Australia's answer to Italy's Polignano a Mare is head and shoulders better

Who needs Italy? This secret Aussie cove has locals that will correct your pronunciation, beautifully calm waters and drop dead gorgeous vibes.

We all want to be living our best lives in Europe. Eating all the pizza. Slurping all the pasta. Licking all the gelato. Getting all the bedbugs. 

But, we can't always be remortgaging our homes and selling our kidneys to afford a flight to Italy. Sometimes you've got to holiday at home. 

Yeah, Pisa is great, but have you seen this? Images via Instagram (left: @maridiwo, right: @aussiewalks.co)

And on that sandy towel, boy do we have a beach for you. Honeymoon Bay may sound like something you'd find in the Caribbean, but it's actually a NSW south coast gem, tucked into the gangly elbow of Jervis Bay. 

Not bad indeed. Images via TikTok. Left: @_shaunburton, right: @checkthisview

Barely three hours drive out of Sydney, this place will have you as relaxed as an Englishman sitting outside in the rain with a pint and a ciggie. Or as happy as an influencer wearing expensive sunglasses and sipping aperol on a beach in Italy. 

Except... at this beach, there are no crowds, no sarong sellers, no aggressive cocktail vending. Most mercifully of all, no pebbles (something humiliating Aussies all over Europe, with comments like "At one point I’m pretty sure I climbed out," flying around social media).

The locals will even correct your pronunciation like they do in Italy ("it's juurvis, not jar-vis").

@paigelancelot

I know i should have water shoes 🙄 #nice #nicebeaches #france #nicefrance #southoffrance #beach #travel #fyp

♬ hospital beach - Cottonwood Firing Squad

Honeymoon Bay is like a little creche where you can snorkel, paddle board, daydream and sunbathe to your heart's content. It's about 10 kilometres from Currajong along Point Perpendicular Lighthouse road. 

There's also a campground, which is usually only open at weekends, public holidays and during school holidays.

@natexplores

It’s a really special spot 🥰 #travel #australia #southcoast #beaches #camping #explore #visitnsw #fyp #foryou @visitnsw

♬ Paradise - TELL YOUR STORY music by Ikson™

Photos show visitors have had the pleasure of seeing everything from fish to dolphins to kangaroos when camping at Honeymoon Bay. If you head to the east side of the peninsula, there's whale watching too.

Honeymoon Bay is just 3 hours from Sydney, but is a world apart from Bondi and Manly.

Intriguingly, Honeymoon Bay is sometimes closed due to defence exercises through Monday to Friday (shoalhaven.com advises you call the Beecroft Weapons Range for more information, or check Facebook for updates on this).

Alfaparf Milano got nothing on this. Left image: @lapsofoz, right image: @julia_jacque

Most importantly, when you compare it to some of Italy's most iconic beaches, like Polignano a Mare, Honeymoon Bay comes up trumps. Beyond having softer sand, it's also much less crowded, and much more natural - a wild tiramisu of everything that's great about the south coast (and, in my humble opinion, head and shoulders better than Polignano a Mare, an expensive looking beach I've never been to).

@_aroosaw

it’s still worth it though #italy #polignanoamare

♬ original sound - Roemer Productions

It's also thousands of dollars cheaper to get to, if you live Down Under, especially given how out of control airfare prices are right now. 

So put the Australian sparkling wine in the esky, throw some sandwiches in a paper bag, and get down there. 

La dolce vita could be closer than you think. 

Ciao. 

Originally published as Australia's answer to Italy's Polignano a Mare is head and shoulders better