Enjoy the Shoalhaven
Shoalhaven Heads is an easy and scenic two hour drive south on the Princes Highway from Sydney and a pleasant 3 hour drive north on the Hume Highway from Canberra.
The Shoalhaven region is a year-round destination, where you can beach hop all day, window shop through charming local villages, or challenge yourself on a nearby walking track designed to reward you with breathtaking panoramas stretching from the country through to the coast.
Bangalay is proud to parter with local businesses to provide Bangalay guests with a diverse and exciting array of experiences, all within a short drive of Bangalay. Our concierge can assist guests to plan and book recommended experiences to ensure you see the best of the South Coast during your stay.
Enjoy a round of Golf
Enjoy a round of golf at the South Coast’s best golf courses during your stay at Bangalay Luxury Villas, with numerous golf courses dotted along the coastline. You can golf-hop your way down the coast with friends, spending your days chasing that elusive hole in one.
Beach Horse Riding
Regal Horseriding School is based just on the outskirts of Shoalhaven Heads and is a great way to see Seven Mile Beach from a different perspective – on horseback!
Whale Watching & Luxury Sailing
The Shoalhaven region stretches over 160 kilometres of spectacular coastline. It’s a paradise of marine life including whales, seals, dolphins, penguins, shorebirds which can be spotted during your stay.
Sample the South Coast’s Best Wines
The South Coast climate and geography provides ideal conditions for grape varieties including Chardonnay, Verdelho, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Chambourcin, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. Bangalay Luxury Villas is positioned just a few minutes drive from some of the best wineries on the South Coast.
South Coast Beaches
Here on the South Coast we are spoilt for choice with beaches. From gentle, child friendly swimming coves to epic barrelling wave beaches to test the keenest surfer, the South Coast is the watery backyard of many champion surfers raised on the South Coast. Read on for our pick of South Coast beaches to discover, and if you’re really feeling enthusiastic, take the Shoalhaven’s 100 Beach Challenge.
Private Yoga Sessions
Feel part of something bigger with a private and inspirational yoga session in a scenic setting.
Nature and Coastal Walks
Explore our abundant National Parks or challenge yourself on a nearby walking track. Reward yourself with breathtaking panoramas stretching from the country through to the coast.
South Coast’s Picturesque Towns
The South Coast is a year-round destination, spend your days window shopping through charming local villages. Meet friends for coffee and a bite to eat in the many local cafes making up the trendy café scene. Take a drive and explore the quaint country lanes and winding, leafy drives in the hinterland, South Coast villages are teeming with places to explore and things to do. Read on for our suggestions during your stay at Bangalay.
School Holiday Surf School
Seven Mile Beach at Gerroa consistently delivers ideal surf conditions for beginner surfers. This location combined with Gerroa Surf School’s expert instruction and high quality surfing equipment provide the ultimate learn to surf experience.
Bike Riding
Bangalay has complimentary bikes on offer if you’d like to get outdoors and enjoy some physical activity. The Shoalhaven Heads Pump Track, located opposite Bangalay, offers family-friendly recreation of the wheeled variety. It’s a fun way to get outdoors, lure the kids away from their screens and enjoy some physical activity.
Market to Market
The South Coast is brimming with passionate, creative and vibrant locals, offering a diverse range of crafts, produce and specialties across a range of interests. We have compiled a list of markets you won’t want to miss during your stay at Bangalay.
Bigfoot Adventures
A trip to Shoalhaven Heads wouldn’t be complete without a ride up Coolangatta Mountain on the huge yellow custom-built tractor called Bigfoot! Hold on and take in the view as you steadily make your way to 1000ft elevation on the summit of Coolangatta Mountain. Enjoy the incredible view of the coastline before travelling back down and through the historic village of Coolangatta Estate. Be sure to make time to visit the cellar door after your adventure and enjoy a delicious meal at the Estate’s restaurant, Alexander’s Grill.
Coolangatta Historic Village Estate
Coolangatta is the home of early European settlement in the Shoalhaven, and many historic buildings remain. You can take a tour in ‘Bigfoot’, Coolangatta’s custom built big yellow tractors which journey though Coolangatta Village, scaling up Coolangatta Mountain to the summit for a lookout over the Coast and then back down again where you can visit the cellar door, tasting their multi-award winning wines and enjoy a meal at the restaurant afterwards.
Master the waves at Shoalhaven Heads Surf School
Have you always watched on enviously as surfers took to the waters and glided back to the shore on a wave? Michael Chapple at Shoalhaven Heads Surf School is a patient and skilled teacher, ensuring you know all the basics before attempting your first run and he has an amazing success rate at teaching people to surf. With the beach only a few hundred metres away from Bangalay, book in a lesson with Michael and you’ll be up and hanging ten in no time!
Gourmet Cooking Classes
There are a few cooking schools in the area where you can use delicious local produce and turn it into a mouth-watering creation. Impress your friends at your next dinner party or spoil that someone special with a lovely homemade meal.
Food & Wine Tours
The best way to experience the local wineries is through a winery tour- you don’t have to have a designated driver so you can all enjoy yourself and sample the area’s delicious drops! Kenny’s Escapes and Foodscape Tours are well regarded for their great tours, full of great banter and product knowledge.
Fishing charters
If you’re a keen angler, you’ll know that fisherman come from far and wide to the South Coast to experience the thrilling fishing available in the area. St Georges Basin, near Huskisson, is a great place to catch dusky flathead and big bream in the calm waters. If you’re after a marlin or dolphin fish, you can go out to the cliffs off Currarong where the swell is huge but the rewards are bigger!
Oyster tours
The Shoalhaven is the start of Australia’s Oyster Coast, so you know you’ll be spoilt with the delicious morsels who have grown up in the pristine Shoalhaven waters. A drive out to Greenwell Point will have you at the oyster growers location, where you can chat with the oyster growers themselves, have the oysters shucked and take home a few dozen to share (or not!)
Kayaking tours
One of the best ways to get out and experience the local waterways is by kayak, where you can just sit back and listen to the birdlife calling, the fish jumping and the insects humming. It really is a beautiful natural orchestra! Explore little rivers and creeks or take your kayak out into the Bay or ocean, depending on your skill level.
Go wild at the Shoalhaven Zoo
Shoalhaven Zoo boasts an extensive collection of native and exotic animals, set in amongst the most spectacular natural rock formations and bushland, all on the banks of the beautiful Shoalhaven River.