The locals guide to Vincentia

Aerial overlooking Blenheim Beach, Vincentia. Photo: Destination NSW

The joined-up villages of Huskisson and Vincentia are central to Jervis Bay, offering everything you could possibly need. Every one of the few thousand locals would give youa  different answer to the question of the ‘best’ of anything – from the beaches to the coffee – and there’s a lot of choice.

Beaches

Spoilt for choice, Vincentia skirts over 6km of pristine, powder-soft white sand. While visitors to Jervis Bay have Hyams Beach on their Insta-must list, they often miss out on the ‘other’ white beaches, of which Vincentia has a good handful.

On the south side of Plantation Point, the water can be a little rougher in most weather conditions but the view out to the Heads can’t be beaten. Beaches here include Nelsons, Blenheim and Greenfield.

On the north side of the point the water tends to be calmer, the sun shines on them for longer into the evening and you can often experience a beautiful sunset ambience. Walk down the boat ramp at Bar Fleur and follow the coast around to Orion.

Coffee

Lots of options at both shopping centres. Albert N Miso and Aggies are independent cafés in the Burton St shopping village, both serving well-made coffee, interesting food and snacks. If you prefer to get your barista on, try the organic roasted beans in stock at Bunya Wholefoods (also in Burton St village), from Nowra-based roaster The Bearded Brewer.

For tea lovers, Bunya and the Vincentia Craft Butchery & Providores (Burton St village) both have exceptional selections of loose-leaf tea and dried ingredients for steeping (like ginger) to purchase by weight.

Fish & chips

The only f&c in Vincentia is The Salty Crab at the front of the Home Co shopping mall. It’s not bad for a local takeaway, but if you make the drive to Husky you’ll be rewarded.

Grocery

Vincentia has the two main shopping centres on this side of Jervis Bay, and all the big guys are here – Coles in the Burton St village, and in the mall on Moona Creek Road is Woolies and Aldi.

If you want to support local business then you can’t go past the Burton St village options of Bunya Wholefoods and the Vincentia Craft Butchery & Providore.

The Butchers is far more than a vendor of meat – this family business stocks locally grown fresh seasonal fruit and veggies, local eggs, a hand-selected range of loose-leaf teas, pantry staples like vinegars and oils, and all sorts of mouth-watering goodies. They use paper packaging as much as possible even when wrapping up a handful of their house-made pork sausages (which change flavourings regularly and are always delicious). It’s a pleasure to shop here for the conversation and knowledge that comes with the personal service.

At Bunya you will find bulk drygoods and a small but excellent selection of groceries, along with eco-friendly lifestyle goods such as personal care items and cleaning products. They operate a macro café with an outdoor seating area constructed of giant cable reels.

Dog walk

This is an easy one – Nelsons Beach especially at off-leash times of 4pm – 8am in summer and 3pm – 10am in winter. The 1.2km beach runs between Plantation Point and Blenheim Beach, with sensational views out between the heads of Jervis Bay and across to Bowen Island (off-limits to humans mainly due to the preservation of a large colony of breeding fairy penguins). This beach is always popular with locals and visitors alike, the dogs can really stretch their legs chasing balls or swimming.

On-leash beach walks are allowed at some of the many Vincentia beaches but please read the signs, as some beaches are no-dogs and the rangers will issue a hefty fine.

If you don’t fancy a hound-full of sand then the Round the Bay walking track has plenty of km along the coastline of Vincentia and into Huskisson.

Human walk

As above! Especially the Round the Bay path for a pleasant evening constitutional. There are so many unique vistas, coastal plant life, majestic trees, bridges spanning creeks and waterways, steps and paths down to the soft white sands… have I convinced you yet?

The walk is fairly flat, so it’s an easy stroll, or a run or bike ride for those people wanting to elevate their heart rate.

Vista/lookout

On Plantation Point Parade, along the Round the Bay path, there’s a little nook that looks out over the Bay and is a great vantage point to watch the Navy ships, the rising sun, the full moon, and on occasion even spot a migrating whale.

Picnic spot

Spoilt for choice on this one, too.

If it’s a public bbq that you’re after, the best place is the Plantation Point park which has a handful of electric bbqs, some covered seating, a great amenities block which is practically brand-new and has outdoor showers, and so many access points down to the sands of Bar Fleur and Nelsons Beaches. There’s a new kids’ playgrou

A peaceful place for a rest along the Round the Bay walk in Vincentia. Photo: Samantha Tannous

nd and an outdoor gym in the park, and the Vincentia Sailing club is there too.

For a little more seclusion – but still free bbqs and necessary amenities – follow the White Sands Walk around to Greenfield Beach.

Hidden gem

There’s a bench seat along the Round the Bay walk just into the bushes and overlooking the sea, just south of Lambs Crescent. A sense of peace washes over me as I sit here contemplating the twinkle of the sun across the water. Sure, there’s plenty of benches all around the walk but this one is set in from the path, among the trees and with your back to the passing parade of walkers, dogs, bikes and rollerbladers. A tiny slice of heaven.

Local’s guides for dining and accommodation coming after lockdown restrictions ease.