Jervis Bay National Park
Tourism New South Wales

Highlights

Jervis Bay

Part of this area is in Jervis Bay Territory (the third and least-known mainland territory of Australia) and includes the national capital’s seaport. The bay, partially flanked by Jervis Bay National Park, is known for its dramatic underwater landscapes and its dolphins; diving and dolphin cruises are available.

Central Tilba

Classified by the National Trust as an ‘unusual mountain village’, picturesque Central Tilba is a showcase for late-19th-century rural architecture, set in a magnificent mountain landscape. New buildings are required to meet National Trust specifications, maintaining the original charm of the streetscapes. Central Tilba was founded in 1895 as a goldmining town, but now caters for tourists with cafes, galleries and art and craft shops.

Mimosa Rocks National Park

The park, named after a wrecked paddlesteamer, crosses a landscape of beaches, sea caves, cliffs, forests and wetlands. Rocks tumble across the beaches and form impressive sculptural stacks. There are several secluded campsites, and swimming, walking, diving, fishing and birdwatching are among the activities on offer.

Montague Island Nature Reserve

This isolated island, accessed only by guided tour, is a major shearwater breeding site and home to 8000 pairs of little penguins and 600 Australian fur seals. Cruise from nearby Narooma to tour the island and learn about its history as a fertile hunting ground for the Walbanga and Djiringanj tribes, or you can see migrating humpback and killer whales off the island’s coast from September to November on a whale-watching cruise. Recently, stays in the lighthouse keeper’s quarters were introduced.

Mogo

Mogo is an old goldmining town that has been restored and turned into a tourist destination, with several craft shops and a zoo that specialises in raising endangered species. Visitors can pan for gold and take a mine tour at Goldfields Park, visit the reconstructed 19th-century goldmining village of Old Mogo Town or enjoy the sclerophyll forest of the Mogo Bushwalk.

Focus On: Aboriginal culture

Before European colonisation, the Yuin occupied the area from Jervis Bay to Twofold Bay, sustained by the produce of coast and rivers. Today the area remains steeped in Yuin history. At Wallaga Lake the Umbarra Cultural Centre offers tours, including one to the summit of Mt Dromedary (Gulaga) where, according to legend, the great creation spirit, Daramulun, ascended to the sky. Booderee National Park, in Jervis Bay Territory, is once again Yuin land after a successful 1995 land claim. Jointly managed by the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community and Parks Australia, Booderee has middens and other significant sites, and an art and craft centre. The Murramarang Aboriginal Area, near Bawley Point, offers a self-guide interpretive walk.