Boasting breathtaking natural beauty, foodie farm-gates and rainforest adventures, the Port Macquarie backcountry is ready for discovery.
“Would you like Himalayan basil in your tea?" asks Dan Troyak, owner of Yulo Kopa, a retreat deep in the Port Macquarie hinterland on the NSW Mid North Coast. I’m sitting on the deck nibbling on ladoo, a traditional Indian sweet, while sipping chai. It’s part of the welcome gift – along with a packet of strawflower seeds, which I intend to plant when I get home.
Even though I’ve called Port Macquarie home for 10 years and thought I knew the hinterland, Yulo Kopa is an unexpected treat.
An idyllic retreat cocooned in nature
The Yulo Kopa retreat looks out over the Hastings Valley.
Dan, a Buddhist chaplain and former flight attendant, spent seven years searching NSW for somewhere to open an accommodation and events retreat. He was continually drawn back to the Hastings hinterland – a 25-minute drive from Wauchope – for its beauty and serenity.
After extensive renovations, Yulo Kopa offers four well-appointed and self-contained cottages (prices start from $280 per night), a large mindfulness studio, gift shop and guest lounge. In the works are a cafe and day spa. Dan is a man in a hurry, but he somehow manages to make being busy look zen.
Guests can try meditation, yoga, Buddhist counselling, gold panning and walks – or simply the chance to enjoy the splendid isolation. Dan takes me on a shinrin yoku (forest-bathing) adventure through the rainforest to a clearing where a big fig takes centre stage, surrounded by hammocks.
I’m just here for the day, but I vow to return when I have more time to really relax around the cosy fire pit and stargaze.
Yulo Kopa is helping breathe new life into the high country west of Port Macquarie, a region that has often been overlooked.
Small-town hinterland charms
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Discover rolling pastures in the
high country west of
Port Macquarie. (Credit: Remy Brand Creative)
Get lost in Bago Maze. (Credit: Destination NSW)
Forest bathing in Burrawan State Forest. (Credit: Destination NSW)
Wauchope is the gateway to the hinterland, but many visitors from Port Macquarie don’t venture much further. They might tick off ‘Old Bottlebutt’ in Burrawan State Forest, or get gloriously lost in Bago Maze and Wine, then head back to the beach. But keep driving west and there are farm shops, cafes, waterfalls and quirky hamlets waiting to be discovered.
Coffee and croissant at Baked Culture in Wauchope.
I’m chasing waterfalls, so after picking up treats from Wauchope’s famed Baked Culture I head up the mountain towards Ellenborough Falls, just over the border in the Manning Valley. I drive up the winding mountain road until it straightens out and the rainforest gives way to rolling green hills, where honesty boxes appear at farm gates. This is Comboyne, from the Gathang word for kangaroo in the language of the Birpai people. At 700-odd metres above sea level, the air is cooler up here and the volcanic soil makes good farmland for avocados, dairy, beef and macadamias.
Comboyne is big on whimsy. The Udder Cow Cafe advertises a ‘slow coffee’, and even the power poles are artsy, painted with scenesfrom the Comboyne landscape and nearby waterfalls. The town hasa full events calendar, including the Scarecrow Festival and HastingsFarm Gate Tour weekend. I browse the Comboyne Farm Store’seclectic mix of clothing, homewares, gifts and farm supplies and evenmeet Kevin the shop cat, a bona fide social media star.
Rawson and Ellenborough Falls
Mist, moss and a sheer curtain of water at Rawson Falls in the Port Macquarie hinterland near Wauchope. (Credit: Remy Brand Creative)
The spectacular Ellenborough Falls. (Credit: Destination NSW)
It’s a short drive to Rawson Falls and its rainforest reserve, but I’m saving my energy for Ellenborough Falls. This is the grand-daddy of them all at 200 metres; it’s the tallest single-drop waterfall in NSW, and among the tallest in the southern hemisphere. It’s exactly 641 thigh-wobbling steps to the base of the falls, but the beauty is that you don’t need to do a strenuous hike to get good views. I decide to skip the hike and instead take one of the shorter walks to the lookouts, where I get a spectacular view of the mist-shrouded falls.
The Byabarra Cafe & Bar
By now I’ve worked up an appetite, so I make a beeline for The Byabarra Cafe & Bar. With wraparound valley views and gourmet comfort food, it’s perfect for a long lunch. They even make their own bread, pasta and condiments (mandarin and star anise jam is a fave). I enjoy Tuscan garlic prawns with linguine and make sure to save room for something from their ‘Naughty Board’. Out on the deck with apple pie and ice cream, savouring the serenity, I reflect on everything I’ve seen in the Port Macquarie hinterland and realise that, actually, I’ve barely scratched the surface.
