Ideal holiday location
Experience deep sea fishing
Landmark Salt Water Blue Pool
Ocean panorama
Popular with surfers
Variety of fish taken from surf
Activities & Attractions
The gem-like beauty of our area takes in untouched wilderness areas, the sapphire blue of the sparkling ocean, grey-green eucalypts covering foothills which sweep down to spectacular bays, rocky headlands and startling, seemingly endless, clean sandy beaches.
A destination that borders on perfection, more and more people are discovering that the weather here is absolutely glorious.
Not only is it ideal for that family summer holiday, it is equally ideal for a quiet, relaxed break in the winter or spring with sunny, blue skies and moderate temperatures.
Bermagui
The Town
A peaceful town, famous for its fishing, Bermagui nestles around a safe, all-weather harbour dating from the 1830s. The continental shelf is just 20 km offshore – its closest point to the Australian mainland – which means exceptional deep-sea fishing. In particular, the town is known for its yellowfin tuna and the famed black marlin.
Close to Bermagui, Wallaga Lake is one of the largest coastal lakes in the State, an area of outstanding natural beauty with special significance for the Aboriginal people of the area.
Bermagui offers surfing, water sports and bushwalking at the surrounding beaches and in the national parks.
History
It is thought that ‘Bermaguee’ (boat with no paddle) is derived from ‘permageua’, a word with an unknown meaning, from the vocabulary of the Dyirringany Aborigines who inhabited the area before white settlement.
The port at Bermagui was established in the 1830s for the local dairy farmers, and the town, planned in 1867, quickly developed into a fishing harbour. Gold was found on the Bermagui River late in the nineteenth century but the rush was short-lived as finds were disappointing.
In spring the warm currents brought Marlin and Yellowfin Tuna close to the coast and charter boats would take divers, deep-sea and game anglers out to sea.
One of the most notable figures to exploit this aspect of Bermagui was American author of ‘westerns’, Zane Grey, who wrote of his experiences in 'An American Angler in Australia' (1937) and his posthumously published novel, 'Wilderness Fresh'. The town's Caravan Park is named after him and the local hotel has photographs and memorabilia of his stay.
The crime novelist Arthur Upfield lived at Bermagui for a time in the 1950s. His novel ‘Mystery of Swordfish Reef’ (1960), starts at Bermagui with the disappearance of a boat.
The story was probably inspired by the fate of geologist Lamont Young who was sent from Sydney to inspect the new goldfields at Bermagui in 1880, and who along with four others, mysteriously disappeared.
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