Wildflowers are blooming, whales frolic over rolling waves, and spicy, woody fragrances emanate from mahogany forests—a spring Broulee Island adventure beckons Eurobodalla visitors to not just step off the beaten path but leap away from it.
For visitors yearning for immersive travel experiences, a Broulee Island day trip offers action-packed itineraries, ranging from relaxed and lighthearted to moments that excite your senses. Blessed with a diverse array of activities to occupy families on tour with young and older kids, thrill seekers and people wanting memories to last a lifetime, visit the region this spring and mark off a destination that should be on everyone’s bucket list.
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If you want to make the most of your holidays and day trips to Broulee Island, spring can be one of the most rewarding times to visit. So what are you waiting for? Our guide covers everything you need to know, from listing the best vantage points for whale watching on Broulee Island to easy recommendations for starting on a hike that anyone can do. We even provide a complete Broulee Island itinerary to make it easier to book an exciting adventure. Read on!
August-September — the Best Time for a Eurobodalla Spring Adventure
Whether you’re looking to take advantage of school holidays or make an impromptu long weekend, the spring months of August to September are when nature and wildlife on Broulee Island really come alive.
Covering an area of 42 hectares the “island” is permanently connected to the mainland via a sand spit. And while the island is now heavily forested, it is easy to circumnavigate the entire island at low tide.
Whale Watching in Broulee Island or NSW Doesn’t Get Better Than This
Jutting out off the NSW coast, you’re in prime position to get one of the closest vantage points for whale watching. Broulee Island has a front-row seat as calves and cows begin their southern migration in late August through to October and early November. Travelling along the eastern Australian coast, species like humpbacks and southern right whales (or, if you’re really lucky, an orca) leave warm waters of the south pacific where they breed and calve.
While you can spot whales in April as they head north, it pays to wait to visit Broulee Island in spring. As baby calves find their feet (or tail), pods make a slower journey south, keeping a closer breadth to the shore and seeking refuge in bays, giving you more opportunities to see whales swimming freely, breaching the water and spy-hopping up close.
Birdwatching and Captivating Vistas
Broulee Island Nature Reserve is dominated by a forest of Southern Mahogany, a species of Eucalypt. The trees flower in Autumn and summer, but the scent of eucalyptus prevails year round. Along the shore, mangroves flourish.
With plentiful insects and food for local birdlife, you’re bound to spot the Superb Fairy Wren during a Broulee Island hike. Typically beginning their breeding season anywhere between August and September, breeding plumage of the male Superb Fairy-wren is an unmistakable bright blue.
Southern Mahogany trees and pockets of littoral rainforest provide excellent coverage for White-Bellied Sea Eagles. As you walk around Broulee Island, don’t forget to look up. You can spot their nests from the telltale large, bulbous design made from sticks. You might even be lucky to see one return fresh from hunting for fish across open water.
Broulee Island Itinerary
With so many spring activities, Eurobodalla will spoil you with its wide array of choices. For a fun-filled day, consider following our itinerary below to see the best Broulee Island has to offer.
Morning: Fuel your day with a gourmet breakfast
Broulee Island is a national park, where there is no onsite cafe and other facilities. You’ll need to start your day in Broulee proper, which is situated at the mouth of the trail.
Whether you’re tempted by something savoury or sweet, nourish your body with a little indulgence and restore your energy to take on the day’s adventures at one of the local favourites — Killibinbin Cafe. From freshly brewed coffee to sandwiches and other delectable meals, you’ll be sure to start the day right with one of their creations.
With an independent spirit reflected in its design, Killibinibin Cafe is easily found nestled behind Broulee Supermarket and Cellars, a short walk from the trail and has off-street parking. While you’re here, make sure you order some extra meals, snacks, and drinks to hold a picnic on Broulee Island beach.
Mid-morning: Snorkelling Adventure
After biting into a treat that has been lovingly made with seasonal local produce, it’s time to kick off your adventure. You can choose to enter the precinct by either walking south from Broulee Beach or driving to the start of the Broulee Island walking trail located at the end of Harbour Drive.
Make sure you have your walking shoes laced and camera close at hand as you take in 360° views climbing over low-lying dunes and a permanent sandbar connecting the island with the mainland and separating Broulee Beach and Shark Bay.
For novice snorkellers, make your way clockwise around the precinct and dive underwater at Pink Rocks at the bay on the northeastern point of the island. This bay is protected from swells and offers calmer conditions welcoming for beginners. The bay ranges from 2-4m deep and is home to seagrass meadows and stingrays. If you’ve had a little practice, try snorkelling south of the island in Shark Bay, where you can explore an underwater vista of sand flats, big reef walls and shallow reefs. No matter how much snorkelling experience you have, you’ll be rewarded with sightings of Broulee Island’s marine life.
Broulee Island is a protected marine sanctuary where fishing and shell collecting are banned. Keep your eyes peeled for harmless banjo sharks (actually a type of ray), stingrays, green turtles, or the endangered weedy sea dragon and eastern blue devil fish.