Bate Bay’s sweep of beaches has been crowned Australia’s best for 2026, placing Sutherland Shire in the spotlight as a top coastal destination just south of Sydney’s CBD.
The beaches fringing Bate Bay – Cronulla, North Cronulla, Wanda, Elouera and Greenhills – have topped Tourism Australia’s 2026 list of best Australian beaches (as curated by Beach Ambassador Brad Farmer). For locals, it’s less revelation, more recognition.
The mood shifts from the moment you step off the T4 train service from Central to Cronulla and catch a glimpse of the ocean. At dawn, the Esplanade is already buzzing with regulars, and by mid-morning, parents have staked out a toasty spot on Cronulla Beach where excited toddlers clamber over rocks, and the Jellybean swim squad at Oak Park have donned their bright pink caps while singing Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’.
By the afternoon, towels are being collected from across the sand as visitors wander back to Cronulla in loose formation.
Dive into the world’s best beaches.
That’s the thing about Bate Bay beaches. This isn’t a story about a single beach. This long, uninterrupted sweep of sand and sea, where you can walk for kilometres without breaking stride, is not just enjoyed over summer; it’s a year-round destination. Here, Cronulla’s buzz gives way to Wanda’s wild edges, before stretching out to the quieter reaches of Greenhills.
But while Bate Bay’s beaches may have taken top honours in the 2026 Best Australian Beaches list, they’re only part of the drawcard. Sutherland Shire stacks up as a full-spectrum coastal escape, where good food, national park adventures and on-the-water experiences sit within easy reach of the shoreline. Whether you’re planning a long weekend or stretching out a stay, here’s how to make the most of Cronulla beyond the sand, sea and surf.
Beyond the beaches
Dining
Enjoy a sundowner by the sea at Pippis Cronulla.
The Sutherland Shire dining scene delivers from early morning to late at night with a mix of vibrant cafes, bars and pubs. Start your day at Grind Espresso, where the coffee comes strong and fast. From there, drift towards HAM for pastries, best eaten buttery warm.
By midday, locals linger across sun-lit tables. Loaf and Next Door appeal to the surfers who come in for snacks after chasing waves. Blackwood’s Pantry and The Press are also popular for breakfast and lunch, while Pilgrim’s continues to hold a special place in the hearts of vegans.
Newer arrivals signal where Cronulla is heading: Homer Rogue Taverna is being hailed as one of the best restaurants in Cronulla, with the confidence that comes from understanding what locals want. Ask a local to reveal their favourite restaurant for a special occasion, and it’ll likely be Pino’s Vino e Cucina al Mare, Yalla Sawa or Alphabet Street. Summer Salt, Sealevel, Benny’s, Bobbys and Pippis are a few of the best waterfront restaurants in the Shire.
A short ferry ride from Cronulla, Bundeena offers a counterpoint to Cronulla’s mighty surf beaches. If Cronulla is the Shire’s social heart, Bundeena – or Bundenesia, as it’s affectionately known – is the place to go to exhale and unwind.
Hop on the ferry from Cronulla, and within 30 minutes, you’ll be inhaling the eucalyptus-scented air. Check the creative pulse of the local community by timing your visit with the Bundeena Maianbar Art Trail on the first Sunday of every month.
One of the best things to do in Bundeena is paddle into Cabbage Tree Basin with Bundeena Kayaks. Follow the five-kilometre Jibbon Beach Loop Track that leads past quiet coves to ancient Indigenous rock art, or simply find a stretch of pearl-white sand to relax on.
Pristine walking trails
Cool off with a coastal stroll.
Beyond the coastline, Sutherland Shire offers myriad ways to shift gears. Royal National Park – the oldest national park in Australia – sits just minutes from the surf. Clifftop walks trace the edge of the continent, the rugged bushland is threaded with creeks and hidden waterfalls, and a network of tracks rewards those willing to go a little further.
Take the Coast Track, where the land drops cleanly into the ocean over sheer cliffs that have been stacked together like giant Jenga. Or veer inland, where pockets of forest cool the air and filter the light. It’s a reminder of how close nature sits to the bustle of suburbs in the Sutherland Shire.
Enjoy whale watching
Spot whales from May to October. (Credit: The Edit Suite)
Twist your binoculars until the ocean is in focus, stretched like a creased blue sheet all around.Come May, the East Coast becomes the humpback highway. Thousands of whales migrate along this stretch of coastline each year, their movements tracked by keen eyes from vantage points like the Cape Solander platform in Kamay Botany Bay National Park, one of the best places for whale watching in Australia. There’s something quietly thrilling about seeing that first telltale spout or the arc of a breaching body against the vastness of the sea. From June to October, whale-watching cruises depart from Cronulla, offering a closer look at the migration.
Awards come and go. But places like Cronulla endure because they belong as much to the visitors as they do the early-morning swimmers, walkers and surfers.
