Nov 2025 – A stop at Central Tibla on the way to Merimbula

Written by Kim

As we left Jervis Bay, we traveled south on the tourist road along the shore called Princes Highway, Great Pacific Drive or A1 (or as Alex calls it – Steak sauce highway).  The views were incredible. 

We stopped at a small village, Central Tibla, on our way south on the coast.  It was a journey back in time to another era as we explored the picturesque colonial and heritage village.  Our guide, Zoey, shared the rich European and Indigenous history. We wandered through streets lined with postcard-worthy houses and shops, all set against a backdrop of lush green landscapes.

Zoey shared some of the indigineous history. The mountain, Gulaga, is the place of ancestral origin within the mythology of the Yuin people, the Aboriginal people of the area. Gulaga itself symbolises the mother and provides a basis for Aboriginal spiritual identity; the mountain as well as the surrounding area holds particular significance for Aboriginal women. For the Yuin people it is seen as a place of cultural origin. The mountain is regarded as a symbolic mother-figure providing the basis for the people’s spiritual identity.  Gulaga, the mother, has two sons: Barunguba, also known as Montague Island, and Najanuka, named Little Dromedary by Europeans. The story tells that her second son was not allow to go far from home, as his elder brother did, and that Gulaga can see both of her sons in the distance.

Our tour included a few stops for snacks along the way

After our tour we continued down A1 to Merimbula. This was the last 1 1/4 hour of our 4 hour trip. We found our Airbnb and rested before heading out for dinner. This Airbnb is a 2 bedroom townhouse so quite a bit more space than our last studio. It sits on a hill overlooking the ocean. Once the weather clears I’ll share a picture of our view.

We had dinner at Bar Superette after stopping at another place where they only could offer outdoor seating. It was a bit too cold to sit outside. Well….Bar Superette was a little unusual for us. Everything was shareable small plates with small portions. A lot of things didn’t interest us (lots of caviar and roe in the dishes). We started with oysters, then went for grilled prawns and a pumpkin pasta. I don’t have too many pictures because it was very dark. The oysters were small but very sweet. The server told us that the prawns were soft shell so you eat the shells. I couldn’t get there they were very crunchy like our shrimp shells and it was very hard to get the meat out. The pasta was good with a pumpkin butter and pine nuts but it was the size of a side dish for the 2 of us to share. We stopped at Macca’s for a burger on the way home because we were still hungry. Lol

We are here in Merimbula a seaside town for a few nights. The weather is not great but we’ve had great weather and they need rain so will make do. Until then….