Ulladulla (NSW)

About Ulladulla

Historically Ulladulla was an important port for the local timber and dairy industry. Today the harbour is home to a fleet of commercial fishing trawlers but, increasingly, the town has become a coastal holiday resort and popular place for retirement. It is one of those rare places on the New South Wales coast where the main artery – the Princes Highway – actually passes the harbour which, with its two boat ramps, is nestled between enclosing headlands. On either side of the town there are holiday beaches, seven lakes and in the hinterland there are state forests, mountain ranges and national parkland which are ideal for bushwalks and scenic drives (sourced from the Aussie Towns website – click for more).

It was ANZAC Day when we made the trip from Bateau Bay to Ulladulla (maplink) and we planned to skirt around the western side of Sydney using the motorways. We plotted the course on our car GPS but actually did not take too much notice to the southern end of the route until we found that we were to travel through the Kangaroo Valley.

This would normally be a beautifully scenic drive but not when you’re dragging a 8 metre, 2.8 tonne caravan! Plus the other factor we did not consider – most of the country town’s main streets (eg Bowral) were closed for ANZAC Day marches, so we were detoured through the back streets, once again a lot more difficult when dragging a massive caravan behind you.

We finally made it to one of our favourite locations in Australia, Ulladulla Holiday Haven Caravan Park. Merrisa’s mum and step-dad lived in Mollymook (part of Ulladulla) for about 15 years and we had spent many holidays there.

Mollymook

Merrisa’s mum and step-dad lived in Mollymook (part of Ulladulla) for about 15 years and we had spent many holidays there. They owned the Biltaange Holiday Flats. So it’s always nice to drop in to see how much it’s changed.

Pebbly Beach

One of our favourite beaches on the south coast of NSW is Pebbly Beach with it’s friendly kangaroos and other wildlife. It is in between Ulladulla and Batemans Bay (maplink).

Nelligen

Dropped into a nice little town near Batemans Bay called Nelligen (maplink), which is located where the Kings Highway (road from Batemans Bay to Canberra) crosses the Clyde River.

We had lunch on the side of the river while watching eager young fisherman trying their luck at catching some Bream.

Narrawallee and Lake Conjola

When our kids were little we always took them to Narrawallee on hot windy days for a swim. It was always sheltered and the water was shallow for toddlers. We headed down to check it out and the small town has grown a bit and now they have the Playgrounds General Store at the carpark – coffee’s all round. Otherwise it is the same picturesque inlet it was 20 years ago.

The other place we frequented in the old days was Lake Conjola, up the coast a bit from Ulladulla. Once again it was as beautiful as it used to be. The caravan park has certainly improved a lot and we marked it down as a future place to stay. You really need a boat or canoe at this location to take in the area. The new raised boardwalk provides a great way to explore the Conjola headland with views out to Green Island.