Bermagui Travel Guide: Blue Pool, Horse Head Rock & Coastal Walks

Bermagui (or “Bermie” to the locals) sits on the NSW Sapphire Coast, around 5 and a half hours from Sydney, or 3 and a half hours from Canberra. It’s a little far for a quick weekend dash, but worth making the drive for: a gorgeous marina area, good cafes and restaurants, and excellent coastal walking.

The town itself is compact enough to explore mostly on foot. In just a weekend you can combine a swim at the Blue Pool, a trip to Horse Head Rock, an evening at the Bermagui Beach Hotel watching the sun go down over Horseshoe Bay, and plenty of time simply wandering between the harbour, the beaches and the headland.

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Yes, especially if you want a relaxed coastal escape without the crowds of the closer South Coast towns. Bermagui gives you a walkable harbour town, standout seafood, two very different ocean pools, several beaches within walking distance, and a coastal walk out to Horse Head Rock that feels like a real reset after the drive down.

• The Blue Pool, a historic tidal rock pool for calm swimming while the waves crash against the rocks just nearby.
• Horse Head Rock and Camel Rock, an easy coastal walk past unusual rock formations.
• An excellent dining scene for a small town, from bakery pastries to a good seafood lunch and a bar with a view.
• A walkable town: harbour, beaches, headland and cafes are all close together.
• The Yuin Cultural Heritage Trail, tracing First Nations history around the headland.
• Whale watching from the headlands between September and November.

Distance from Sydney	Around 5 hours and 30 minutes, 387 km
Distance from Canberra	Around 3 hours and 30 minutes, 276 km
Best for	Couples, walkers, families, seafood lovers, quiet coastal escapes
Known for	The Blue Pool, Horse Head Rock, the working marina and Sapphire Coast fishing
Ideal stay	2 to 3 nights
Best time to visit	Spring to autumn for swimming and kayaking; winter for quiet beaches and whale watching.
Accommodation	Bermagui Beach Hotel is our pick for a central, upmarket stay overlooking Horseshoe Bay. For other options, check both Booking.com and Stayz as they list different properties

• 1 night: Enough for the Horse Head Rock walk, a wander around Dickinson Point, the Blue Pool and the marina and one good dinner, but you may feel rushed.
• 2 nights: The best fit for most visits. You can swim in the Blue Pool, walk out to Horse Head Rock, explore the marina and Fishermans Wharf, and fit in two or three of the town’s best meals.
• 3+ nights: Gives you time to add the Yuin Cultural Heritage Trail, a kayak tour on Wallaga Lake in warmer weather, and day trips further along the Sapphire Coast.

Walk to Horse Head Rock and Camel Rock

Around 9 km north of Bermagui, and directly on your way in if you’re driving from Sydney, this is one of the best first stops in the area. Park at the Camel Rock car park and you can walk straight down to the beach to see Camel Rock, or take the viewing platform if you’d rather not walk on sand.

From there it’s around 750 metres past Camel Rock to Horse Head Rock itself, and slightly further on you’ll find Dragon Tail Rock, a long rock formation sloping into the water.

The track is easy to follow but runs along unfenced cliff edges in places, so keep a close eye on children.

Personal note: This is definitely worth doing as soon as you arrive. After a long drive down, it’s a lovely reset: the rock formations are instantly recognisable, and the walk itself is short enough to do without much planning.

Swim at the Blue Pool

The Blue Pool is a historic tidal rock pool on the walk up to Dickinson Point, worth combining with Anchors Cove on the way. It was originally a smaller, natural tidal swimming hole, and in the 1930s it was expanded with steps and a rectangular pool, including a separate children’s pool alongside it.

Personal note: We last visited at sunrise in winter and people were already swimming. It was calm, clear and cold enough to snap you awake fast. There is also a kids’ pool next to the main pool which is a good option if you’re travelling with young children who need shallower water. This was empty when we last visited.

There are a fair few steps down to reach the pool, but it is worth going to look over the pool, even if you don’t go all the way down for a swim. While you are visiting, look out for Python Cove just to the south of the pool, which is often busy with seals swimming and waving their flippers at the surface.

Explore Dickinson Point and Cowrie Beach

Dickinson Point is a large grassy headland next to the main beach and is a good spot for a picnic or for whale watching in season. Just behind the war memorial there’s another grassed picnic area, and from there you can scramble down to Cowrie Beach to explore the rocks and look out for seals.

It’s a nice, easy walk to combine Dickinson Point and the Blue Pool as they are less than 1 km apart. Along the way you can also look out at Anchors Cove and read some of the interpretive signs for the Yuin Cultural Heritage Trail.

Check out the views from Sunrise Point

On the other side of Horseshoe Bay Beach is Sunrise Point, a grassy headland with incredible rock formations off the headland, excellent whale watching (in season) and a great spot to watch the sunrise.

