“You’re not considered a local in Milton unless you’re in a band, raise chickens and tend your own veggie patch,” laughs Katie Stidwill, co-owner of wholefoods cafe Milk Haus, set inside a converted cheese factory, surrounded by dairy farms. A surfboard roof rack on your car is also a must.
Set between emerald hills and the aquamarine sea, three hours’ drive south of Sydney, Mollymook and Milton are the gorgeous, surf-and-turf fraternal twins of Shoalhaven. Alongside their sensible sibling, the fishing port and service centre of Ulladulla, they offer white-sand beaches, massive waves, lush farmland, tranquil lakes, national park wilderness and very impressive golf-courses, if you’re that way inclined.
Renowned local big-wave surfer Brett Burcher, who’s also a teacher at the Milton public school, sums it all up nicely when he says: “we’re in a good paddock down here.”
Thanks to the ripple effect of a certain seafood chef from Cornwall, the food and drink scene is also on par with an inner-city neighbourhood. Rick Stein may have kickstarted the gourmet ecosystem a dozen years ago (several of his former chefs now run their own restaurants), yet the region has always brimmed with finelocal meat, eggs, dairy, produce and, of course, seafood.
While Mollymook and Milton may be enviable holiday destinations, they’re also vibrant and viable year-round communities that not only are home to farmers and fishers, tradies and alternative lifestylers but also, in a post-Covid world, to digital commuters, tree- and sea-changers.
This shift is not without complexity. Like many coastal areas in New South Wales, the last two years have seen a rise in homelessness as the area’s property prices spike, while tourism dollars, and their associated jobs, plummeted.
Monica Mudge, a yoga teacher and founder of the not-for-profit Treading Lightly, remains optimistic. “Everybody’s part of the story,” she says. “We all have something to learn from each other. That’s what resilience looks like.”
After mobilising everyone to provide food hampers and clothing for those displaced during the 2019/20 bushfires, the Treading Lightly team have now created a whole pantry of multigenerational environmental and community initiatives.
Don’t miss
The beaches go on for ever hereabouts. Mollymook’s 2km crescent (with lifeguards) is a great place to start. At mid-tide, swim at the Bogey Hole natural rock pool, accessible by walking around Mollymook’s southern headland or driving through the Beachside golf course. Narrawallee, Rennies and Racecourse beaches are other less-crowded gems. Burrill Lake enters the sea in a swirl of turquoise waters and shifting sands at Dolphin Point.
Take surfing lessons with world champion surfer Pam Burridge, who specialises in teaching women. Go kayaking or standup paddle-boarding at Narrawallee Inlet and Burrill Lake to see black swans, pelicans and sea eagles. Walking on Water will set you up at the best spots depending on tides and wind. They also do surf lessons.
From May to November watch whales breaching offshore from the Ulladulla Lighthouse or South Pacific Heathland preserve.
Follow the Aboriginal and interpretive signs on the new Giriwa walking track along Burrill Lake or take the short but challenging trek up Pigeon House Mountain in Morton national park.
Check out the self-guided history trail of Milton, stopping along the way to browse its antiques, homewares and clothing shops. In Ulladulla, source handmade clothing, jewellery, pottery and skincare from Slow: A Handmade Collective of local artisans.
A little bit of everything
A collective sense of wellbeing permeates Cupitt’s Estate with its views over the vineyards to Burrill Lake, whether it’s couples enjoying wine and cheese tastings in the historic cellar door, guys doing a beer flight on the deck, diners scanning through the farm-to-table menu in the arched restaurant, or young families eating pizza on the terrace as they listen to live music on Sunday afternoons.
There are also five new and sleek accommodation pods here – though their designer bathrooms and decks do not come cheap, with midweek prices starting from $550 a night.
Owner Rosie Cupitt is also the founder of the region’s Slow Food Convivium, and has worked with a local Budawang elder of the Yuin nation, Uncle Noel Butler, to add local Indigenous foods to Slow Food’s international Ark of Taste.
Where to eat
Dog-friendly, indoor-outdoor community hub the Milton Hotel has fabulous updated pub grub, craft brews from in-house Dangerous Ales brewery, local live music, and even a great children’s playground.
Bannisters Rooftop Bar and Grill is the casual alter ego to Rick Stein at Mollymook with local seafood from Lucky’s and other delicacies.
Mollymook’s moody Gwylo is Matt Upson’s pumping, neon-lit, Asian fusion street-food restaurant, with killer cocktails.
Alex Delly and Jo Thomas cook mostly with local ingredients at their bijou Small Town Food and Wine in Milton. Check out their next-door providore and Lagom sourdough bakery at Burrill Lake.
Two-storey Ruse, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Ulladulla Harbour, is the place to indulge in tequila cocktails, tacos, bright salads and bar snacks.
Milk Haus provides splendid farm-to-table cafe fare with just-picked produce from its kitchen garden. Pick up whimsical flowers from Fred in the pop-up out the back.
Where to sleep
Location, location, location. With absolute water frontage as Lake Burrill enters the ocean, Dolphin Point Holiday Park has powered sites for caravans and simple cottages, with rates starting at $45 a night.
For beach-house rentals, check out the options at Riparide, which offers insider tips on what to do while you’re here. On Dolphin Point headland, the Nest is an affordable base for two couples and four kids.
When to go
Summer is getting booked up, but autumn is still balmy with warm water and fewer crowds – and there’s wonderful whale watching during the cooler months.
