Maianbar

Maianbar is a village on the outskirts of southern Sydney surrounded by the historic Royal National Park - one of the oldest national parks in the world. It is one of the most stunning landscapes you will find anywhere in Sydney.

A visit to Maianbar, located just 15 minutes drive from the neighbouring village of Bundeena, is like hitting the rewind button and going back in time to a kind of coastal fantasia. It's also about making peace with a slower pace of life, which gives us the freedom to focus on what's important.  

In the age of the Internet, Maianbar provides an opportunity to take side trips not dictated by Google Maps - but a desire to see what's around that corner or carved into that cave.  

Whether passing through towering eucalyptus trees on a bushwalk or steering the children toward knee-deep waters and sandbanks -- Maianbar is a magical place. There are four beaches around Maianbar and Bundeena: Bonnie Vale, Horderns, Gunya and Jibbon.

Maianbar is also home to many artists who sell their works in their studios for the monthly art trail. Pump the sand for yabbies to use for bait to go fishing from the beach. When the tide is right, and the wind is dappling the water you can ride the rapids at Cabbage Tree Basin or glide out into the sea to the break known as 'bay surf'. At low tide you can almost walk across the bay from the Deeban Spit near Maianbar. 

There is only one little convenience store in Maianbar, so it's best to bring some of your own food. Book into one of the many B&B's in the area for the night or go upscale and stay in one of the historic cottages dotted throughout the Royal National Park.