Cool off at Bruce Steer Ocean Swimming Pool

Tucked in beside the marina, Bruce Steer Ocean Swimming Pool is a protected, netted saltwater pool with calm water and a sandy beach shore, making it an easy, safe option for young children. There are toilets nearby and a ramp for wheelchair access to the pool. Even if you don’t want to swim in the pool, it’s a nice walk along the breakwater between the pool and the harbour.

Follow all or part of the Yuin Cultural Heritage Trail

The full Yuin Cultural Heritage Trail runs around 15 km and you’ll find signs throughout along the way explaining the sacred places, history and significance of different landmarks to the Dijringanj Clan of the Yuin Nation. The Bermagui Information Centre is a good spot to start and you can pick up a map of the trail, including a booklet with the details on each trail site.

If you don’t fancy a full 15 km walk, you can also do this in two smaller parts – one section around Bermagui itself, and then drive up to walk a second section around Camel Rock and Horse Head Rock.

Have a beach day

Bermagui has a good spread of beaches within easy reach of town:

• Horseshoe Bay Beach is the main beach right in front of town, calm and good for a morning swim, patrolled in summer, with cafes and coffee close by to refuel afterwards.
• Beares Beach, on the other side of the Dickinson Point headland, is the closest surf beach to Bermagui.
• Morehead Beach starts on the north side of the breakwall, reached by crossing the Wallaga Lake Road bridge. It’s quieter than Horseshoe Bay, and the southern end is dog-friendly.
• Further afield again are Cuttagee Beach and Lake, and Armands Beach (clothing optional).

Try your luck at Montreal Goldfield

Montreal Goldfield is one of Australia’s few coastal goldfields, and it’s only accessible by guided tour, running Thursday to Sunday at 1.45pm.

Planning note: Montreal Goldfield is closed for site works during winter, so check current tour dates before you plan your visit around it. We visited during a closure period, so have bookmarked for our next visit.

Kayak or paddleboard

You can hire kayaks and stand-up paddleboards from the BIG4 holiday park on Wallaga Lake, around a 10 minute drive from Bermagui. Navigate Expeditions also run guided three-hour kayak tour on Bermagui River if you’d rather not go it alone.

Other activities

If you are staying for longer than a weekend:

• Day spa: There are a surprising number of day spa options for a town this size, including o’shen for sauna and massage, Eco Salon Day Spa for facials and treatments, and Sage Health Studio for massage and facials.
• Boutique shopping: Bermagui has a small but good selection of boutiques. Drift and Odyssea are two of our favourites, both stocking homewares, books, candles and gifts.
• Fresh produce: There’s also a Growers Market at Bermagui Fishermans Wharf on Thursday afternoons (3pm to 6pm).
• Fishing: There are fishing charters and boat hire available from the marina.
• Golf with a view: The Bermagui Country Club has a golf course if you’re travelling with your clubs.

Bermagui has an impressive selection of dining options, including a couple of standout lunch spots, and enough dinner options to fill a few nights. Book ahead where you can, and keep an eye on opening days as several venues close midweek.

• Bakery favourite for pastries and coffee: Honorbread
• Seafood lunch with harbour views: Octopii
• Contemporary Asian in the wharf precinct: Onya
• Classic pub meals and sunset views: Bermagui Beach Hotel
• Small cafe with quirky specials: Eurolicious
• Bar on the wharf: The Harbar

Honorbread

Honorbread is a locals’ favourite for a reason. The counter is takeaway only, but there’s a small cafe area to eat in a few doors down (pick up a buzzer to collect your coffee and food when it’s ready). Coffee comes in keep cups only, which you can buy for $3 if you don’t have your own. The croissants are excellent, and the “good morning bun”, a pastry topped with egg, cheese, ham and relish, is a personal favourite. Beyond pastries, there’s a good range of pies, sausage rolls and sourdough bread.

Octopii

Octopii is a seafood-focused spot right on the marina, known for its fishermans pie, and it’s a great option for either breakfast or lunch given the views across the water. It’s also a good spot to linger over a coffee in the morning or a glass of wine at lunch, rather than a quick in-and-out.

Personal note: We ordered the seafood linguine and the laksa to share and both were huge and delicious.

Onya

Onya is a contemporary Asian restaurant in the Fishermans Wharf precinct, open for dinner on a limited schedule so it’s worth checking current nights before booking. It’s casual and well suited to a relaxed evening by the water.

Bermagui Beach Hotel

The Bermagui Beach Hotel bistro is open for lunch or dinner, seven days a week, with classic pub food: chicken parmigiana, burgers and a rotating list of specials (we had an excellent Thai red curry). It’s also one of the best spots in town to watch the sunset, so try to snag one of the seats along the front. Even in the middle of winter, ceiling heaters keep the outdoor area warm enough to sit out until the sun goes down. Inside there’s a casual bistro area, a bar and a separate restaurant space if you want something a little more sit-down.

