ELLE.COM.AU / @ELLEAUS 201
South
Australia
PORT ELLIOT: Located
a little over an hour from
Adelaide, Port Elliot is
the perfect example of
a beachside town that’s managed to remain like the
ones you remember from childhood despite recent
urban sprawl. The most important stopover – and one
you’ll be tempted to make daily – is Port Elliot Bakery.
There’s also No.58 Cellar Door & Gallery for local wine
tasting, Hotel Elliot for quality pub fare and beachfront
Flying Fish, which has both a restaurant and a cafe/
takeaway. Swing by one of the second-hand bookstores
for some afternoon reading, then head back to your
rental – we suggest the light and airy Port Elliot Villa –
to kick back with a glass of the Barossa’s finest.
contemporaryhotels.com.au/port-elliot-villa/FOUL BAY: Don’t even bother taking your phone
charger out of your overnight bag, because
when you’re this far down the stunning Yorke
Peninsula, you really won’t care what your best
friend back home is posting on Instagram. Start
your holiday with a drive towards Marion Bay and
use the morning to work on your tan (sorry, we
mean rigorously apply sunscreen) before heading
for oysters at Marion Bay Tavern. Then check into
Yondah Beach House, where
you can watch the sun set over
the bay from your deck. Spend the
rest of your getaway exploring
the peninsula – on foot is best- and stopping at the many
hidden inlets to cool off from
the summer sun. ]
yondah.com.au
New South Wales
BERMAGUI: Don’t head to “Bermy” if you’re trying to
bounce back from a Christmas dietary blowout; its food
game is strong. There are plenty of cafes, not to mention
the world-class gelateria Bermagui Gelati Clinic, where
you can indulge your tastebuds after a morning swim
at the famous Blue Pool. Head to Fishermen’s Wharf
and look for Blue Wave Seafood to pick up locally
sourced Eden Smokehouse mussels before joining the
nearby crowds to watch the pelicans fight for fish
heads. About a 20-minute drive from the town centre,
in neighbouring Murrah, you’ll find Airbnb property
Indigo Couples’ Retreat, which, despite what the name
suggests, is actually big enough for 10 guests and
comes complete with a fire pit, teppanyaki barbecue,
wood-fired pizza oven and infinity pool.
SEAL ROCKS: Come for the isolation, stay for the
isolation, because if we’re being totally honest there’s
little else going on here – but that’s exactly the way the
hundred or so year-round locals like it. Separated from
bustling Forster-Tuncurry by a small road, the secluded
beachfront brings surfers, snorkellers and whale-
watchers alike. The dramatic scenery will inspire even
the most apathetic iPhone-ographer, especially from
Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse (where you can rent one of
three cottages, including the Headkeeper’s Cottage,
left), while the entire area backs onto postcard-pretty
Myall Lakes National Park.
sealrockslighthouseaccommodation.com.au
BLUE POOLBOOMER BEACH, PORT ELLIOTHORSESHOE BAY, PORT ELLIOTYONDAH BEACHYONDAH BEACH HOUSETRAVEL