Almost ten years ago, Catherine and I visited Merimbula for the first time on our way home from Sydney. Nestled neatly between Sydney and Melbourne on the coastal route, it is about as good a half-way house as I can picture.
There’s something about the combination of amazing beaches and oysters that feels luxurious. In the same way I love Margaret River for the combination of wine and surfing, Merimbula became a place that we spoke fondly of when we got back to Melbourne.
Not too long after we had little Sydney, and the hopes of regular six / seven hour drives to Merimbula disappeared. Having built up courage in the form of a collection of screens, we decided it was time for a week in Merimbula with our little guy, now six going on seven. The drive went splendid there and back (truly).
It is both easy and challenging to write a quick guide to Merimbula and surrounds. Easy because it is a beautiful place with plenty of highlights; challenging because those highlights are probably very similar for most visitors so if you have already checked out another guide apologies in advance for the lack of diversity.
The tyranny of distance has an impact in this area. Many businesses see through the test of time, but it seems more do not make it through the quiet times. Add to this there is a fair bit of inconsistency, and changes in ownership and staff. Below is a bit of a journal of our time starting at Boxing Day 2025, and ending early in the new year that is 2026.
Here’s a map of the following places: Merimbula
Accommodation – we stayed at Beach Cabins Merimbula and it is everything you could hope for a family beach holiday. It is in a tremendous location close to the Short Point beach (technically Tura, but much closer to Merimbula town). The owners are helpful and friendly, and the pool is clean (but due to the lower than usual temperatures over this period it was definitely fresh!)
Worthy of a New Year’s Eve feed? – Umi-Ko Izakaya is a sister restaurant to Monti Bar and Restaurant which we didn’t get to try. In the mood for a lot of great food, we tried a bunch of offerings at Umi-Ko and everything was impressive, even more so for the fact the restaurant was fully booked and heaving, with one table after another. Yet another venue along Merimbula Drive, the applause for this Japanese Izakaya was reverberating all around the restaurant and beyond.
Best wine bar – though not necessarily the best place for Syd, we found an excellent wine bar across the road from Daytrip Store in the form of Bar Superette. For such an excellent seafood area, the wine options are generally very safe and cheap, but at Bar Superette there is the right amount of balance between interest and expense. We didn’t eat here, but several around us vouched for the food as it was disappearing in zest.
Best burgers – the legendary Dulcie’s has been around for ages, and has stood the test of time for good reason. You simply can’t go past great burgers, drinks, and atmosphere when relaxing in a great country town. The venue is set down from the road to create even more good vibes, and the old house is candle lit by night. Kids are welcome but I understand earlier is better before it really kicks into gear. Shout out to Syd’s friend Kade whose parents are locals and met here several years back just to add even more mystique to the joint!
Wheeler’s Seafood Restaurant and Oyster Bar – is another iconic venue that is in Pambula, and less than a 15 minute drive from the middle of Merimbula even in holiday traffic. As much as I enjoyed the second time here, it was evident that ownership had recently changed and there were some classic country town holiday staff issues. Gladly we were catching up with a bunch of people and the fact our food took forever to be ordered (and then served) didn’t impact our group too much. The oysters are amazingly fresh and particularly good value relative to the city, but going to oyster farms direct can find some even better deals by the dozen.
Bunga Raya Satay House – have you ever had to close your eyes and trust that the reviews are right? We had an early family dinner at Bunga Raya and comforted ourselves that we were eating early so the punters would come later. Besides a bunch of take away, they never did. We asked the owners and they were packed for lunch, but some nights do a lot more takeaway, even during holiday periods. Either way, the food was great, and we found ourselves following the crowd and ordering takeaway only a few nights later. It’s not as easy to find as it should be so look for the laneway off the bottom of Merimbula Drive.
Coffee in town – the best hot and cold coffee I found in Merimbula was at Daytrip Store, which doubles as a gift store. Merimbula Drive is the best street in the town and we found ourselves around this way many times.
Note: Photo credit to daytripstore.com
Morning coffee – Every day started with the coffee van down the road from our accommodation. High Tide is a semi-permanent coffee van overlooking Short Point and opens at the very convenient time of 6.30am (for families with kids who wake early). The coffee here is good, and the convenience if staying nearby, or checking out the surf, is great too.
Coffee at the calm beach – Mitchies Jetty is iconic for a reason. The little secluded bay is anything but a secret, swarming with people waiting long periods for their coffee as they chomp on one of the excellent doughnuts on offer. While the swimming is friendly there is a current not far away as you get towards the Passage, and on the other side surf smacks the long white sandy beach, with Merimbula Bar often having world class waves.
The biggest surprise – A short drive away in Tura stands the Tura Beach Country Club and its Porterhouse Bistro. We heard from our friends who are locals that this was a bit of a secret, and the view, atmosphere, and value-for-money, were all top notch. New Year’s Day fell on a Thursday, which was pizza night, and they did a nice job.
Worth a go, but be warned – with every caveat known to man, we did have a nice time at Merimbula Wharf. It was the holiday period, in a restaurant on the water, with a skeleton staff. The chefs were sweating profusely. Wait times for everything were lengthy. It goes to show that nice people doing their best, and offering some compensation (a free look at the Aquarium below that is normally charged at what seems to be too large an expense), can make a difference. The food itself, oysters and fish & chips, was great, but at a restaurant on the water with a reputation, you would expect it to be.
On the tourist side of things, naturally we came for the beaches, which are beautiful. We spent time at Tathra, Tura / Short Point, Merimbula Bar beach (northern side of The Passage), Merimbula Main beach, and Pambula Main beach, missing the famed Pambula Rivermouth. The Spencer Park near town has great access to the sandbanks going out into the river. We ventured to Sapphire Coast Races for the Tathra Cup, which put on a great show; the crowd getting towards a comfortable capacity.
There’s heaps more to do and see, but for a family who loves the beach, and finding great food, we had a tremendous time.
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