Gerroa is a charming seaside village overlooking the idyllic, untouched expanse of the spectacular Seven Mile Beach from its northerly corner. Gerroa is located on the southern side of the hill above the Crooked River.

Fifty years ago Gerroa was a sleepy destination with much land owned by church and used for religious retreats. By the 1980s homes were being built by retirees and holidaymakers. It has always been a village of little commercial activity and purposely kept unspoilt. It is now a popular resort town for people looking for a quiet holiday with uninterrupted views over the grand sweep of pristine white sand and beach edged by a National Park. Windswept and secluded the beach is visually stunning. It has been claimed that the word ‘Gerroa’ meant ‘meeting place of birds’. Gerroa is only133 km south of Sydney, a 1.5 hour drive from the southern suburbs.

Gerroa and the South Coast of NSW is renowned for it’s spectacular coastline, beaches and scenes of mountains, forests and green hinterland. Gerroa offers spectacular coastal views, beach and ocean experiences. The environment is unspoilt and natural and is a peaceful atmosphere for relaxation and revival.

Food and wine experiences of the South Coast NSW are also renowned. Locally harvested produce provides top quality seafood, great cheeses and a variety of popular South Coast wines. Gerroa combined with other nearby South Coast villages offers an extensive selection of regionally supported restaurants, cafes and many wineries, museums, markets, festivals, history and a positive recognition of our indigenous and European heritage.

Seven Mile Beach from Blue Salt deck

Seven Mile Beach from Blue Salt deck

Seven Mile Beach and National Park and Mt. Coolangatta
The Seven Mile Beach and the National Park stretch from Crooked River in the north to Shoalhaven Heads in the south-13km. The National Park is home to diverse native flora and is ideal for birdwatching. Seven Mile Beach is a popular fishing beach. If you enjoy walking along a seemingly endless beach then you can walk the 13 km from Gerroa to Shoalhaven Heads. The beach is popular with surfers, regularly used by backpackers wishing to learn to surf.

Kingsford Smith Memorial Park
On 11 January, 1933 the first commercial flight from Australia to New Zealand took off from Seven Mile Beach. The flight took 14 hours 10 minutes. It left Seven Mile Beach at 2.50 am. The historic journey is commemorated in the small park at the top of the hill, near Blue Salt. There is a memorial to Sir Charles Kingsford Smith and offers panoramic views over Seven Mile Beach.

Crooked River Estuary 
Seven Mile Beach is primarily a destination for families especially at the mouth of Crooked River. It combines the calm waters of the tidal river with a flat stretch of beach and is safe for swimming and playing in shallow water. Anglers recognise the mouth of the river as being a good place to fish for prawns, bream and flathead. There are picnic areas with swings, toilets and barbecues along the river bank and there is good access to Seven Mile Beach over the new foot bridge across the river.

Black Head Fossils and Rock Fishing
Black Head is located at the eastern end of the headland.   There are rough paths leading to the rock platform. It has been a popular fossil site for many years and it is still one of the best displays of fossils on the New South Wales coast with fossils dating from 250-300 million years ago. There are plenty of examples of tree fossils and small sea creatures. The rock platform is popular with rock anglers who catch tuna, kingfish, snapper, drummer, trevally, salmon, tailor and groper.

* Prior to the arrival of Europeans the Wodi Wodi Aborigines who spoke the Tharawal language had lived in the area for tens of thousands of years.

* The first Europeans in the area were the survivors of the wreck of the Sydney Cove in 1797.  In December 1797 the explorer George Bass became the first European to sail along Seven Mile Beach and cross the shoals at the river entrance which he named the Shoalhaven.

* By the 1810s cedar cutters had moved into the area and in 1824 the land where Gerroa now sits was surveyed.

* By the 1860s the flatness and hardness of the beach led to it becoming a popular venue for horse racing.

* In 1894 small deposits of gold were discovered on the beach but this was not enough to prompt a goldrush.

* In 1929 Seven Mile Beach became the setting for the first car in Australia to travel over 100 m.p.h. It was raced by Norman Smith, nicknamed “Wizard Smith”.

* In 1933 Seven Mile Beach was used by Sir Charles Kingsford Smith as the runway for the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand.

* In 1957 the Jesuits built a retreat at Gerroa. A number of other Christian organisations followed.

Reference

Gerroa NSW-Aussie Towns

Accessed at https//www.aussietowns.com.au/town/gerroa-nsw