A weekend in Jervis Bay: 8 things to do

Aquamarine waters and sand the colour of snow set the scene for this idyllic beachside escape, three hours from Sydney.

It’s pretty easy to fall under the spell of Jervis Bay, located on the South Coast of New South Wales. It’s cute coastal villages, relaxed vibe, friendly wildlife and postcard setting will have you hook, line and sinker.

Suffering some city fatigue, Jude and I recently hit the road for a weekend summer escape, winding our way to this little slip of paradise. These are the things we did in Jervis Bay that I encourage anyone to copy:

1. Visit da Jervis Bay beaches, duh

The white sand beaches are the region’s headline act, so it would be a damn crying sin to visit Jervis Bay and not throw down a towel, go for a swim and make some sand angels.

Being a cove, a fair chunk of Jervis Bay doesn’t get pummelled by surf, making Hyams Beach and Huskisson Beach both outrageously calm places for an ocean frolic – music to my ears and nails on a chalkboard to Jude’s surfers’ ears.

Surfers need to head to Caves Beach in Booderee National Park (which is confusingly part of the Australian Capital Territory, not New South Wales, challenging everything you thought you knew about Australian geography). 

Caves Beach is naturally picturesque, relatively remote (Google Translate: no crowds) and has a network of sea caves to be explored. There’s also resident dolphins and kangaroos, as well as a beach camping area.

2. Enjoy water sports

With its Swarovski-clear turquoise waters, Jervis Bay is built for summer holidays. Meaning all your favourite water sports are on the menu: snorkelling, scuba diving, stand-up paddleboarding and kayaking. Yep, get that hair wet like it has no business being dry.

3. Stroll the White Sands Walk

This easy one hour loop walk combines all that Jervis Bay is famous for. If you haven’t been paying attention that’s white sand, wildlife and water that’s more attractive than Chris Hemsworth without a shirt.

Starting at Greenfield Beach picnic area, you follow a little boardwalk through coastal forest, with peaks of ocean shimmering through the trees like an oily forehead. Continue past Chinamans Beach, Seamans Beach and onto Hyams Beach, all while stopping at lookouts, trying to spot dolphins and just being generally dazzled by the never-ending white sand.

You can return the way you came hugging the coastline like your childhood soft toy, or take the Scribbly Gum Track, looping deeper into the forest and woodland of Jervis Bay National Park, before arriving back at Greenfield Beach.

4. Make friends with the locals

And by locals I mean the furry, four-legged locals (although the human locals are also adorably friendly). Kangaroos, dolphins, birds, seals, echidnas, little penguins – Jervis Bay is peak hour for wildlife sightings. It’s like Taronga, without the $42.30 entrance fee.

As an example, we walked out the door of our beach hut accommodation to find a gang of kangaroos cruising the front strip. Another day it was rosellas on our front porch – my city girl mind blown.

5. Go dolphin and whale watching

Jervis Bay is the official place of residence for 100-odd bottlenose dolphins, and the best way to see real-life Flipper is on a dolphin watching tour. Departing from Huskisson wharf, Dolphin Watch and Jervis Bay Wild both offer cruises through Jervis Bay, taking you to popular dolphin hang-outs. And the water is so clear you can even see Flipper’s nose hairs.

Between May and November, the area is also a Great Ocean Road for thousands of humpback whales migrating north for the winter. Jump aboard a whale watching cruise for the best chance to spot these giants of the sea. Or in September you might be able to see a humpback from land, with the bay becoming a day-care centre for returning mother whales and their newborns.

Or if the idea of being on a boat with strangers makes your chest tighten, you can charter a private two to six-hour catamaran cruise with Jervis Bay Sailing Charters. Cruise around Jervis Bay and anchor off one of the bay’s beaches for a swim – sounds pretty glorious.

6. Enjoy a picnic on the beach

If you lurve the idea of a picnic on the beach, but can’t be arsed foraging for the goods yourself, book a Hyams Beach Hamper. These guys take care of everything, providing regional treats like triple cream brie from Nowra Farmhouse and cured meats from the South Coast region. PLUS if you’re feeling luxuriously lazy you can organise a sweet beach set up of inflatable loungers, a beach shade, towels and cushions. Girl, do it!

Of course, you can just pleb it the old fashioned way.  

7. Build up a sweat on the Steamers Beach walk

At the far-end of Jervis Bay Territory is the ruggedly handsome Steamers Beach. Flanked by cliffs, the appeal of this natural amphitheatre is three-fold with decent surf prospects, no crowds and a reckless amount of aqua-coloured ocean.

Parking deep in Booderee National Park, the walk to Steamers Beach is 3km through bushland and down a steep staircase to the secluded beach. All 240 steps are well worth it once you’re met with this scene:

Here’s a handy step-by-step guide to the Steamers Beach walking track

If you’ve got buckets of energy still to burn, you can add on the one-kilometre detour to Brooks Lookout and/or the 11-kilometre St Georges Head Circuit.

Note: it’s a $13 vehicle fee to enter Booderee National Park.

8. Watch the sunrise at Murrays Beach

Also in Booderee National Park is the stunning and much easier to access Murrays Beach. As the sun starts to illuminate the bay and Bowen Island (home to a little penguin colony), claim a front row seat and watch Mother Nature paint the morning sky in rich reds, oranges and purples.

And if you’re after the best food spots in Jervis Bay (who are we kidding, of course you are!), you can do a little step, ball, change and read this post.