Evans Head harbour

From Byron Bay to Port Macquarie, the northern NSW coastline has more ‘heads’ than you can poke a stick at, many offering RVers the perfect mix of relaxed coastal activities, beautiful beaches and epic vistas – all easily accessed from spectacular waterfront campsites. It’s a busy stretch of coast with back roads winding off the A1 in every which way and with so many options, it’s hard to know where to start. To get you on your way, here are some of our favourite headland camping destinations, located in pristine national parks and tiny coastal fishing villages, each with its own unique appeal and worthy of adding to your NSW coastal ‘heads’ touring itinerary.

EVANS HEAD

Evans Head is a classic coastal fishing town, perched on the banks of the Evans River. Up on the headland, Razorback Lookout gives the best vantage over the rivermouth breakwalls and the beaches below. To the north, the beach stretches in an endless white ribbon of sand towards Ballina. To the south, lines of waves bend around the points and at the lookout carpark vans idle as surfers pull in to check conditions. Even if you aren’t inclined to paddle out, it’s a beautiful spot to soak it all in and there are picnic tables and barbecues here too.

Evans Head’s picturesque harbour houses a small fishing fleet and the local Fish Coop is the place to go for takeaway fish and chips, or fresh seafood to throw on the campground barbecue. If you enjoy throwing in a line yourself, there are plenty of options on the river and beaches.

Fishing at Evans Head Harbour

For long lazy beach days, choose from the numerous beauties, including Chinamans Beach and the patrolled (in summer) Airforce Beach, where you can drive your 4WD onto the beach and find your own quiet spot of paradise.

Around 3000 people call Evans Head home and it has basic essential services, along with a well-situated caravan park close to the river and within  walking distance of the main street. The family-friendly van park has powered and unpowered sites, to accommodate larger rigs, and a children’s playground.

Evans Head is flanked by the Broadwater and Bundjalung National Parks and the Black Rocks Campground in Bundjalung NP offers an out-of-town alternative with basic facilities, accessible to 2WD vehicles and RVs. There are also plentiful stunning beaches and excellent walks to explore within the national parks.

Getting There

Evans Head is about 40km south of Ballina. Turn off the A1 at Broadwater coming from the north or Woodburn coming from the south.

Explore

Broadwater and Bundjalung national parks.

Stay

North Coast Holiday Parks Evans Head

(www.northcoastholidayparks.com.au/park/info/evans-head);

Black Rocks Campground (www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au)

Crescent Head, Evans Rivermouth from Razorback lookout

WOODY HEAD

Woody Head is one of those spectacular spots where you can truly kick back and relax. The excellent national park campground is perched on the edge of the headland where you can happily while away the hours between your campsite and the protected beach out front, perfect for kids to splash about. Contented campers set up camp chairs along the breakwall under the shady sheoaks and watch the tide roll in.

This large, grassy campground has numbered sites that can be booked online or at the rangers’ office onsite, and modern amenities including coin-operated showers, drinking water, firepits and firewood. There are no powered sites, but the unpowered sites are suited to a range of rigs with shade cloth providing flat bases.

Adjacent the camp area is a beautiful day use area with plenty of picnic tables, barbecues and communal fire pits, with a stunning outlook over the water. It’s no wonder this campground, located in the Iluka region of Bundjalung National Park, is such a popular spot.

Fisher-folk will appreciate the boat ramp here, as well as the easy access to numerous fishing spots off the rocks and beach. If you enjoy beach strolls you can venture south around the headland, exploring the rock pools along the way, and wander onto the long stretch of beach where the kangaroos graze under the shady trees.

Getting There

Access Woody Head via the Iluka Rd exit off the A1

Explore

Nearby Iluka Bluff and the Iluka Rainforest walking track, part of the World Heritage-listed Gondwana rainforests. Pick up basic supplies at the nearby town of Iluka, just five kilometres down the road.

Stay

Woody Head Campground (www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au)

BROKEN HEAD

Tucked in among the busy hub of the Northern Rivers, Broken Head is an ideal base for exploring the area in and around Byron Bay. Perfect lines of waves peel around the headland here, making it a popular spot for surfers. The wide beach stretches off toward Cape Byron, with views of Cape Byron Lighthouse and the most easterly point of the Australian mainland. Behind the beach is a spacious picnic area with covered barbecues and picnic tables, perfect for a family feast after a day touring the region or relaxing on the beach out front.

