Visit the North Coast including Port Stephens, Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie and Nambucca Heads.
This region stretches from Port Stephens to Coffs Harbour and inland to Dorrigo. Whether you choose to explore Myall Lakes in a houseboat, go diving in and around the underwater gardens of South West Rocks, raft the Nymboida River or of surfing at Crescent Head.
The waterways of Myall Lakes hold many charms and this is an area where you'll find camp sites that appeal to camping veterans and first timers alike. There are four interconnected lakes spread over 10,000 hectares in the wilderness of Myall Lakes National Park. You'll find this National Park has a great choice of camp sites and bushwalks. A sliver of land separates the lakes from 40 km of mostly beach. Adventuer activities include cruising in a houseboat, fishing, swimming, canoeing, sailboarding, surfing and bushwalking. Camp sites are dotted around the shores of each of the four waterways - from Myall Lake to Boolambayte, Two Mile Lake and on to Bombah Broadwater.
335km north of Sydney you can camp and walk all year at Crowdy Bay. The weather is temperate, winters are short and the summer is moderate compared with places further north up the coast. The Crowdy Bay National Park runs down the coast starting just south of Laurieton and stretches south taking in Diamond Head, Crowdy Head and finishes just before the village of Harrington. The park is a good place to detour off the Pacific Highway if you're making your way up or down the coast. People who camp in Crowdy Bay like their camping reasonably rugged.
Behind Port Macquarie, the rugged foothills of the Great Dividing Range, and the higher peaks and ridges, provide some excellent and challenging four-wheel driving and are a camping paradise. There are still many areas of state forest that allow four-wheel-driving and motorcycles.
For sheer beauty it is difficult to surpass the golden beaches which dot the coastline. Shoal Bay, Forster, Old Bar, Harrington, Laurieton, Crescent Head, South West Rocks and Nambucca Heads are some of the best known, but there are many more remote coves and inlets scattered along the coast line. Renowned as a great surfing beach Crescent Head also offers rock and beach fishing, swimming and spectacular nature walks. Crescent Head is long board heaven - it has one of the best right-hand point breaks in the world. If the surf isn't ideal at the town beaches ('front', 'back' or 'the Point'), you can try Racecourse, Delicate Nobby, Big Hill or Point Plomer - all south of the town.
Heading north and situated on Trial Bay at the mouth of the Macleay River north-east of Kempsey, South West Rocks offers unspoilt beaches, pristine bushland and lots of great fishing. The area is also a great destination for avid divers, boasting one of Australia's top 10 dives – Fish Rock Cave - under Fish Rock Island. You can learn to dive and hire gear at local dive centres.
Just 40km's south of Coffs Harbour is the Nambucca Valley - with its towns Nambucca Heads, Macksville, Scotts Head, Valla Beach, Bowraville, Taylors Arm and Eungai. The area boasts 23km's of coastline, picturesque waterways, rainforest, and beaches.
Sixty kilometres from Coffs Harbour, surrounded by wilderness, lies the beautiful Nymboida River, one of Australia's best white-water locations. Between rainforest covered banks and untouched bushland there are world-class grade-three and grade-four rapids, and some grade fives.
The 50 km length of river lures white-water enthusiasts from around the world. It's also a natural-flow river. Unlike other white-water rivers such as the Tully near Cairns or the Gwydir in northern NSW, where water levels are dependent on water released from dams, the Nymboida's water levels vary according to rainfall on the nearby Dorrigo Tableland. For the inexperienced, the best way to experience the river is on a guided rafting trip run by one of the Nymboida tour operators.
Finally, Coffs Harbour is famous for its great swimming and surf beaches but many visitors prefer to venture into the dramatic hinterland west of the town centre. In the Coffs hinterland you can travel off-road through rainforests, past creeks and waterfalls and catch some breathtaking valley and ocean views. Dorrigo National Park is probably the area's best known park, but it's more for on-road driving and walking tracks. For the more serious off-road the many state forests offer more challenging and often more rewarding scenery. While in Coffs Harbour you can do some whale and dolphin watching, try your hand at go-karting, learn to surf, visit the Skywalk, a rainforest boardwalk. visit the Coffs Harbour Zoo or try kissing a sea lion and see porpoises, sharks and penguins at the Pe Porpoise Pool.
Visit the Northern Rivers including Grafton, Evans Heads, Ballina, Byron Bay and Lismore
Northern Rivers of Tropical NSW stretches north from Grafton in the south, up past Yamba, Evans Head, Ballina, Byron Bay. Inland to Casino, Lismore and Murwillumbah and finishing back on the coast at Tweed Heads on the border of New South Wales and Queensland. The Northern Rivers region is a sub-tropical paradise with a unique lifestyle, unsurpassed natural attractions, pristine surf beaches, unspoilt rainforest and wild rivers. Six of Australia's precious World Heritage Listed areas can be found here, as well as dozens of smaller parks, nature reserves, rainforest remnants and State Forests.
