Eurobodalla, NSW
What an absolute treat it was to get to explore the Eurobodalla region of NSW’sSouth Coast. It’s hard to describe how amazing the whole week of filming was. The whole crew nailed it and I was just blown away by the developments that are happening there. I can’t think of too many places around the world that have white sandy beaches and hundreds of kilometres of mountain bike trails! It’s an untapped combination and I love it. We flew to Canberra and drove to Narooma to start the trip, getting the Giant e-bikes from Pushys bike shop and the Nissans from a local dealer. On the way we stopped at Bodalla Dairy and had one of the best milkshakes of our lives… no exaggeration!
Narooma is a funky town and we thought fish and chips on the beach at sunset would be a good way to settle in. We tried to get a serve from the local fish shop but they were so busy that to ensure we didn’t miss the sunset we had to cancel the order and just get a handful of chips. That’s the only reason I try to stop Deetz eating all of the chips before we get the shot, I swear!
The next day we found a random coffee cart called the Froth Mobile before joining Underwater Safaris, led by Francois and his team, to see the seal colony at Montague Island. Jake the cameraman was the only crew able to get on the tour as we changed days the night before due to the weather. Then after we realised that Jake had never snorkelled before it was a bit of a challenge as he got sea sick after the first exploration. So Deetz and I had to shoot the scene on the GoPros, which actually worked out really well.
After a pretty incredible experience of swimming with seals it was time to check out the new Narooma MTB trails with the local club. As always, coordinating a full crew of riders is a challenge, but once everyone was briefed it was go-time and the trails were rad! From beginner and intermediate to some black trails that scared me just looking at them. Dirt Art and the club have done an awesome job and, as with most places, I can’t wait to go back.
I’m not a big oyster person but Narooma is famous for them so it was inevitable that we were going to try oysters at the Oyster Farmer’s Daughter. Deetz loves oysters and ate most of mine. It was fun having a go at shucking them and the cocktails alone are worth the trip up the inlet. In the end we had a sunset drink at the local pub overlooking the Narooma bar reflecting on a very fun day.
We got up for sunrise at Australia rock and roll along the Dalmeny to Narooma Coastal Trail to take in the morning in style. And what a trail it was. It’s a fantastic asset to the area, the coastal views are more than worth it. Also there is Big Niles brewery at the end of the trail if you do an afternoon ride later in the week… another time perhaps.
We left Narooma satisfied at the great start to the trip. On to Moruya, the home of my good mate and MTB champion Brendan Johnston - we actually met up with his parents for lunch! The Tukka Cafe put on a show with live music and the local bike club rolled in and entirely packed the place out! It was short and sweet because after lunch we went straight to Broulee to the brew house and then on to filming the Giant Vandy Challenge with the local surf life saving club. I was thrown in the shallow end against some junior paddlers in a bike and paddle competition, and spoiler alert, I got smashed by the juniors (and the waves)!
That night we drove up to our accommodation and unsuspecting of Deetz and I, our Producer, Ruby had found a lux place called The Oaks Ranch, complete with a private golf course and fine dining restaurant. Now we were talking! It’s so nice to see people doing really good things and I can’t recommend it enough… The 1kg T-Bone was crazy delicious, and definitely fueled us up for the next day to scope out the new Mogo trails.
It was a pleasure to be shown the new Mogo trails from local bike shop owner Angus. As part of a bushfire recovery plan there are 150 kms of new trails getting built to provide a tourism offering of world scale. Adventure MTB rides and small family-friendly loops will allow people of all abilities to explore these forests. From what we saw it’s going to be a very special place - look out for updates as they develop. The trails are fun, flowing and the soil was really loamy and confidence inspiring. Thanks for the tour Angus!
After we scoped the trails it was time to scope the town and some more delicious food before hitting up the Mogo Wildlife Park. What an overwhelming place with a huge range of animals to learn about. The meerkat experience was a highlight as well as the silverback gorilla! With so much to see and do it’s no wonder it’s so popular and the thing that people normally associate Mogo with.
To finish off an epic week we stayed at Abode Malua Bay and had dinner at Raymond’s, a restaurant that had to move after getting burnt down in the recent 2020 fires. In the morning Deetz and I took on the coastal walk from Malua Bay to Observation Point integrating the beaches and walking along the cliffs at the back of the beach houses. At the end of the walk we met up with local artists Gavin and Bronwen who have been doing art all around the area. It was so nice to get a deeper understanding of the area and the history.
The final stop of a huge week was at Batemans Bay to have more oysters (yay…) and reflect on the whirlwind adventure that was Eurobodalla. It is truly a place to put on the bucket list!
