This secret Aussie beach town is the new Byron Bay (but better)
This beach on Australia's east coast is so turquoise and tranquil it looks like it's from another planet. And it's less than four hours south of Sydney...
Banish Bendalong to the recesses of your memory, shut up about Jervis Bay, and let Byron die a peaceful Death By Influencer: there's a new turquoise haven in town, and it's not one you're likely to have heard of.
That's right: what if I told you there is a place in NSW that's prettier than the Maldives?
The beach in question is unassuming. It's got a fishing platform off the southern end, a short stretch of sand in the middle, and a rock platform with trees extending almost to the water's edge to the north.
So far, so south coast.
Image credit: Andrew Gregory
But if you catch it in nice light, it looks ethereal.
On a sunny, calm day, the Shoalhaven sand shines brighter than the sun, and the water is more flamboyant than a Matt Preston blazer.
Whether it's aquamarine, cerulean, turquoise or cornflour blue - it really doesn't matter. It depends on the caprices of the sky (and the clouds may change that on an every-ten-minute basis).
The road down to the carpark is only short, but it's more pothole ridden than some of the worst stretches of war torn Afghanistan.
I even, (at the next carpark down), scratched up my awning so badly by driving too close to the bushes (in an attempt to avoid the gaping chasms in the ground), it looked like I'd been struck by a missile.
Once you park and walk down to the beach though, you will be rewarded by the kind of serenity you might associate with Nusa Penida, or - if we're being really dramatic - the Maldives.
There are also some fancy accomodations now popping up nearby, capitalising on the serenity, and offering things like barefoot weddings and outdoor baths. There's almost a Byron Bay (before it exploded) feel about it.
I've been here twice (once camping on a nearby beach, and once in a Hipcamp on a nearby farm) and I can attest it's far more relaxed than the main beach at Jervis Bay (Hyams) and literal worlds apart from Byron Bay.
The only thing stopping you from having the perfect 'mermaid core' experience is the fishermen chumming the waters, making snorkelling feel a little bit sketchy.
Before I go any further about this fanciful paradise, where is it, exactly?
Bawley Beach.
Videos of this humble stretch of sand, which is located in Bawley Point (a small town about an hour's drive south of Jervis Bay) are bouncing around online, with one TikTok user claiming it is "the most beautiful beach in southern nsw with resident stingrays."
Though it can also be grey and stormy, she is right in that it often has stingrays. In fact you could argue it's like Bendalong Boat Ramp but better (it's less well known, so there will be less tourists trying to get photos).
As one TikTok user commented: "This is supposed to be SECRET, SHH."
Source: Escape.com.au