They don’t call this region ‘Northern Rivers’ for nothing! Between the Queensland border at Tweed Heads down to Yuraygir National Park south of Grafton, four major rivers empty into the Pacific Ocean and the hinterland is criss-crossed with a network of tributaries.
Needless to say, fishing is a major drawcard throughout the region. Deep sea, beach and estuary fishing is the choice du jour in towns like Wooli, Yamba, Iluka, Evans Head, Ballina, Brunswick and Tweed Heads.
Inland, you can virtually pull up by the side of the road and drop a line wherever you see good water. The Tweed, Richmond, Evans and Clarence Rivers are the main thoroughfares but tributaries and smaller waterways like the Rous, Oxley, Mann and Nymboida, plus the hundreds of smaller creeks will bring their own rewards.
For stillwater shore or boat fishing, try Clarrie Hall Dam (electric motors only), just west of Uki or Toonumbar Dam, west of Kyogle, which has an excellent camping area and boat ramp and plenty of bass, thanks to a stocking program by the local fishing club.
Similarly, Wave Hill Station has facilities for camping and fishing (not to mention, swimming, horseriding, 4WD-ing, bushwalking and canoeing) in the spectacular Clarence River Gorge country.
Please note fishing licences are required for recreational fishing in NSW. Licences are available at local bait shops or inquire at the Visitor Information Centres.
With so many National Parks and Reserves in the region, bushwalking is a popular pastime for locals and visitors alike. Well-marked walking tracks take you deep into the heart of remote wilderness areas; to spectacular lookouts and breathtaking waterfalls.
Heading further out through the Tweed Valley or coming up from Lismore, there is a choice of easy and challenging tracks through the World Heritage listed areas of the Border Ranges, Nightcap, Whian Whian, Mebbin and Springbrook parks/reserves.
The Border Ranges can also be access from the Summerland Way north of Kyogle, as can Richmond Range, Tooloom, Toonumbar, Mallanganee and Yabra.
For a total change of scene, coastal National Parks like Yuraygir, Bundjalung and Broadwater give you an opportunity to explore heath land, deserted beaches and rocky headlands via well-marked walking tracks. In Yuraygir National Park, the 10km Angourie Walking Track linking Mara Creek Picnic Area with Lake Aragon is regarded as one of the most magnificent coastal walks in Australia and incorporates a series of specially constructed boardwalks to protect the fragile dune systems.
Most of the region’s National Parks are well set up for campers and motorhomers. A nominal fee usually applies so check with the Visitor Information Centres for details.
Nestled between the Nymboida River and Goolang Creek, some 36kms south-west of Grafton, this picturesque rural township is normally a Mecca for whitewater rafting enthusiasts and other thrill-seekers. Billed as one of Australia’s most exciting whitewater canoe courses, Goolang’s challenging slalom course makes it the preferred location for many state, national and international championships.
In the Solitary Islands Marine Park, off the coast of Wooli in the Northern Rivers region of NSW, the first whale sighting each year never fails to cause a stir. Every year, the number of Southern Right and Humpback whales making their way to the warmer waters of the Coral Sea increases. The jagged Northern Rivers coastline of headlands and lookouts also offers excellent opportunities for land-based whale watching, which will cost you nothing.
While the whales’ antics are obviously the big attraction from July through to November, they do tend to overshadow the region’s other star of the sea – the local dolphins. To sit on the banks of the Clarence River at Iluka, watching a family of dolphins making their way up river is one of life’s really special moments.
There are many opportunities for camping, both in national parks and commercial camping areas, the latter usually located along the coastal strip. It's worth noting that this region is holiday heaven for many southerners, and in peak periods it's advisable to book as far ahead as possible, particularly for caravan sites and in the more popular coastal national parks. There are now nearly 30 national parks and nature reserves under National Parks and Wildlife Service management. Camping is not permitted in some, however most have vehicle access.
Finally, since the discovery of world-class waves in the area 30 years ago, Byron has been a famed domestic and international surfing point. With its variety of north, east and south-facing beaches, Byron boasts the equivalent of a typical surfer's holy grail. With warm water, quality waves and beautiful surrounds, there's a rarely a day that won't create at least a half-decent wave somewhere - for experts and beginners alike. Serious surfers should check out Tallows Beach, a short drive from Byron Bay itself. The long, mainly unknown beach, has some of the best surfing conditions on the coast.
NSW National Parks can be closed at times because of bushfire and bushfire danger. We advise you check with NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service before you set off. Phone 1300 361 967 (within NSW) or (02) 9253 4600 or visit www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au. Remember, play it safe and tell others where you go and when you will be back.
Disclaimer: The information contained about this region is provided as a guide only. Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information, Break Loose Publishing disclaim any liability or responsibility for the accuracy of the information contained herein. For our complete Disclaimer please follow the link at the foot of the page.
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Visit the North Coast including Port Stephens, Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie and Nambucca Heads.
