All the fingers that had been crossed for the weather must have worked because the rain held off while the Channel 9 Today Show broadcast its weather reports live from Merimbula Beach Holiday Park on Monday morning, April 23.

An enthusiastic crowd of about 50 locals and tourists were involved in the live transmissions from the NRMA Caravan Park at Short Point with weather man, Steve Jacobs.

Local oyster producers, Sue McIntyre and Brett Weingarth demonstrated their produce and some local boys were persuaded to take part in the demonstration as tasters.

The Sapphire Coast Historic Vehicle Club displayed some of their vehicles and Mr Jacobs was driven off in one at the end of the weather bulletin.

The NRMA Caravan Park at Short Point was chosen by the tourism body, Caravan, RV & Accommodation Industry of Australia (CRVA) for the promotion via the Today Show.

For Mr Jacobs the weather broadcast from Merimbula was a trip down memory lane. He grew up in Wollongong and used to “surf the area”. He said: “It’s still one of my favourite parts of the country and at Christmas and Easter I always ask for Pambula oysters at the city markets.”

Read the article here!

Check out Steve Jacobs' blog about his time at Merimbula here...

A whole new way to travel to Merimbula!

Experience the journey with luxury coach charter company SoulQuest Travel, part of the Deanes Transit Group. As a tourism partner of NRMA Merimbula Beach Holiday Park, SoulQuest Travel are running tours out of Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne so you can experience the beauty and uniqueness of the Sapphire Coast region.

Click here www.soulquesttravel.com.au for the latest tour details or phone 1800 855 439

Merimbula Beach Holiday Park is celebrating the announcement that they have ranked Number 7 in family-friendly holiday parks in NSW. The Park was recognised in the annual 'Holidays with Kids' travel magazine awards, voted by the national magazine's readership of over 600,000 parents, 61,000 online members and customers of Club Med and TakeABreak.com.au.

Categories included activities for kids, staff hospitality, accommodation, location, safety and family fun.

WHALES ARE GO WITH LASER SHOW

The connection between the people of Eden and the whales that visit them at Twofold Bay is to be recreated through the magic of lasers during the annual Eden Whale Festival on the last weekend in October.
 
Melbourne-based laser specialist Arthur Ipsaros and his team from Genius Laser Technology are putting the final touches to a very special sound and light show that will tell the past and present story of this whale town on the far south coast of NSW.
 
“Laser animation is created frame by frame, like the old style of animation, with outlines only. We produce a 3D model and then we animate, based on the story we want to tell,” Arthur says.
 
“For the Whale Festival, we will be working in the harbour area, projecting an animated show onto a wall of water that becomes a screen on which the images are visible. We have a team of local people who will create the water screens and it’s something they’ve never done before, but the biggest challenge for all of us is the weather.
 
“We’re certainly hoping it’s calm because water travels in wind so while the lasers won’t be affected, the screen certainly would be, which means people won’t see anything. It’s out of our control, like any outdoor event, but we have to have enough contingencies in place to deal with it.”
 
“Parts of the show are being played out to a sound track from the well-known Aboriginal band Oka who will also be playing live for the Festival. The aim of the exercise for all of us is to achieve something unique to the area, that spectators will walk away from, having really enjoyed.”
 
One of the big stars of the show is one of Australia’s most famous whales – Old Tom, whose death in Twofold Bay 80 years ago led to the creation of Eden’s Killer Whale Museum.

The story of Old Tom and his killer whale pack very much belongs to Eden. They worked with both Aboriginal and European hunters to hunt and kill bigger whales – a pact that, as far as locals are aware, has never happened anywhere else in the world.
 
These days, Eden is a centre for whale hunters of a different kind with tourists stopping in to witness the annual southern migration of the humpback whales. Attracted by the whirlpool-like mixing of the southern and northern currents which brings their food to the surface, the whales stop here to feed before heading out into Bass Strait.
 
While whales are obviously the feature creatures of the annual Festival (visitors should ensure they book a whale watching cruise in advance), other popular activities include the street parade, the model ship display, the capstan pull and carnival rides. There are also plans for seafood cooking demonstrations, a kayak event, a fun run, bike ride, dragon boat display, hot rod show and vintage car display.
 
The tall ship, the Young Endeavour, will sail into Twofold Bay on Saturday and moor in Snug Cove, so it’s also a chance for visitors to check out this beautiful vessel that is used for The Royal Australian Navy's sail training program.
 
Eden is located on the Far South Coast of NSW, Australia. It is approximately halfway between Sydney and Melbourne (six/seven hours’ drive) and about three hours’ drive from Canberra via Cooma.
 
REX operates daily flights from Sydney and Melbourne to Merimbula with land connections easily arranged. There is also a daily bus service from Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra.
 
Please click here for accommodation options at Merimbula Beach Holiday Park. You can also email us or call 02 6499 8999.

Merimbula Beach Holiday Park is continually striving to improve facilities for our valued guests and we are pleased to introduce the new "Cash for Fun" cards.

Guests can use the cards to redeem kids activities and hire activities at the park. They are a great way for guests to enjoy a great family holiday without the worry of carrying around extra cash. Unused funds are refundable on return of the card.

See the friendly staff at reception to purchase your Cash for Fun card on your next getaway to Merimbula Beach!

The Cheeky Mango Cafe has recently received an amazing makeover and is now open for business!

Come in and enjoy a fantastic breakfast, delicious takeaway or that essential afternoon snack or cool drink.

The Cheeky Mango Cafe is also the place to get your daily essentials: bread, milk, ice, newspapers etc. not to mention a great coffee and Lynne’s famous lemonade scones.