I began my dip in Currarong Rockpool’s still, sapphire water. With nowhere to be (my holiday schedule involved little more than saltwater and bush walks), I let the current carry me past the rocky opening and paddled lazily towards the sheltered curve of Abrahams Bosom Beach. And that’s when I saw them, a pod of bottlenose dolphins frolicking ever-closer. I floated there, awestruck, and in a flash they were around me, under me - impossibly sleek and surprisingly chatty.
Natural encounters like this don’t seem strange in Jervis Bay - a destination where sea-life is abundant, the water azure and the sunsets dazzling. Here, you can ramble through Booderee National Park, walk from Greenfield to Hyams Beach (said to have the world’s whitest sand), sip wine at Cupitt’s Estate and - if conditions are right - watch bioluminescent plankton put on a show. There’s Point Perpendicular Lighthouse, the crystalline Honeymoon Bay and a plethora of walking trails, such as the path from Currarong (past shell-strewn coves and the rusting wreck of the S.S. Merimbula) to the sandstone sea cliffs enveloping Gosangs Tunnel.
When Irena and Jeremy Hutchings first came to Jervis Bay, they almost missed it - largely undiscovered, there was only a tiny sign marking the turn off from the highway. They’ve since cemented it firmly on the map with Paperbark Camp, an off-grid glamping hideaway that celebrates the Australian bush. Found beside Currambene Creek, their 13 safari-style tents are surrounded by paperbarks and eucalyptus, with guests and gourmands coming together in The Gunyah (an Aboriginal word for ‘meeting place’), a restaurant nestled among the treetops.
It was hard to pick the Paperbark moment that felt most magical. Was it soaking in the outdoor bath as a summer storm descended, paddleboarding through mangroves or hiking around Murrays Beach while my mind wander and time began to feel a touch elastic. Perhaps it was the nap I took in my tent - on a bed I’m more than a little enamoured with - as raindrops pattered against the canvas roof and a chorus of birds serenaded the sky, the sound nothing short of delicious.
Clarity came while dining on Gunyah’s candlelit balcony (the evening had started with sundowner by the fire, and grown in decadence from there), when I couldn’t help looking out and getting fleetingly lost in the stars. That’s the wonderful thing about Paperbark Camp and Jervis Bay. No matter how glorious the setting, nature will always take centre stage.
To book your own Papercark Camp getaway, click here.
A version of this story first appeared in our Australia magazine, which you can order here.
