Sun, sand and ... spa sessions: how holidays have changed on the NSW South Coast

There was a time when Canberrans would get in their cars and head south to the coast for the duration of the summer holidays.

The kids would no doubt moan in the heat in the back of the car - but then squeal with joy when they saw the bright blue sea.

In those days, the sun lounger and the awning were the place to be.

But those big family holidays aren't quite what they were, according to people in the industry.

They still exist but the market has fragmented. Expanded air travel takes Canberrans further afield. Couples with money and no children seek up-market venues (DINKS, as the couples are known: double income, no kids).

The self-indulgent "wellness" market has grown, offering massages instead of sand and sun. "Nature" is the buzz word. Soothing jojoba oil competes with sunblock.

When Mark and Sue Berry opened The Bower at Broulee catering to the "wellness" market 25 years ago, he said people thought they were mad.

There was no such market on the South Coast, he was told.

But they saw an opening because the luxury market had started to take off elsewhere.

"We researched from South Australia, through the Great Ocean road around the east coast all the way to Mooloolaba in Queensland," he said.

They concluded the market was ripe on the coast south of Canberra.

"There was almost nothing like it here".

Today, The Bower at Broulee, with its massages, spas, "forest bathing", nature walks and high-end cabins in the bush, is thriving. It's another world from the caravans and shacks which were once the cheaper staple of the area. "We're focused on the couples market," the proprietor said. People arrived burdened with stress and were changed within a short time.

Rather than opt for a single beach, customers choose to drive to a different one each day - or choose not to drive to the beach at all, but walk an inland track: "We have found over the years that people like being immersed in a natural forest".

One set of customers were military and ex-military people. Their partners booked for the therapeutic value to the other partner. "They come to put them in an environment which is self-healing," Mr Berry said.

He's on a panel advising Eurobodalla Shire Council about the industry. A survey by Tourism Research Australia put the average length of stay in the last five years by a tourist at three days. Each year, about half a million people visit and stay at least one night.

In the longer term, people in the industry have noticed a change. "Twenty years ago, you couldn't find a place to put a towel down on the beach," David Maclachlan said from his home overlooking a beach, which he said was not far off deserted.

Alison Miers, who owns Bay Breeze Boutique Accommodation, said that people with a Chinese or Indian background tended to come over Christmas itself.

And she felt people were leaving it later to book, but she thought the numbers of visitors were still high, including this year. "The last 10 days, it's been mild," she said. "It's not really been beach-going weather."

But the end of the week was warmer and the sea was full, she said. "It's been a hive of activity."