisson is a vibrant coastal town in Jervis Bay, and its harbor offers great cruises to see the rich marine life of the bay, including bottlenose dolphins, fur seals, little penguins, sea dragons – and humpback whales! Humpback whales can be seen from May to November when they migrate between Antarctica and the warmer seas, and sometimes they even come into the bay. Joining a 2-hour whale-watching cruise is the best way to see them.
5. Watch dolphins
About 60 bottlenose dolphins live in Jervis Bay, and you can see them all year. If you’re lucky you can see them from the shore, or while kayaking or paddleboarding, but you can also sign up for a dolphin-watching boat tour.
6. Camp at Green Patch Beach
Camping at the Green Patch campsite in Booderee National Park was exactly how we imagined camping in Australia in our dreams. This campground is right behind one of those pristine, white beaches, but we arrived just after darkness fell, so the first thing we noticed were a pair of large eyes. It was a curious possum, gazing at us as we got out of our campervan.
The upcoming morning on my way to the bathroom block I almost fell over a kangaroo. Several of them were grazing on the grass nearby. You get my point: staying at this campground was one of our best wildlife experiences in Australia! We saw possums, kangaroos, wallabies and parrots, not to mention we ate our breakfast on Green Patch Beach.
7. Dive with seals or whales
If you’re lucky. Local dive centers organize diving with seals or whales where you can swim alongside these amazing creatures. It’s up to the whales or seals to approach you, but they are known to be curious to approach divers and small boats, and on these tours you’ll be taken to the place where there’s a good opportunity that it happens. We didn’t visit during whale migration season, but this would be a unique opportunity if your timing is good.
8. Marvel at the beaches from a stand up paddle board
Seeing the beaches from the water is different – and another chance to spot dolphins or seals! Stand up paddleboarding is an easy, relaxing water sport, and the clean, calm water of Jervis Bay is perfectly suitable for it.
footprints at the bay 🙂
9. Visit Booderee National Park
Booderee National Park is the southern border of Jervis Bay, home to bushwalks, kangaroos and wallabies, wild, unspoilt beaches (like Iluka Beach, Caves Beach, Steamers Beach or Murrays Beach), Cape St. George Lighthouse and unique rock formations, like the Hole In The Wall or the Scottish Rocks.
You can visit the Booderee Botanic Garden and do the 3.7 km loop walk, learning about native Australian plants and their medicinal use, watching birds and other animals. Admission is already included in the entrance fee for Booderee National Park.
10. Rent a kayak
Kayaking is another way to enjoy the beautiful waters. Paddle along Huskisson beach and into Huskisson, along Currambene Creek or to Bowen Island. You can sign up for a guided sea kayak tour, as well.
11. Cruise through the Jervis Bay Passage
Explore the secret passageways and lagoons at Jervis Bay Marine Park on a cruise. Enjoy views of Point Perpendicular and Hyams Beach from yet another angle. It’s a great activity if you’re with small kids who can’t kayak or paddleboard yet.
12. Watch the sunset at Point Perpendicular Lighthouse
Point Perpendicular Lighthouse stands on the top of a cliff wall, 90 meters above the sea. It can be accessed by driving the dusty Lighthouse Road for about 7 kilometers. You can’t visit the lighthouse, but you can enjoy spectacular views, spot whales or watch the sunset from the vantage point.
13. See bioluminescent plankton during the night
This is a rare phenomenon to see in Jervis Bay at night, and you need some luck for it. Also, it helps being there at the right time of the year, which is spring and summer when the water gets warmer. None of it applied to us as we visited in the fall.
But the bioluminescent plankton exists. They can be found in the waters of Jervis Bay, and they can make the beaches glowing blue. This fabulous display is hard to predict though.
14. Have a beer
Finally, have a beer, because why not? Laid back beach towns certainly need to have a legendary pub or two, and this is the Husky Pub (Huskisson Pub) in Jervis Bay, right in the middle of Huskisson and offering nice views out to the water.
The Jervis Bay Brewing Co, also in Huskisson, is a newer place, but is run by passionate locals and has a nice beer garden.
Accommodation in Jervis Bay
Accommodation options cover every budget and travel style. Just make sure you book it in advance, especially in the summer months.
Rooms and homestays
There aren’t any hostels in the Jervis Bay area, but you can find motels and relatively affordable rooms. (Or you can choose camping – read on for that.) It has an almost overwhelming number of holiday homes and apartments to rent.
Jervis Bay Motel in the center of Huskisson is only 10 minutes walk from the beach. Huskisson Beach Bed and Breakfast is right by the beach and offers adult only rooms with free parking and free wifi.
The Wildwood homestay is 5 minutes walk from Callala Beach, and it offers a three bedroom house that’s great for families or friends to share. The Edgewater Bed & Breakfast is a bit further from the oceanfront, but it’s still a waterfront location, on the shore of St Georges Basin.
The Cove Jervis Bay is quite a special one. It offers beach cabins and glamping tents, and guests can use the kayaks and stand up paddle boards free of charge. The downside is that it’s the furthest from Hyams Beach and the other protected beaches of Jervis Bay as it’s located right opposite of Sussex Inlet.
Caravan parks in Jervis Bay
You can stay at caravan parks with your campervan or tent, but some of them offer cabins for rent, as well. Like Jervis Bay Holiday Park on the shore of Currambene Creek.
Holiday Haven White Sands and Holiday Haven Huskisson Beach are managed by the same company. They are located quite close to each other and have direct access to Huskisson Beach. Both offer caravan and camping sites and holiday cabins.
Camping in Jervis Bay
What makes campgrounds a great choice is not only the fact that you can’t find any cheaper option to spend the night. Many of them offer prime locations that often beat the most well-situated motels, apartments and beach villas! They also give you a chance to experience wildlife.
Yes, we enjoyed our stay at Green Patch Campground so-so much that we can’t help but promote it as the best place to stay in Jervis Bay. It’s right behind one of those dreamy white sand beaches, and it’s busy with kangaroos, wallabies, possums and parrots. What else would you need? Maybe some facilities, like toilets or showers, and yes, it even has those. 🙂
Bristol Point Camping is right next to our beloved Green Patch Campground. Honeymoon Bay and Cave Beach also have campgrounds that are less centrally located, and that’s exactly their charm. You can’t even drive directly to the Cave Beach camping, some bushwalk is required to access it, so it’s the best for light packers.
One important thing to know is that Jervis Bay campsites during the school holiday are a bit tricky to get. There’s a ballot system, and you need to put your name into the system by August, then cross your fingers. We avoided the school holiday, and we advise you to do the same if you can. It makes things easier (and way less crowded).
Best time to visit Jervis Bay
Jervis Bay is a pleasant, sunny outdoor destination all year. With that said, summer is the best for swimming and water sports, because the water is warmer, but it’s quieter between May and October – which is also whale migration season! Average temperature drops below 20°C in winter (from June to August), which is not beach weather by our standard, but it’s still good weather for camping or spending most of your day outdoors.
The only period when Jervis Bay is truly busy are school holidays. But the crowds to deal with are nowhere near what we are used to in Europe or North America. At least this is our experience from anywhere in Australia that if you visit from overseas and expect “large crowds”, it’ll never turn out as bad as you expect.
How to get to Jervis Bay from Sdyney?
Jervis Bay is about 200 km south of Sydney, which means a roughly 3 hours drive. A bit tiring for a day trip, but an ideal weekend getaway from Sydney. The best way to get there is undoubtedly by car, so rent one if you don’t have it, because all the other options are much more time-consuming and less flexible.
Compare rental car prices here to find the best deal!
Leave a Reply