Broken Head Holiday Park is nestled behind the beach on the edge of Broken Head Nature Reserve, making it ideal for laid-back coastal camping holidays. Powered and unpowered concrete slab and grass sites are available for rigs of different sizes, including larger rigs, and some sites have views over the ocean.

From the caravan park, follow the 1.6km return Three Sisters walking track along the cliff top to a lookout on the grassy headland offering vantages of the rainforested coastline, secluded beaches and hidden rocky outcrops. The undulating gravel track meanders through archways of native hibiscus and banksia, with views over Three Sisters Rock just off the coast and the surfers below. In season, this is a good place to spot whales on their annual migration.

There are no shops at Broken Head, aside from the small van park kiosk, but it’s just three kilometres up the road to Suffolk Park, where you can stock up at the local supermarket and bakery.

GETTING THERE

Broken Head is less than 10km south of Byron Bay and about 15km north of Lennox Head.

EXPLORE

Byron Bay, Lennox Head and the stunning Northern Rivers hinterland.

STAY

Broken Head Holiday Park (www.brokenheadholidaypark.com.au).

HAT HEAD

The tiny hamlet of Hat Head on the mid-north coast is surrounded by the spectacular national park of the same name, stretching south from the town of South West Rocks. Make your way to Hat Head village via the winding back road which crosses, then skirts Korogoro Creek, as you follow Gap Rd to the headland proper. From the Gap car park, the Korogoro walking track takes you on a circuit around the headland, while Connors Track follows the coastline south – both offering impressive coastal scenery.

Back across the creek, Hat Head is a sleepy village with a general store and café, as well as a bowls club and surf life saving club. Right in town, Hat Head Holiday Park offers RVers unpowered and powered sites behind the beach, with plenty of space for kids to play in the grassy grounds. From here you can take the footbridge across to the Gap for coastal walks or explore the long beach right out front.

The clear waters of Korogoro Creek lend themselves nicely to bobbing about in a kayak or fishing from the banks where tiny fish feed and oyster-encrusted rocks line the edges. There’s a public boat ramp accessible from the holiday park, allowing you to get out and appreciate the clear turquoise waters of the bay.

If sleeping among the trees, basic facilities and budget-friendly campgrounds are more your thing, you can make the most of Smoky Cape Campground in Hat Head NP 30km to the north, where sites are dotted through the rainforest just behind the beach. Just 5km south of town, Hungry Gate Campground has open, grassy sites in a clearing behind the sand dunes, albeit a bit more of a hike to the beach.

GETTING THERE

Hat Head is 28km south of South West Rocks. Coming from the south take the Macleay Valley Way off the A1, just north of Frederickton.

EXPLORE

Smoky Cape Lighthouse and nearby Trial Bay Gaol just outside South West Rocks.

STAY

Hat Head Holiday Park (www.macleayvalleycoastholidayparks.com.au/hat-head)

CRESCENT HEAD

A forty-minute drive south of Hat Head through rolling green pastures brings you to the popular surf town of Crescent Head, where the long waves that wrap around the headland are favoured by long-boarders.

Crescent Head is a laid-back beach town where you can stock up your RV pantry and has several good options for eating and drinking. Among them is the well-situated SurfSliders Kiosk, housed in the local surf living saving club and serving up all day breakfasts, a range of burgers and Asian-inspired bowl food.

The busy Crescent Head Holiday Park holds prime position on the foreshore, with sites right behind the sand and views over the creek and beach. Little tackers can bust around on bikes and dig holes in the sand while their parents lounge under awnings, and all within walking distance of the main street. This is a great family park complete with a playground and skate park adjacent.

If you prefer to stay out of town, the Point Plomer Rd takes you south through Goolawah Regional Park and the pet-friendly Delicate Campground, and on to Limeburners Creek National Park and the Melaleuca and Point Plomer campgrounds. Stop in at the Bush Café on the edge of the national park to grab a coffee and pie for lunch, or book in for a woodfired pizza dinner if you’re visiting on the weekend.

GETTING THERE

Turn off the A1 near South Kempsey. From Port Macquarie, smaller high clearance 4WD vehicles can take the ferry across the river, then follow the undulating sandy track all the way to Crescent Head.

EXPLORE

Limeburners Creek National Park, Goolawah Regional Park and Hat Head National Park.

STAY

Crescent Head Holiday Park (www.macleayvalleycoastholidayparks.com.au/crescent-head), Delicate, Melaleuca and Point Plomer campgrounds (www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au).

Category: Destinations
Written: Thu 01 Mar 2018
Printed: March, 2018
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