Lunch: Picnic by the Water
After an exciting snorkel in the clear waters, it’s time to cool down, dry off, and recharge with lunch. The sand and grass surrounding the coast provide a convenient and peaceful place to rest. Trees and shrubbery offer some shade from the sun, or pack your beach shelter. Roll out a blanket or use your towel to host a picnic on Broulee Island with the extra food you brought.
The northeast face of the island is a great place for lunch and taking advantage of expansive panoramas of the Pacific Ocean. Timing your visit to Broulee Island in spring is perfect for maximising your opportunity for whale watching in Broulee Island as they veer in close to Australia’s eastern coastline. Keep an eye out over the water as whales can appear anytime, but they’re most actively seen earlier in the day and late in the afternoon when they’re feeding.
With your loved ones in tow, snacking on fresh food and with the smell of the sea in the air, you can make lifelong memories in one of the best places to visit in Eurobodalla.
To preserve the unspoilt environment and marine sanctuary, it’s important that you take your rubbish with you. There are no rubbish bins or other amenities on the island.
Early Afternoon: Broulee Island Bushwalking and Rockpooling
With energy levels reset and sunscreen reapplied, you have the complete island to explore. By the water’s edge, many rock pools allow you to get up close and personal, enabling you to (almost) step inside micro-ecosystems of marine plants, crabs and other species that call its crevices home. It’s a great opportunity to teach young kids about biodiversity in an engaging and interactive manner.
Nearby, middens full of abalone and hermit crab shells can be found, showing you some physical remnants of the Yuin people and the Indigenous history of the local area. Continue on foot, circling the four kilometres around the Broulee Island walking trail, which, depending on your pace, can take one to two hours from start to finish.
Hidden Histories
The Broulee Island Nature Reserve Walk doesn’t just offer you enticing things to do in the water. Head inland and survey the sand forest. With mixed sand and soil in the ground giving rise to a rich plethora of nature, you can walk, climb and step into dense vegetation flanked by southern mahogany trees and littoral rainforest varieties. Keep your eyes peeled for wildlife.
If you started your journey on the northern side of the precinct, you might have spotted the old drydock rail. This gives you a look into the past when Broulee Island was once home to a local court, police station, and other administrative buildings that once serviced old whaling fleets. Much of these buildings can no longer be seen after experiencing environmental damage before they were moved to Moruya.
On the southeast of the island, you’ll find a second trail leading to the sandstone grave of Mrs Elizabeth Maleber, the wife of Abraham, a convicted sea captain on conditional pardon who punted products across the Moruya River. For people interested in local history, it’s only one of a few surviving and known graves dating back to the 1840s on the south coast.
Mid-Afternoon: Action-Packed Thrills
Your Broulee Island adventure keeps on going with so many activities available to uplift your senses. Take your excitement onto two wheels with the nearby North Head to Moruya Cycleway. Passing by Broulee Island, Broulee town centre, Bengello Beach, Moruya River, and Moruya town centre, you can enjoy a broad-reaching tour during this 8 Km bike ride. There are many bike rental places in the surrounding area, and many will deliver them to your accommodation.
If you love water sports, Broulee Beach has you covered with a surf club and shops where you can learn to cruise over waves or rent a board. If that is too tame for you, the waters around Broulee Island and the beach provide the ideal setting for kitesurfing. The Kite Bus is a local operator and veteran instructor helping residents and visitors ride the waves on top of barrels of air to kick-start their adrenaline.
Evening: Wind Down with a Delectable Meal
The day might be over, but the night is young — celebrate an eventful Broulee Island day trip with a warm meal and a crisp, refreshing craft beer that has been malted and brewed onsite at the local favourite Broulee Brewhouse. Situated opposite the beach and only some minutes walk from Broulee Island, it’s the ideal way to satiate yourself with fusion dishes featuring Asian-inspired flavours that complement the hops. Don’t forget to pick up an extra few cans to take home as the perfect souvenir to commemorate your time around Broulee Island.
Accessibility
Broulee Island offers a striking landscape presenting nature in its most beautiful and raw element. This also means it requires a bit of rock-hopping and traipsing over the tilted stony coastline and climbing through dense shrubbery if exploring inland. It’s a (relatively) easy walk for children and adults but is unsuitable for people who cannot walk independently or require the use of a walking aid.
Getting to Broulee Island
The island is a quick drive or walk away for people staying in one of the many comfortable accommodation venues in neighbouring Broulee. If you’re visiting Broulee Island on a day trip via public transport, there are multiple bus services via Canberra, Batemans Bay, Narooma and Moruya that stop in front of the beach on Coronation Drive.
For people driving from Sydney, the Princes Highway (A1) is the most direct route, while the Kings Highway is best for people living in Canberra and surrounding areas of the ACT.
Broulee Island — A Spring to Winter Destination
If you’re looking for a travel destination that can occupy you for one day or over one week, Broulee Island is one of the best places to visit in the Eurobodalla region. Whether you need some R&R with a casual walk and swim or want to immerse yourself in thrilling activities, there really is something for everyone.
From hikes and whale watching to food tours, cycling and water sports, there is no time better than a Broulee Island spring adventure. Don’t wait! Visit us now and discover why so many travellers return.
