Residents of Merimbula and the surrounding region are not simply choosing between a surf and a Netflix binge — they are doing both, often on the same day. Leisure habits here are shifting in ways that reflect a broader national story about how Australians make the most of their downtime.
The change is not dramatic or sudden. It is the gradual layering of newer digital habits over deeply embedded outdoor traditions. Understanding what that looks like in a place like Merimbula reveals something worth paying attention to — not just for locals, but for anyone watching how regional communities are evolving.
Outdoor traditions still anchor South Coast weekends
Beaches, coastal walks, mountain biking and whale watching remain the backbone of leisure life on the South Coast. Merimbula's position within the Sapphire Coast has always made it a natural fit for active recreation, and that connection has not weakened. If anything, investment in local infrastructure is making it easier for residents to integrate outdoor activity into everyday routines rather than treating it as a weekend-only pursuit.
The shared path network around town is a good example. Locals who once drove short distances now walk or ride, blending what used to be a chore with something that qualifies as genuine leisure. The mountain biking community has also grown more organised, with Merimbula hosting a 2024 MTB Symposium that brought together more than 130 stakeholders and produced a national call for better trail networks. The message from that event was clear: trails are not just for tourists, they are for the people who live here.
Digital entertainment fills the gaps between activities
But leisure does not begin and end at the foreshore. Between an early morning paddle and an evening on the deck, South Coast residents are increasingly reaching for screens. This is not a regional anomaly — it mirrors patterns seen right across the country.
The range of digital options available to adults is genuinely broad. Streaming platforms, podcasts, online gaming, and niche gaming, such as online casinos in Australia, all feature in how Australian adults choose to relax after hours. For instance, online gambling isn’t legalised in Australia, but Aussies may play on offshore platforms that offer more flexible rules and diverse incentives. Streaming services and podcasts, on the other hand, come in domestic and global shapes alike.
According to ABS time-use research, Australians spent an average of five hours and 34 minutes per day on free-time activities in 2024, with 62% watching television or streaming for nearly three hours daily. One in four Australians also reported spending leisure time checking email, browsing online or using social media — averaging over an hour and 20 minutes per day on those activities alone.
What this tells us about Merimbula is not that locals are abandoning outdoor life. It is that the hours between activities are now richly occupied by digital content in ways they simply were not a decade ago.
Local venues adapting to changing leisure habits
Established community venues are reading these shifts and responding. Club Sapphire's bowls competitions, including the well-attended Fortune Fours tournament, continue to draw strong participation and underscore the enduring appeal of organised social recreation. But venue managers are equally aware that they are competing with a home entertainment landscape that has never been more compelling.
The broader tourism picture adds context here. According to Destination NSW, NSW attracted 822,900 luxury holidaymakers in 2024 — up 31.5% on 2023 — with spending climbing 21.1% to AUD 2.9 billion, driven significantly by demand for wellness and nature-based experiences. That surge benefits the Sapphire Coast directly, but it also raises the bar for what local residents expect from their own backyard. When tourists are paying a premium for coastal wellness experiences, locals start seeing their everyday environment differently — and wanting more from it.
South Coast residents lead quieter but fuller lives
There is a telling tension running through all of this. One third of Australians reported feeling always or often rushed in 2024, yet average daily free time still stretches past five hours. South Coast residents appear to resolve this tension the way many regional Australians do — by keeping leisure local, flexible and low-friction.
That philosophy fits neatly with recent infrastructure investment. Bega Valley Shire Council secured over AUD 1 million in NSW Government funding in early 2026 to complete a missing transport link in Merimbula, explicitly aimed at walking, cycling and micromobility. It is a practical development, but it also speaks to a broader community aspiration: making it easier to step outside, move around, and return home to rest. That combination — active days and quieter evenings — is increasingly the signature rhythm of life on the South Coast, and it is one that residents seem happy to keep refining.
