To Culburra, Callala or Currarong?
Try Culburra first. Here’s 10 reasons why.
I have stayed in all three of these Shoalhaven towns, but this summer we chose Culburra, partly because we have friends there, partly because the beach is the best for boogie boarding and partly because Culburra is the only one with several dining options. Budding photographers might like to know that Australian photographer Max Dupain shot his iconic “Sunbaker” on Culburra Beach in 1937, which is reason enough for me to go there.
Culburra Beach looking towards Penguin Head Road
The town itself is sprawly and kind of ungainly, which could describe most settlements on the NSW coast, but what’s not to love about Australian beaches and coastal bush. Culburra was not designed by Walter Burley Griffin, as is popularly believed. It was called Wheeler’s Point, after the first white settler, until 1916, when it was changed to Culburra, an Aboriginal word meaning sand. It’s Jerrinja country and in September the Burradise Festival celebrates Aboriginal culture with live music, a Surf Bash tournament, markets and arts and crafts. This year it’s slated to run from Sept 23-25 (check the website https://www.loveculburrabeach.com.au/burradise-festival/burradise).
So, to start with the practicals:
1) The Woollies and BWS. If you’ve filled the car with boogie boards, towels, beach umbrellas and dog paraphernalia, you can stock up here after you’ve unloaded at the rental and ascertained if the house provides basics such as tea, salt and loo rolls. Not all properties are equal. We stayed in an excellent Airbnb on Silvermere St in a very pretty 3-bed house with a big old gum out the front and the most gorgeous outdoor shower - you’ll know it from the photographs.
Expresso Martini at The Little Snapper
2) The restaurants. These include Loco Lane - a lively Mexican with an outdoor patio; the Little Snapper, a seafood joint with an Asian theme and cocktails; the expansive Bowlo, which has a playground for kids and serves everything from Mongolian lamb to a sirloin; Freaks of Nature Food Van which doles out delicious vegan food on the weekends; Burra Beach Eats which offers a range of fish & chips & salads, and The Growers and the Butter Factory with their finer dining options a short drive away. The menu at Bangalay Dining is right on vogue with pickled quandong, warrigal greens and lemon myrtle dressing. It’s in Shoalhaven Heads, a 40-minute drive. Or stay put and order from Mirritya Mundya, who provide “Indigenous Twist Food Journeys” and come highly recommended.
3) The coffee. So long as there’s one place to buy decent coffee, I’m happy. The home Nespresso is ok, but I need a machine-brewed hit. Food is More at the patrolled end of the beach kept me topped up with iced lattes in my nifty keep cup. Frankie’s Coffee Van in town takes coffee very seriously.
4) The oysters. It’s a 15-minute drive to Greenwell Point. This place is worth visiting just to soak up the Cannery Row atmosphere. Up near the oyster beds the road is made from crushed oyster shells and rotting wooden crates are piled up near the sheds. We buy from Crookhaven Rokk’s.
5) Perfect boogie board waves. At low tide, the waves come rolling gently in at 3 to 4 feet, large enough to carry a heffalump like me in to shore at a thrilling pace, but not too scary for featherweight kids. Smile at the friendly lifesavers. I had a long chat to an Aboriginal woman who left Culburra, travelled the world and returned, because there’s nowhere like home.
6) The dog-friendly beach. You can take your pooch on-leash at any time, but in the summer, he or she can frolic off-leash between 4pm and 8am. I took Charlie in the morning and popped him under the umbrella, which was a useful anchor point. Charlie wasn’t a huge fan of the beach, so when I took the photo below, I tied him to the stick!
7) Wollumboola Lake. Part of the Jervis Bay National Park and home to a variety of birds, depending on the depth of the lake, this is a beautiful spot. The names of the birds read like poetry. You might spot Black swans, Chestnut Teals, Bar-Tailed Godwits, Fairy Terns, Red-capped Plovers, Egrets and the white-belled sea eagle. You can swim in the shallows and a walk past in the late afternoon will give you glorious photos.
8) Hammerhead Point Picnic Area. If you walked the entire length of Warrain Beach from Culburra you’d reach Hammerhead Point. The reef offshore here is part of the Jervis Bay Marine Park, so if you’re not scared of sharks bring your snorkel gear. We found the largest shark egg I’ve ever seen. Have a picnic and go beach combing. It’s rarely busy. In winter you’ll see whales.
9) Callala Bay. On stormy days or when the blue bottles float in, head to the protected shore of Callala Bay. This beach is so idyllic and usually quiet. We spent 12 days in Callala last year. The water is like frilly glass and the sand squeaky clean underfoot.
Callala Bay at low tide
10) Nowra Art Gallery, or the Library. When it rains, as it did this summer, and you’re tired of games in the house, the Nowra Art Gallery is 22 minutes from Culburra. The gallery is small, but it never disappoints. I often buy a local handicraft from the cute gallery shop. The library facade, by artist Matt Adnate, is beautiful and a reminder of the Shoalhaven’s Aboriginal heritage
Whether you stay in Culburra, Callala or Currarong, this part of the Shoalhaven is beautiful. The craggy Budawang Mountain Range is the backdrop to flat, lush dairy fields and coastal bush. Don’t forget to visit the Jervis Bay Maritime Museum for its eclectic display of mastheads, scrimshaw, local history and the lovely boardwalk through the mangroves. And if you can, book in with Captain Dave of the Husky Ferry for the Currambene Creek Sunset cruise, $35pp with BYO food and wine. www.huskyferry.com
