SOUTH COAST – A NATURAL CHOICE

Flying over the NSW Illawarra and South Coast there’s a wonderful view of looping bays capped off by rocky headlands, punctuated now and then by river mouths and lagoons.

On the ground, it’s the “Man Who Sued God” country of the movie starring Billy Conolly a couple of years back. The Illawarra is a 85 km stretch of the South Coast of New South Wales, starting an hour’s drive south of Sydney at Wollongong and continuing on past Lake Illawarra to Shell Harbour and Kiama, about 90 minutes south of Sydney.

Illawarra is derived from the Aboriginal word “elouera”, meaning a pleasant or high place near the sea.

>> Conference & meeting venues South Coast, NSW

Access to the Illawarra is quick and efficient, especially for interstate and overseas visitors arriving at Sydney Airport, who miss almost all the city traffic by heading directly south. The region also receives fast and efficient rail services.
The Illawarra offers more than 30 venues with conference and/or accommodation options.

Everything in terms of technical support is available within the various venues or easily sourced from Sydney. Modern, purpose-built entertainment and function rooms and a “can do” attitude from service providers make meeting in the Illawarra a sheer pleasure.

The University of Wollongong is one of Australia’s best and is a useful resource for associations and professional conference organisers looking for speakers with local perspectives for their business programs.

Shell Harbour and Kiama cater mostly for the smaller executive retreat or sales meeting, with comfortable small hotels and lodges providing the personal touch. The area is blessed with magnificent forests and creeks, including the Jamberoo Recreation Park. Just south of Kiama is the coastal town of Gerringong which also offers good meeting facilities, as you can read in this issue of Dawsons Venue Selections.

The first town of the Shoalhaven is Berry, typical of many of the settlements in the area – a good sense of its own history, yet still vital and energetic.

As you approach Berry you encounter lush, rolling dairy lands. With a population of less than 2,000 and with lovely treed avenues, Berry has maintained the atmosphere of an unspoilt rural township. Berry is only 15 minutes north of Nowra and is also centrally located to Kangaroo Valley, Shoalhaven Heads, Coolangatta and Seven Mile Beach.

Nowra is the thriving principal town of the Shoalhaven region and the Shoalhaven River passes by on its way to the sea at Shoalhaven Heads. The major industries around Nowra include tourism, manufacturing and the presence of the Australian Navy.

There is an extensive range of accommodation alternatives in and around the Nowra-Berry-Kangaroo Valley-Jervis Bay region. You can choose to stay in a rural retreat, on the beach or closer to the middle of town in a quality motel.
Nowra provides an extensive selection of entertainment, with live entertainment at local clubs, hotels, halls and schools. Many of these venues are available for meetings and special events and the town provides all the support services you could wish for, from bands to jumping castles.

There are few who can resist the temptations of fresh seafood and all along the South Coast are opportunities to sample the salty tang of shucked oysters. A presentation on the various ways oysters are farmed, harvested and consumed can be built into a welcome reception or during pre-function drinks at the gala dinner.

The Eurobodalla Nature Coast within the South Coast region covers the popular regional centres of Batemans Bay, Moruya and Narooma, all of which offer a variety of meetings facilities, accommodation and entertainment options.