TRAVEL:

When travel and social restrictions are lifted, we’ll all be wanting to get out and about. Robin Hill has the perfect suggestion.

walking the Sapphire Coast in NSW

There is something wonderfully meditative about hiking in the Ben Boyd National Park on the far south coast of NSW. The ultra-pretty scenery on the 30 kilometre-plus

Light to Light walk can change so quickly as you stride past tuckedaway beaches to traverse areas of woodlands banksia, or gingerly step across a small stream surrounded by lush greenery. There’s barely another soul in sight, and the unspoilt surroundings are a reminder of how lucky we are to live in a part of the world where abundant natural beauty is so accessible to all.

Thirty kilometres may sound challenging to some city slickers, myself included, but rest assured: the walk is spread over three days, and the overall experience is so rewarding it will stay with you long after you have returned home to your creature comforts, and you’ll dream of returning here as soon as practicable.

The area

The Sapphire Coast, which includes the scenic seaside towns of Bermagui, Eden and Merimbula, is roughly equidistant from Sydney and Melbourne. Once famous for its flourishing whaling and fishing industries, these days logging and tourism are the key industries. Eden’s new wharf, built last August, had made it a rising star of Australian cruising – 23 ship visits had been planned this year – but first the bushfires and then coronavirus have left it in the lurch.

The walk

The Light to Light walk that our group of eight is doing starts at Boyds Tower (an incomplete lighthouse that was built in 1847 for merchant shipping magnate Benjamin Boyd) and finishes at Green Cape Lighthouse. Breaking it up over three days means you can stop regularly to check out historical sites, do some bird watching or breathe in the sea air and marvel at the surroundings. I particularly love the mornings, getting up early to do some stretching on a nearby beach, which I have to myself apart from a few swamp and rednecked-wallabies, and a handful of surfers bobbing on the shimmering silveryblue water.

Cam Read, who runs Light to Light Coastal Walks, offers guided walks for a groups of eight to 12 adults, has a wealth of knowledge about the region’s history, wildlife and vegetation, and his enthusiasm is infectious. Cam takes care of the walks and setting up camp, while his partner Tess prepares delicious meals and treats for us.

The walk on day one is billed as 13km, but has so many interesting diversions that my pedometer reads more than 18km by the time we return to camp. Sections of the walk on days two (about 9km) and three (about 8km) reveal a great variety of scenery: secluded beaches; rugged rocky cliff-tops with crashing waves beneath; and bushy forests with windswept, stunted scrubs and trees all leaning in one direction, looking like a hipster’s haircut.

The joys of bushwalking grow on us. By day three, I have totally settled into the groove: I’m so relaxed and removed from the hustle and bustle of city living, and it’s a feeling I want to wrap myself in permanently. Where do I sign up for more?

The food

Breakfast includes muesli, fresh fruit and yoghurt as well as an egg and bacon roll, tea and freshly brewed coffee. You won’t go hungry. We are offered fresh bread rolls, water and fruit to make up our own lunch pack, but it is dinner that is the highlight – perhaps most welcome because it comes after around seven hours on our (sore) feet! The emphasis is on showcasing local produce, and we enjoy everything from superb fresh oysters and cheese platters to slow-cooked lamb, fresh vegetables and apple crumble. (Any dietary preferences can be catered to). Red and white wines from local vinery Rusty Leg are on offer, as are boutique beers.

The ‘wow!’ moments

It’s spring and the burst of flowers – reds, whites, lilac hues – add a glorious touch to the scenery.

It’s also the time when southern right and humpback whales are migrating down the east coast – about 35,000 females make this journey towards Antarctica every year – and they enchant us with their acrobatics. On land we see roos, wallabies, yellow-tailed cockatoos, satin bowerbirds, echidnas, goannas, possums and wombats.

Even though each walker will naturally have their own ‘wow!’ moments, Cam says he hopes that every person he guides through Ben Boyd will leave with a deeper appreciation of how precious our environment is. AWW

Leather is not compulsory in Leather Jacket Bay, where nature’s rock art is captivating. Left: Mowarry Point.

While doing the walk, glorious walk, you get food, glorious food! Being out in the fresh air stimulates the senses, and meals seem to taste better as a result. This part of NSW is fertile and noted for its cheeses, and the seafood is tantalisingly fresh.

Left: Boyds Tower stands sentinel over the coast. Conceived as a lighthouse, it was used by whalers to track whales in Twofold Bay before being abandoned. But Green Cape Lighthouse (top) is still in operation and overnight accommodation is available there, including on the Light to Light walks. Top left: surf’s up near Saltwater Creek.