Jervis Bay



Jervis Bay is a large protected bay in Shoalhaven 120 km south of Sydney and 20 km south of Nowra. It is home to HMAS Creswell, the Australian Navy's officer training facility. Navy ships are frequent visitors to the bay with the area directly in front of Creswell off limits to the public. It is famous for its white sand beaches (reputedly the whitest in the whole world), safe swimming and snorkelling.

Understand
The area is one of the most beautiful parts of the South Coast and is an extremely popular summer destination, making it very busy in peak periods. Accommodation may be fully booked out months in advance of the Christmas/New Year period. Opportunities exist to scuba dive, fish and engage in many other water sports, beach activities, walking, and hiking as well as appreciate the diverse flora and fauna.

Huskisson is the largest town in the Jervis Bay area. It's one of those towns that would be a sleepy little village if it weren't for the short term visitors who in summer comprise about two-thirds of the population.

Vincentia is a small town in the region. It is the holiday-home capital of the South Coast, with rental cottages lining the beaches. In summer families, bikes, swimming and barbecues are the order of the day. If you expect to stay in Vincentia in the summer school holidays, it pays to be thinking about where you are going to stay the proceeding year. The best places are booked out by the same families year-on-year.

The area has significant cultural and historic interest to both the Commonwealth and Aboriginal people of Australia. In 1995 parts of the Jervis Bay National Park were granted to the Aboriginal peoples and this land was designated Booderee National Park and Booderee Botanic Gardens

Jervis Bay Marine Park covers 100 km of coast and adjacent waters, from Kinghorn Point in the north to Sussex Inlet in the south which encompasses Jervis Bay, Crookhaven Bight to the north and Wreck Bay to the south. The waters in Jervis Bay from Captains Point to the northern tip of Bowen Island are part of Booderee National Park. Dolphins & seals are a regular sight in the bay, and it is also home to a colony of fairy penguins.

Currarong is a small town but in the northern area's of Jervis Bay, 60km away from Husky by car. It's the surf capital of Jervis Bay.

Beecroft Peninsula is a military range but open to the public. Home to Point Perpendicular with near perpendicular cliffs and some torpedos that were never used for WWII.

Visitor informaton

 * visitnsw.com

By car
You can visit the area by car on a day trip from Sydney, and it takes only about 2 hours on the road each way. Canberra is slightly closer at 0.5 hours distance. It is the perfect distance for a weekend away from these cities. Huskisson is about 10-15 minutes south of Nowra on the New South Wales south coast. The turnoff is well sign posted - on the left as you travel south on the A1 Princes Highway. If you are worried about being on the wrong road, look for an emu farm on the RHS about 3 minutes along this road. After about 5 km, you will see the sign for the next turnoff - it's on the left. That takes you straight into Huskisson.

The Princes Highway is fully 4 lanes each way from Mascot to the Husky turnoff and a motorway grade route except a small section near Bomaderry, which is expected to open in 2022.

By train
is the closest train station, and journeys take about 3 hours from Sydney Central Station with a transfer at Kiama. From there it is a further 30 minutes by car or taxi to Huskisson. Nowra coaches do operate a few services from station on weekdays, and a single service each way on weekends.

By bus
There is a limited bus service (TfNSW bus route 102) from the large town of Nowra to Huskisson, Vincentia and Hyams Beach.

By plane
The closest major airports are in Sydney and Canberra.

Moruya has a small regional airport with scheduled flights from Sydney. It is 2 hours drive south.

The only airport in Jervis Bay Territory itself is for military use.

Get around
Public transport is limited, and having a car is pretty much required. There are scheduled buses between the settlements.



There is a off-road cycleway between Huskinsson and Vincentia. If you're staying along this coastal stretch, you can take the bikes and leave the car in the garage.

In Jervis Bay Territory/Booderee National Park, you distances are long, and you can not go through certain sections without a car. This is because there's some navy operations near here.

See
Jervis Bay is renowned for its white sand beaches, most notably Hyams Beach which has an official entry in the Guinness Bay of Records for the whitest beach in the world. Whale watching is also popular in Jervis Bay, as humpback whales come into the bay to rest during both their northern and southern migration. Many dolphins live in the bay.


 * Go and see some of the sea life in the bay, including dolphins, or go whale watching in the ocean during the whale season:

Huskisson, Vincentia and Jervis Bay Territory

 * Scuba dive. Huskisson has several dive operators, most near the wharf in Owen Street.
 * Beaches - Huskisson has 2 lovely beaches (one in front of the pub, Shark net beach, and the other between the two caravan parks, White Sands). There are also lots of other beaches close by. The nearby National Park (10 minutes drive) has Caves Beach for surfers; Murrays Beach for its isolation and beauty, and the chance to see fairy penguins (thank your lucky stars it's still here, it was very nearly a nuclear power plant); Green Patch for kangaroos and loads of tame parrots (you're more likely to see these around the trails in the campground than on the beach itself); Summercloud Bay for the bluest lagoon with rays and great rock walks.

Eat
Huskisson has several good eateries and a couple of ordinary ones! Again, it pays to be aware of the peak seasons, and make reservations for dinner during the summer season. The Indian and Thai are both fine.



Sleep
Holiday cottages are very popular here. They are often booked out for Christmas many months in advance.



There are also many camping sites around the bay.

Booderee National Park
See the national park website for further details, costs, etc.

There are three campgrounds in the national park. You must reserve a campsite in advance, and also check in at the Visitors Centre before setting up your site. The Christmas and Easter periods are booked as much as four months in advance. The peak period fees apply from the beginning of December until the end of the New South Wales Easter school holidays. To reserve a campsite, contact the Visitors Centre. Additionally, to enter, you'll need to pay $13 for two days. Single day tickets are not available. NSW Parks passes are also not valid in Booderee, since it is not part of NSW.



Motels
There are numerous motels in Jervis Bay.

Go next
Ulladulla is about 45 minutes south of Jervis Bay.