The underrated coastal escape on Sydney’s doorstep
If the hearth is the heart of a home, the wood-fired oven at Earth Walker & Co’s cafe-restaurant is the flame that brings a community together. Custom-built from original Bulli firebricks, the oven now anchors the kitchen in the 100-year-old Coledale Co-op building.
Earth Walker cafe has been serving seasonal, nourishing fare from this landmark location for the past decade – but a recent transformation, led by interior designer Eliza Woodward, now sees it open for intimate Friday night “Fire Feasts”. Paired with designer cocktails, farm to flame never looked so luxe.
Stepping inside is like unlocking the doors to a royal Tudor banquet. In place of roasted swan there’s slow-cooked saltbush lamb shoulder with ash Dutch creme potatoes and fire-cooked leeks. There’s a custom-forged chandelier in the dining room and a soaring, grandfather clock-inspired bar that has been constructed from second-hand wardrobes.
It’s a little Game of Thrones, a little Shakespearean drama, and a whole lot of upcycled fun. Pull out your vintage velvet, you’ve been waiting for this.
“We’ve always believed in doing things with heart,” says owner and founder Ciara Kulmar. “From sourcing local produce to choosing suppliers who align with our values, Earth Walker is our love letter to this town and its people.”
An hour and 20 minutes’ drive south of Sydney, Coledale is the understated centrepiece of the string of villages tucked between the Illawarra escarpment and the ocean. Dubbed the Coal Coast by surfers (in a nod to its mining heritage), the region is riding a new wave of cafes and restaurants, but it’s the authentic, barefoot vibe that hits you first.
I live here, and am always bemused by my Sydneysider friends who make the trek to the Far South Coast for a break when this coastal retreat is on their doorstep.
Leave the M1 near Helensburgh for the Grand Pacific Drive and cross the 665-metre Sea Cliff Bridge – like the Amalfi Coast, but with bends that float across the sea – passing Clifton, Scarborough and Wombarra to Coledale.
Here, daily life is centred on the beach. Choose between Coledale Beach with its surf club and ocean-front camping reserve, or the dog-friendly Sharky’s Beach. The ocean pool is an insider favourite.
Community is everything. When Coledale RSL Club faced closure in 2022, the locals mobilised an 80-strong army of volunteers to save their watering hole. With overtones of Blow up the Pokies by The Whitlams, the RSL sold off half of its pokies to fund the club’s revival (they are still trying to sell the final six, but no-one wants them). Today, the RSL is a thriving hub, and yes, it’s still “powered” by volunteers – they’ll be the ones in the black shirts serving beers.
There are no malls, but there is a boutique wine store which wouldn’t look out of place in Newtown, a charming pottery studio, and The Salon Collab, offering beauty treatments.
The escarpment also calls. On the Wodi Wodi track, named after the original custodians who lived along the Illawarra coast, falcons glide overhead as the canopy changes from dry bushland to rainforest.
Time your visit for cultural events such as the Thirroul Seaside and Arts Festival, the Illawarra Festival of Architecture and Design, the South Coast Readers & Writers festival, or the Dark Scarp winter solstice festival.
For live music, venture a little further south to Thirroul for Anita’s Theatre, a grand dame of a building hosting live bands, comedy and film festivals. But for me, it’s Frank’s Wild Years – with its record bar, ’70s-style lounge and line-up of established and emerging musicians – that best captures the nostalgia of a classic Aussie surf town.
Mornings will see you back at Earth Walker for coffee, an Earth Bowl or a home-baked treat. There will be children colouring in as adults sip lattes, as well as surfers, still tousled and fresh from the water, all drawn here like hands to a warm fire.
“Earth Walker was always about more than just great coffee or food – it’s about connection,” says Kulmar. “We wanted to create a space where locals and travellers alike could slow down, feel welcome, and enjoy the beauty of Coledale in a conscious, nourishing way.”
The details
Eat Earth Walker & Co is open Monday to Sunday from 7.30am to 2pm, and on Friday nights from 6pm. See earthwalkerco.com
Stay Headlands Austinmer Beach offers self-contained studios and apartments from $340 a night. See headlandshotel.com.au
The writer dined with the assistance of Earth Walker & Co.
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Kerry van der Jagt is a Sydney-based freelance writer with expertise in Australia's Indigenous cultures, sustainable travel and wildlife conservation, and a descendant of the Awabakal people of the mid-north coast of NSW.