480km (298 miles) S of Sydney; 580km (360 miles) NE of Melbourne
This seaside resort (pop. approximately 7,000) is the last place of interest before the Princes Highway crosses the border into Victoria. Merimbula is a good center from which to discover the surrounding Ben Boyd National Park and Mimosa Rocks National Park; both offer bushwalking. Another park, Bournda National Park, surrounds a lake and has good walking trails and a surf beach.
Golf is the game of choice in Merimbula, and the area's most popular venue is the Pambula-Merimbula Golf Club (tel. 02/6495 6154; www.merimbulagolf.com.au). Green fees cost around A$35. Another favorite is Tura Beach Country Club (tel. 02/6495 9002; www.turaclub.com.au).
Eden, 20km (13 miles) south of Merimbula, was once a major whaling port. The rather gruesome Eden Killer Whale Museum, on Imlay Street in Eden (tel. 02/6496 2094; www.killerwhalemuseum.com.au), has a fascinating array of relics, and remnants of the last of the area's killer whales, called Old Tom.
