Ulladulla Harbour Breakwall

Ulladulla Harbour is the working port for one of the South Coast's biggest fishing fleets, and its eastern breakwall shields the trawler berths at Tuna Wharf from the open sea. The wall's rock armour faces the ocean on one side and the calm harbour on the other, so it offers two kinds of fishing a few metres apart. The rock is boulder armour rather than a ledge, and the road along the top of Tuna Wharf puts the car almost at the fishing. Between the trawlers and the pelicans, there is no shortage of bait smell in the water.

On the ocean side, spin metals or float a ganged pilchard into the wash off the outer armour for salmon and tailor, best at first light with some white water around. In summer, a live yellowtail or squid drifted off the end can bring a kingfish. Bream, luderick and trevally feed along the armour on both sides — peeled prawn or green weed under a float for luderick, a lightly weighted prawn or mullet strip for bream. Squid come into the harbour lights at night and over the weed off the wall on calm evenings. Leatherjackets pick at anything on the bottom inside the harbour.

Australian salmon have no minimum size and a bag of 5, and tailor are 30 cm with a bag of 10. Bream are 25 cm on a bag of 10 shared with tarwhine, luderick 27 cm with a bag of 10, and silver trevally 30 cm on a bag of 10 shared across the trevallies. Yellowtail kingfish must be 65 cm with a bag of 5, squid have no size limit and a combined bag of 20 with cuttlefish, and leatherjackets a combined bag of 20. Eastern blue groper can't be taken by any method in NSW until the end of February 2028 — release any you hook.

Keep off the commercial berths and out of the way of trawlers, and follow any harbour signage on where fishing is allowed. Fish the harbour side when the ocean side is washing; the wall is high enough that the inside often stays fishable in a moderate swell. Berley lightly — the harbour already smells of fish, and the pelicans need no encouragement. Octopus cannot be taken from ocean rock platforms anywhere in NSW, so leave them be on the natural rock either side of the harbour.

Drive along Ulladulla Harbour's eastern side to Tuna Wharf, where there is parking along the wall, with the boat ramps on the other side of the harbour. The wall top is level and the step onto the armour rock is short, which makes this one of the easier rock spots on the coast. The armour boulders themselves are uneven, with gaps between them. Ulladulla's main street, with shops and cafés, is a short walk away.

The outer face takes swell from the south and east directly; a swell over about 2 m sends spray over the wall and makes the outer rocks unsafe. The harbour side is sheltered in most conditions. North-east winds blow across the wall and make float fishing on the outside difficult. Tide matters less here than swell and light, though the change of tide at dawn or dusk is the best window for salmon and tailor.

The armour rock is uneven, with deep gaps between boulders that can trap a foot, and it is slippery wherever the spray reaches. Large swell sends waves over the outer wall, so check the swell forecast, watch the sets for ten minutes before going down the outer face, never turn your back on the sea, and stay on the harbour side or on the wall top when the sea is up. This is a working harbour: trawlers, charter boats and trailers move constantly, so keep clear of the berths and the boat ramps. Shoalhaven is not one of the ten declared rock-fishing lifejacket areas, but a lifejacket is strongly recommended on any rock exposed to ocean swell, with grippy footwear and light clothing you can swim in. Don't fish the outer face alone; if you go in, swim clear of the wall, float, signal and have your mate call 000, and know your way back to the wall top.

Yes. The eastern breakwall by Tuna Wharf is fished for salmon, tailor, bream, luderick, trevally, squid and summer kingfish. Keep off the commercial berths and follow any harbour signage.

Off the harbour wall: Australian salmon, tailor, bream, luderick, silver trevally, squid and leatherjackets, with kingfish in summer. Tailor must be 30 cm with a bag of 10 and kingfish 65 cm with a bag of 5.

Yes. You can park along Tuna Wharf right beside the wall, and the step onto the rock armour is short. The boulders are uneven and slippery when wet, so wear good shoes.

Yes. Squid come into the harbour lights at night and over the weed off the wall on calm evenings. Squid have no size limit and a bag of 20 shared with cuttlefish.