BERMAGUI Bermagui. What a name for a town. Beaches, water sports and more are conjured when you hear the name of this place. Well, Bermagui lives up to the reputation and more. But if you are looking for any history or heritage forget it. For Bermagui it has all ‘happened’ in relatively recent times. The name is derived from the Aboriginal word, permageua, possibly meaning 'canoe with paddles'. It is said that offshore from Bermagui the continental shelf is at its closest point to the mainland and hence there is good fishing. This closeness of the continental shelf also means that Bermagui is renowned for cold currents, and sudden changes in water temperature. Zane Grey the well-known big-game fisherman of the 1930s and author of Westerns, wrote of his experiences there. He was patron of the Bermugui Sport Fishing Association for 1936/37 and anchored his yacht, the "Avalon" in Horseshoe Bay. During the 1940s and 1950s the detective writer Arthur Upfield lived in the town and made it the setting for one of his novels, "The Mystery of Swordfish Reef", published in 1943. The fishing harbour was built at Bermagui in 1959 and concurrently the Blue Pool was also constructed. The harbour I still a really great Bermagui asset. The churches in Bermagui are traditional or modern. The Bermagui Hotel is a near century great hotel in keeping with an earlier tourist era. Still a grand pub. The Bermagui War Memorial Is acknowledged on the park that overlooks both the town and the beach. Nicely done also. Clearly lifestyle and great planning has caressed this town to a position of envy. This is a resort town that others should be benchmarked against. The sound is great and so is the place. Be sure to have a stopover at Bermagui.