Eurolicious

Eurolicious is a small, friendly cafe with breakfast classics like eggs benedict and egg and bacon rolls (known as “The Traveller”), plus some unusual specials. Later in the day you’ll find pork schnitzel rolls, German hot dogs, beer, wine and cider on the menu.

Personal note: We ordered the kimchi, peanut butter and cheese toasted sandwich, mostly out of curiosity, but it was actually delicious.

The Harbar

The Harbar sits on the second floor of the marina with a happy hour on Thursdays from 4 to 6, a great cocktail (and mocktail) menu, excellent wine list and grazing menu.

Bermagui Beach Hotel

The Bermagui Beach Hotel is the pick for a central, upmarket stay. The front rooms look out across a grassy green to the ocean, and the renovation strikes a good balance between staying true to the pub’s original character and feeling comfortable and current. Check-in is 2pm and check-out 10am.

Personal note: Check-in was easy, and the team at the front desk was friendly and full of tips on where to go nearby. The room itself was upmarket without losing the feel of a historic pub, and the balcony, sunny for most of the day, was one of our favourite spots to sit with a morning coffee or a sunset glass of wine.

Bermagui Motor Inn

The Bermagui Motor Inn is centrally located, with the beach and marina right across the road and Honorbread right around the corner for morning coffee and pastries. The property is clean, comfortable and good value, especially off season.

Alternatives to consider

If you’d prefer more space, look at self-contained options along the river or closer to Wallaga Lake, which tend to suit families or groups better. Check both Booking.com and Stayz, as they list different properties.

• Spring: Good for walking weather and quieter beaches before the summer rush.
• Summer: Best for swimming and kayaking on Wallaga Lake.
• Autumn: A reliable all-rounder, with cooler walking conditions and still enough warmth for a Blue Pool swim.
• Winter: Quieter with off-season rates. Good for whale watching.

2-night itinerary

Day 1: Drive in and settle in

If you’re coming from the north in to Bermagui, head straight to Horse Head Rock and Camel Rock for a coastal walk to reset after the drive. Head to your accommodation to check in, then take an afternoon walk around Dickinson Point, the beach and Sunrise Point. Finish with dinner and sunset drinks at the Bermagui Beach Hotel bistro.

Day 2: Blue Pool, harbour and coastal walking

Start early with a swim at the Blue Pool, then walk around to Fishermans Wharf. Have breakfast at Octopii, then spend the late morning browsing the boutiques around town, or swimming at the beach. In the afternoon, walk part of the Yuin Cultural Heritage Trail from the Information Centre, or head to Montreal Goldfield if the guided tour is running. Finish with dinner at Elsewhere or Onya.

Day 3: Slow morning before you go

Have breakfast at Eurolicious, then take a last wander along the harbour and Fishermans Wharf before heading off.

Bermagui isn’t a big nightlife town. Dining hours are limited midweek, several of the best venues close one or two days a week, and you’ll want to book ahead rather than turn up expecting a table. It’s also not a quick weekend trip from Sydney: at around 5 hours’ drive, this is best suited as part of a longer South Coast holiday.

Bermagui is around 5 and a half hours from Sydney by car, largely along the Princes Highway. From Canberra, it’s a more manageable 3 and a half hours.

Narooma

Narooma is around 34 km, or roughly 25 minutes, north of Bermagui, and makes an easy add-on if you want to extend your Sapphire Coast trip. See our Narooma travel guide for penguin and seal tours, fresh oysters and more coastal walking.

• Book dinner ahead wherever you can. Several of Bermagui’s best venues are small and close midweek.
• Check current Montreal Goldfield tour dates before planning around it. It closes for site works over parts of winter.
• Take care on the unfenced cliff sections of the Horse Head Rock walk, especially with children.
• Bring a car. Most of Bermagui’s walks and beaches are close together, but you’ll still want your own transport to get around comfortably and travel up to Horse Head Rock.

Is Bermagui good for families?

Yes, particularly for families with younger children. Bruce Steer Ocean Swimming Pool is calm and protected and Horseshoe Bay Beach is patrolled in summer. Take extra care at the unfenced sections of the Horse Head Rock walk.

Is Bermagui good for couples?

Yes. A sunrise swim at the Blue Pool, the walk out to Horse Head Rock, and dinner watching the sunset from the Bermagui Beach Hotel make for a good couples weekend, especially outside the busiest summer weeks.

Is Bermagui walkable?

Yes. The harbour, main beach, Blue Pool, Dickinson Point and Sunrise Point are all connected by walkable paths, so you can string together a good morning or afternoon without needing the car.

Who is Bermagui best for?

Bermagui suits travellers who want a coastal escape with good food and beach swims and walks, rather than a packed itinerary: couples, walkers and anyone happy to trade proximity to Sydney for a quieter, more far-flung stretch of coast.