The Sapphire Coast is a quiet achiever. It doesn’t have the big-name pull of the Gold Coast or Cairns, and most of its towns are small. But when I sorted my client list by region, this stretch of the far south coast of New South Wales came out near the top.
I have 19 stockists on the Sapphire Coast. 15 of them are around Merimbula, Tura Beach, Eden, Tathra and Pambula Beach, which makes it my single busiest cluster of towns anywhere in Australia. The other 4 are further north around Bermagui, Central Tilba and Narooma.
Here’s why I think it works, and what it means if you run a store there.
Why a small coast punches above its size
A few things make the Sapphire Coast good souvenir country:
- It’s a real holiday destination, not just a drive-through. People come for a week or more, especially families in the summer holidays. Visitors who stay have time to shop, and they pass the same main street several times.
- The towns are close together. Merimbula, Tura Beach, Pambula Beach, Eden and Tathra are all within a short drive of each other, so visitors move between them and shop in more than one.
- It draws from more than one direction. It’s within reach of Canberra, and it sits on the coastal route between Sydney and Melbourne, so it gets holiday-makers, road-trippers and caravanners.
- Everyday stores carry souvenirs. This is the big one, and it’s worth its own section.
You can read more about how my whole client base breaks down in where souvenirs really sell.
The mix of stores
The Sapphire Coast is a near-perfect example of something I see right across Australia: souvenirs sell in everyday shops, not just gift shops.
| Type of store | Stockists |
|---|---|
| Pharmacy | 6 |
| Newsagency | 3 |
| Visitor information centre | 3 |
| General store | 2 |
| Gift and souvenir shop | 2 |
| Fishing, tackle and camping | 2 |
| Café with gifts | 1 |
Pharmacies are my biggest group here, as they are nationally. In a holiday town, the pharmacy is on the main street, it’s open long hours and nearly every visitor walks in for sunscreen or something they forgot to pack. A hat stand or a spinner of magnets near the counter turns that visit into a souvenir sale.
The three visitor information centres matter too. They’re where visitors go first, and a good range there sets the tone for the whole trip. And the fishing, tackle and camping stores show how far the idea stretches: if visitors walk through your door, you can sell souvenirs.
Seasons: summer holidays and whale season
The Sapphire Coast follows the southern pattern. The peak is the summer school holidays, from just before Christmas to the end of January, with smaller peaks at Easter, long weekends and the spring holidays.
There’s also a second season that a lot of southern towns don’t get. Eden is a whale town. From around winter into spring, humpbacks pass along the coast on their migration, and Eden builds a whole season around it. That brings visitors at a time of year when beach towns are otherwise quieter, and it gives stores a strong theme to stock for.
For stores, that means a big summer order, then a smaller range that keeps working through the cooler months, with whale-themed lines in the mix around Eden. I’ve covered the planning side in my guide to tourist seasons.
What tends to sell
I’ll keep this general, because a pharmacy, a tackle shop and a visitor centre each need something different:
- Town names. Merimbula, Eden, Tathra, Bermagui, Sapphire Coast: a name on the product is often what makes the sale. Destination magnets are the easiest example.
- Sun and beach gear. Hats, sunglasses, beach bags and towels suit a summer holiday coast and sit well in pharmacies and general stores.
- Small souvenirs. Keyrings, teaspoons, badges and coasters are easy impulse buys near a counter.
- Easy gifts. Tea towels, calendars and soft toys for people buying for someone at home.
The brands I represent cover all of this. Kato Designs does hats, sunglasses, beach bags, rashies, towels and slides. Local Bloke and Souvenirs Australia both do destination-branded magnets and souvenirs, and Sundowner Souvenirs makes keyrings, teaspoons and badges.
If you run a store
If you’re on the Sapphire Coast and you’re not carrying souvenirs yet, or your range has gone a bit stale, I’d be glad to help. I can suggest a small starting range that suits your store, your customers and your space, so you’re ready for summer without overcommitting.
Book a visit, ask for range advice or see the products I can bring you.
If you make or import a product
The Sapphire Coast shows why a souvenir or gift brand needs to think beyond gift shops. Most of my stockists here are pharmacies, newsagencies, visitor centres and general stores. I already call on them, and on stores in 132 towns and suburbs across Australia (they’re all on the stockist map). In most cases I work on commission and non-exclusive.
See how representation works, or get in touch about your range.