Airbnb hosts have started increasing prices for holiday homes on the South Coast, with Sydney residents now joining the bid for beachfront rentals.
Jervis Bay and Mollymook were among the highly sought-after locations, with hosts charging up to $2000 for a family home for two nights.
A budget Airbnb traveller can get a campervan on a Broulee farm for $200 a night or a $60 tent site at a caravan park in Batemans Bay.
The Woods Farm accommodation in Jervis Bay was fully booked for the first time in months last weekend, with double-vaccinated Sydney residents making the most of their new freedoms.
General manager Maddy Bricknell said the rest of the year was already looking much the same, with numbers surging around Christmas and the New Year.
"We did have a steady kind of increase over the last few weeks but the real rush came this weekend," Ms Bricknell said.
Ms Bricknell said the farm-stay accommodation was also booking out for mid-week stays, with people taking advantage of flexible working arrangements.
"Mid-week travel is still on trend, which is good as well," she said.
Elders Real Estate Batemans Bay principal Luke Allan said prices for Airbnb accommodation were soaring along the coast.
Mr Allan said a standard family home in Broulee without beach views was now fetching up to $1000 a night, with Sydney and Canberra residents rushing to get into the market.
"More and more we're seeing investors buy with the intention of Airbnbing from now until January, before switching to permanent rentals early next year," he said.
Milk Haus co-owner Katie Stidwill said her cafe in Woodstock was fully booked from Friday to Sunday last weekend - unprecedented for this time of the year.
She said while the influx of travellers was welcome, hospitality operators in the area called on visitors to have patience.
Ms Stidwill said staffing shortages and caps on numbers had seen some customers lose their cool.
"Come down and support us, but please support us with kindness," she said.
