For the first day or so after their arrival at the Mountain View Tilba Farm Cottages, most of our guests like to relax and unwind ... sipping tea or coffee on the verandah of their cottage while they take in the views of the Tilba area, and the mountain backdrop.
But there is so much to do in the area.
There's the walk to the summit of Mount Dromedary - a four-hour return walk to the top through rainforest and to view the spectacular rocks that have significance to the local Yuin people. Take a trip with the Umbarra Cultural Centre and learn about the significance of this area from the people themselves.
There's birdwatching, on the mountain of course. Near the farm cottages, there are bellbirds with their metallic call, lyrebirds just in the national prk, with numerous species of birds at different altitudes on the mountain.
Tilba Tilba is not far from the coast. There are spectacular rock formations at Mystery Bay (ten minutes away), and swimming and snorkeling there. There's good swimming near Narooma, and at Bermagui - whether you prefer surfing or quiet splashing around, the conditions are so different at each of the many beaches.
There's good fishing at Mystery Bay. And at Bermagui too (renowned as a centre for deep-sea fishing, including marlin and other sporting fishes), and at Narooma.
Some great bike rides start around the Tilba area.
Whale watching is popular in the right season, usually between July until about the end of November each year. You can often view these mammals from the shore at Bermagui and at Narooma, but both these towns have charter boats that will take you out to view the animals close up.
Tilba Tilba is convenient to several lakes that are ideal for canoeing - there's Wallaga Lake on the Bermagui Road, there's Corunna Lake just a few minutes drive towards Narooma, and Wagonga Inlet at Narooma. Canoe for kilometre after kilometre and view the aquatic birdlife on the water.
There's the Tilba Valley Winery only ten minutes away. Buy a bottle or two of your favourites, but why not stay for lunch and live entertainment on weekends?
Are you interested in learning horseriding? About one kilometre from the farm cottages, you can enjoy this activity along the lakefront at Wallaga Lake. Contact Jingarra Trail Rides for details.
Day trips to Montague Island are always popular with guests staying at Tilba. View the seal colony at the island, and the penguin colony there, with little, or fairy penguins, coming in during the evening. You'll probably see so much more too from one of the charter boats to the island ... like giant sunfish, sea birds including albatross and sea eagles.
For the garden lovers, there's the pick of them all - Foxglove Spire Garden, an award winning garden that was rated by Burke's Backyard as one of the best gardens in Australia. There is a shopping area at Foxglove Spire, with items from times gone by, and a cafe serving the best of foods.
And for those interested in arts and crafts, you can't go past the shops at Central Tilba, only two kilometres away. There are galleries selling the ceramic and glass and woodwork of some of Australia's leading artists. There's a leather shop, a cobbler, an alpaca wool shop, and a cheese factory. And there are cafes and an award-winning bakery, all serving a great range of fresh food and real coffee.
But of course, you could just relax and take in the peace and quiet of the rural setting, and the views of the mountain, particularly from early morning sunrise, or watch the sun setting on Mount Dromedary.
The choice is yours.
