Explore Eurobodalla on NSW's coast

THERE'S a lot about this beautiful country of ours that we simply take for granted.

Narooma

SCENIC flights are among the greatest of holiday treats. Brian Johnston goes up, up and away over the splendid landscapes of NSW's Eurobodalla Coast.

 Because most of us spend our lives surrounded by suburbia, it's easy to forget just what magnificent landscapes lie all about.

I reckon the best way to be reminded of why Australia is called the Lucky Country is to take a scenic flight and simply watch the magnificence unfold beneath.

And if I were to pick one of the best spots in New South Wales to do just that, I'd have no problem nominating the Eurobodalla Coast.

At Moruya Aero Club just south of Batemans Bay, a variety of scenic flights will take you southwards over some of the state's most dazzling scenery.

It's both a good way to admire the countryside and to work out just where you want to drive and pitch a tent during your coastal holiday.

Within seconds of take-off, you're skipping over the Moruya River. Just upstream, the tidy little town of Moruya sits against a backdrop of crumpled green hills.

Then the plane is out over the ocean. Surf booms on pristine beaches and rugged headlands, and a labyrinthine wonderland of waterways twists and curls.

Soon Tuross Head comes into view. At a glance from the sky, you can see why this would be a good spot to spend a night or two.

The town sits on a rocky peninsula fronting the ocean and is surrounded on two sides by meandering lakes that shimmer in stunning shades of emerald and sapphire. No surprise that boating, fishing, kayaking and surfing are popular pastimes hereabouts.

Not long afterwards, you're flying over Dalmeny before turning out to sea towards Montague Island.

The plane circles the island at little more than 300m close enough to see frolicking whales and NSW's largest colony of fur seals basking on the sun-baked rocks.

There are superb views of the island and its historic lighthouse, now run by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.

If your aerial view inspires you, return by boat and stay in a lighthouse-keeper's cottage.

Back on the coast, Narooma flaunts another perfect setting where river meets ocean in a kaleidoscope of golden sandbanks, impossibly blue water and verdant forest.

Then you're flying inland towards the looming bulk of Gulaga, named Mt Dromedary by Captain Cook in 1770.

Its splendid but odd-shaped granite outcrops are a sacred site for the Yuin people, which is no wonder.

Below, Central Tilba is a quaint little village in pastel shades whose cafes, B&Bs, cheese and handicraft shops bear closer inspection when you're back on solid ground.

Its coloured weatherboard houses sit among rolling green hills, creating a getaway cute enough to become a country-and-western song without the heartbreak.

Lush pasturelands and glorious stands of mighty trees that almost seem to brush the underside of the plane are further joys on the way back to Moruya.

You come into land right where river and ocean meet in a gurgling embrace. Sunlight dances on water and blue hills are a smudge on the horizon.

Magnificence, just waiting to be explored.

The writer travelled as a guest of Eurobodalla Tourism.