Hotels in Merimbula, Australia

A little about Merimbula...

Merimbula is a small coastal town on the Far South Coast or Sapphire Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Merimbula has an approximate population of 6367, and serves predominantly as a tourist town.

Merimbula is one of only a few towns on the South Coast of NSW to have its own airport, Merimbula Airport. There are daily flights from Sydney and Melbourne to Merimbula. Flights from Sydney often stop in Moruya.

Transport: Situated just off the national highway 1, the Princes Highway, Merimbula has the advantage of being nearly the same distance to both Sydney and Melbourne, with both trips taking between 6 and 7 hours to drive. It is approximately 3 hours drive to Australia's capital Canberra.

Activities: Merimbula has five main beaches - Main Beach (or Merimbula Beach), Mitchies Jetty, Bar Beach, Spencer Park Beach and Short Point. Main beach and Short Point are considered to be the best beaches for surfing, whilst Bar Beach is a snorkeling hotspot. Other activities include whale watching, fishing, kitesurfing and boating. With a decent percentage of the population being retirees golf and lawn bowls are popular as well. Merimbula is also a great location for scuba diving, with the Sponge gardens at Yellow Rock and the Empire Gladstone wreck off nearby Haycock Point popular dives. Merimbula is close to Bournda National Park, South East Forest National Park and the northern end of Ben Boyd National Parks. A coastal walk running through Bournda National Park from Tathra to Tura Beach just north of Merimbula takes in wonderful coastal scenery.

Events: Merimbula is the host of the Australian Native Orchid Show, held in Twyfold Hall. Another event that is drawing more and more people each year is the Annual Jazz Festival. While a much smaller festival, a Country Music Festival is held in the Merimbula-Imlay Bowling Club around the beginning of November each year.

Merimbula has a popular windsurfing and kiteboarding festival, the Mambo. This is held in late November each year. Adding colour to the skies for the period of the competition.

Attractions: Merimbula offers a range of activities from horse riding to roller coaster rides. Magic Mountain, Merimbula's own theme park has a roller coaster and one of the best toboggan slopes in New South Wales. Top Fun is a games arcade offering Ten Pin Bowling, Mini Golf and Zone 3 Laser maze. The Merimbula Wharf offers its own aquarium full of some of the common sea creatures on the Sapphire Coast. 10 kilometres to the west of Merimbula along the Princes Highway towards Bega, you will find Potoroo Palace. This nature park has a collection of native species with some hands on opportunities for the children. It also cares for injured or orphaned animals.