26 BERMAGUI - SAPPHIRE COAST - WINTER 2025 Towering eucalypts at Wallaga Lake. Photo: Destination NSW Wallaga Lake is protected by rugged coastline (note the distinctive coastal rock formation of Camel Rock in the foreground). Photo: Destination NSW Lake a serene counterpoint to the crashing waves nearby Located seven kilometres north of Bermagui along Wallaga Lake Road – beneath the Gulaga Mountain – is the largest lake in southern NSW: Wallaga Lake. A popular place for swimming, fishing, boating, paddling, sailing and bushwalking – as well as birdwatching and wildlife photography – Wallaga Lake is a place that abounds with natural beauty. Towering, smooth-trunked eucalypts, sandy lake shores, and a network of bush trails, make it a wonderful destination for nature lovers. There are numerous places to stay by the lake, including three caravan parks with camping sites, cabins and boat hire. You'll also find picnic and toilet facilities at various locations around the lake. If you like watching (or photographing) the sunset, head to Beauty Point or Wallaga Lake Heights, both of which offer fabulous opportunities for dusk photography, looking west towards the Great Dividing Range. Indigenous heritage Wallaga Lake is the home of Umbarra, the black duck, the totem of the local indigenous Yuin-Monaro people. Merriman's Island, within the lake, is gazetted as an Aboriginal Place in recognition of its significance to the local First Nations people, and is not accessible to the public. Aboriginal middens and artefacts, such as cutting stones, have been found in the lake area, and visitors are asked to help conserve these relics by not disturbing them in any way. The serene waters of Wallaga Lake make it a haven for birdlife. Photo: Destination NSW Sun rising over Wallaga Lake, Bermagui. Photo: Destination NSW
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