►About the Shire ►Town Profile

The main towns in the Shire are Bega, Merimbula, Eden, Pambula, and Bermagui. There are many smaller towns and villages in the Shire, including Tathra, Pambula Beach, Tura Beach, Cobargo, Candelo, Wolumla, Bemboka and Wyndham.

Bega, Merimbula-Pambula and Eden comprise the major commercial and retail centres. Not surprisingly in a rural coastal region, agriculture, tourism, fishing and forestry are the dominant industries. The major fishing fleets are located at Eden and Bermagui.

Bega is the main commercial and administrative centre in the Shire. It is the focus of agricultural activity, famous for its Bega cheese and dairy industry. Bega cheese is the primary selling brand of natural cheese in Australia, with more than 50 million branded dairy and associated products sold throughout Australia each year.

Merimbula is a thriving tourist destination famed for its scenery, restaurants and recreational pursuits. It is located south of Bega and is experiencing good growth.

Eden is renowned for the magnificent harbour of Twofold Bay. The town nestles on the northern shore of the bay in the south of the Shire. The Bay is commercially used by the fishing industry. The tourism industry is developing in Eden with the annual migration of whales to and from the Antarctic providing new opportunities for tourism development.

Bermagui is located in the north of the Shire and is known as the game-fishing capital of the south coast. The continental shelf is at its closest point to the mainland off Bermagui. This area of the Coast is surrounded by National Parks and Forests and is also renowned for its natural attributes.

The summer holiday seasonal population far exceeds the usual population in the Bega Shire as the coastal areas are popular holiday destinations. Tourism is concentrated in the coastal towns of Bermagui, Tathra, Merimbula/ Pambula and Eden which increase threefold in population in the peak summer season.