Moruya to Harrington

February 12 to February 19

  

After checking out from the Moruya Caravan Park, we drove just 12km along the Moruya River and Bengello Beach to Broulee. We have visited this area a number of times, with the 3km coastline around Broulee and Mossy Point one of our favourites. We stopped at the headland lookout at Mossy Point for lunch, while the weather deteriorated into rain and storms. Late in the afternoon we went to the Mossy Point boat ramp, which thankfully is still a free camping area. We had a fantastic sunset as the storms cleared.

Monday we walked Broulee Beach before I had a fish off the jetty at Mossy Point. I was hoping to get the kayak out but the offshore conditions were a bit rough. In the afternoon we drove to the Broulee Surf Club for a walk along Bengello Beach. We stopped for another night at Mossy Point.

Mossy Point Boat Ramp Overnight Spot

Tuesday we drove north through Batemans Bay and on to Ulladulla. After some shopping and exploring of Ulladulla (it seemed a lot busier than the last time we were here), we headed a little further north to another memorable spot, Bendalong. Although there’s not much there except an expensive caravan park, it has a nicely protected bay where I fished a couple of years ago. We arrived late afternoon to find recently erected “no overnight parking” signs in the couple of secluded spots where we have stayed before.

Most towns which encourage low cost camping use it as a lure for the local businesses (shops, pubs, fuel stations). In very small towns without these facilities, I can understand how the locals (and occasional caravan park owners) have probably felt “abused” by less respectful travellers. Being quite late in the afternoon, we drove to a rest stop for the night, disappointed.

Mossy Point Sunset after the storm

We had always planned to “leapfrog” Wollongong, Sydney and Newcastle on this trip, we had avoided the big city traffic since leaving Perth, and didn’t want to face it just yet. So Wednesday we drove the 450km of freeways (except for Pennant Hills Road, delightful!) and arrived in Bulahdelah mid-afternoon. This town has been a success story for low cost camping, starting with a rest stop on the river. They now offer (self-contained) overnight parking at the golf club (where we stayed) and bowls club as well. The town has thrived and grown since they commenced this initiative after the highway bypassed the town.

Thursday I resisted the urge for a game of golf and we drove The Lakes Way, the tourist drive through the Great Lakes Region just south of Forster. We stopped at Santa Barbara for long surf beach walk, before visiting Wallis Lake for as coffee. This was a really quiet, pretty hideaway along the shallow lake. It is obviously a very healthy waterway, as the large octopus happily swam up to the banks to meet us. The temperature had reached 32⁰C so it was nice to stay by the water.

We also visited Green Point on the way to Forster/Tuncurry. After fuelling up we drove past Taree and on to Coopernook, a forest camp spot we have visited many times. It continues to be a favourite of ours, only about 7km from the highway, but deep in a state forest.

Wallis Lake Coffee Stop

Friday we headed east through Harrington to Crowdy Head. Another of our favourite spots, a very small quiet settlement with an exceptional beach. It can have great surfing and fishing, but today the northeaster was blowing 30+km/h. As the temperature reached 34⁰C it was THE place to be, it only felt like about 25⁰C.

This is another small community where we have previously stayed overnight, and again the “no camping” signs have appeared. A few self-contained motorhomes and caravans were still staying there, believing the signs are only to deter tents and backpackers.

Wallis Lake Octopus, very surprising!

We enjoyed a lazy day beach walking and keeping cool as storms built up and passed through in the afternoon. Thankfully not as severe as the ones that hit Sydney. After the storms we decided to return to Coopernook forest for the night.

Saturday was due to hit 35⁰C by 11am, so we decided to make it a washing and chores day and checked in to the Colonial Holiday Park in Harrington after an early walk along the Manning River. We only chose it because the CMCA have a partnership with it, and it would have to be one of the best parks we have stayed at, and one of the cheapest. Once again the storms built up in the afternoon, and thankfully once again they weren’t too severe for us.

Sunday we cruised out to Crowdy Bay for another beach walk, with the wind and temperature nicely dialled down.