In all honesty, I had never heard of Sawtell until our friends were booking their Easter trip while we were away together last year. Chris knew about the place (of course!) and we decided we’d come along for the adventure. And here we are. I’m so glad we decided to invite ourselves to tag along – This place is magic!
I must be honest when I say that part of the ‘magic’ happened as we approached Sawtell. Those horrible dark grey clouds and torrential rain that had been hovering over Brisbane for far too long gave way to bright blue skies and the sun sparkling over the water.
Our trip down from Brissy was a rather long one (thanks to the rain and the long weekend/Easter/Commonwealth Games traffic) and we arrived after reception had closed. We did ring ahead and were given very clear, helpful instructions. A lovely man met us and gave us the envelope full of goodies (map, key and a Discover Coffs Harbour brochure).
Our first impression when we drove down the driveway, was how lush, green and well-kept the grounds were! The many trees provide plenty of welcome shade, and the grass is soft and lovely for bare feet J
Our friends made the group booking and arrived before us, so we had no idea what we were in for! We are on a site without a slab, but that hasn’t proved to be a problem as yet. Mind you, it hasn’t rained. I’m not sure what it would be like then.
Four of our friends have slab sites down opposite the village green and croquet lawns (what a beautiful view form under their awnings!) and one other is parked up next to us.
All of our sites are large and were quite easy to get onto. Originally, we (and our friends next to us – both with larger vans) were meant to ‘slip into’ 2 tiny hilly spots behind the others, but thankfully our friends advised the park that both of our set ups are quite large, and we were moved up the hill onto larger sites (albeit, ours without a slab).
The amenities are clean and well kept – there are public toilets and other ones just for people staying at the park. The camp kitchen is awesome and very well equipped. We don’t use it as we cook at the van, but it looks great! J
You can hear the waves crashing during night and the bird life is everywhere – I had the BEST night’s sleep I’ve had in ages.
It really is a hidden gem in a fabulous location – walking distance to the bowls club, RSL, the town centre and all its gorgeous little shops, cafes and restaurants (I loved the old cinema!) and the public pool is on the grounds.
The inlet directly out the front of the park is perfect for young families and those of us who aren’t super stable on stand-up paddle boards in the surf! There is also a lovely boardwalk. Our friends with kids loved it as the boys could run around, play beach cricket, climb on the rocks, take the kayak and SUP out and our friend took his tinny out as well.
The local scenery is just so beautiful (Bonville Headland – WOW!) and it is only a short drive to other amazing locations. We are using it as a base as we head off to explore Waterfall Way, Dorrigo National Park, the Sky Walk, Danger Falls, the Butter Factory, Urangan and whatever other interesting places we can find.
Overall, I can’t recommend this park enough. It is perfect for families, couples and singles. For those who want somewhere clean, quiet, tranquil and close to all the important things (like food and the beach!) this is the place to be!
Facilities:
Amenities Blocks
BBQ
Camp Kitchen
Clothes line
Convenience Store/Kiosk
Cots & High Chair Hire
Disabled Bathroom
Ensuite Sites
Internet – Free Wireless
Kayak, Canoe & Paddle Boat Hire
Kids Playground
Pool
Sewage Dump Point
Tennis Court
Staff:
Very friendly!
Sites:
Some large and flat, some small and hilly, some with slabs, some without slabs, some powered, some unpowered (be sure to specify what you need when booking!)
Positives:
Location!
Walking distance to shops and restaurants.
Inlet directly out the front.
Beach close by.
Extremely clean and well equipped.
Friendly staff.
Great playground for kids.
Negatives:
Some of the sites are a bit hilly and/or small.
The roads are quite bumpy as I found out riding down them on Maybelle!
No direct access to beach (just the inlet).
We were moved from a small, tight spot to this lovely site
This adventure begins on day 4 of our Easter holiday in Central NSW. We arrived at sunset on Day 1, and Day 2 was spent exploring the lovely town of Sawtell and its sensational beaches and coastline. All this natural beauty was just minutes from the BIG4 Sawtell Beach Holiday Park we were calling home for 5 tremendous days.
We hung out with our friends out the front of the park and spent some time relaxing, reading and snoozing. The resting was essential as we were about to squeeze a whole lot of adventuring into the next couple of days.
On day 3 we started at the Butter Factory and worked our way along the gorgeous Waterfall Way, stopping to admire Ebor Falls, Dangar Falls, Point Lookout and a few other places in between. Simply stunning! Read about that adventure here.
This brings us to day 4; waking up at sunrise to start the hour and a half drive down to the delightful seaside town of Port MacQuarie.
Chris has been many times before, but it was a first for me and as soon as we parked and hopped out to admire the views, I started to wonder why on earth I hadn’t been here before! I’d heard it was lovely, and it truly is.
The trees and the coastline give this bustling little town a lovely, relaxed and welcoming feel. We didn’t spend long, but what I saw was enough to convince me that we need to book into one of the caravan parks we and spend a week or so here. I can’t wait for the kids to see this place!
We stopped at Mrs.Yorks Garden to have a look down on the ocean from above, before heading over to Town Beach Park to snap a few more pics.
Along the southern breakwall of the Hastings River there are some fascinating painted rocks. This one pictured was my favourite, but the Cat in The Hat came in a close second!
These bright, colourful rocks are sure to catch your eye if you’re seeing them for the first time and I wanted to know why they were there, so I did a little research.
Apparently it all began as an art competition back in 1995 but is now a bit like an outdoor gallery that anyone can add to!
A walk along the breakwall is the easiest way to see the joyful wall of colour. The painted rocks begins at Port Macquarie’s Town Green, extends along the river, around the point, and a little way along the back of Town Beach.
The car park up this end is a good place to start if you want to explore the wall. There’s plenty of grass and some lovely shady trees, a playground and a skate park. There’s also a caravan park right there …! I can’t wait to go back with the kids as there really is something to keep everyone happy.
From there we started winding our way back up the coast, starting with Crescent Head.
We parked by the golf course and followed a tiny path through some trees and up onto the hill. What we saw we when turned to look down at the ocean below took our breath away and was enough for me to take so many phots that I am still having extreme difficulty sorting through. This would have to be the most impressive and breathtaking ocean view I have seen yet – and I’ve been to some pretty amazing places!
I could have sat and watched the water circling around and crashing onto the rocks for hours, but we didn’t have hours, so onto the next spot we had marked on the map. Southwest Rocks.
As the name suggests, Southwest Rocks has some pretty large rocks jutting out of the sand that you can see along the coastline from the next beach over, separating the beach into two.
There was a lovely caravan park right by the water, and the streets were lined with giant ball like palm trees and tall, pointy pine trees. The main road of the town led straight down to the palm trees and water front and some lovely beaches.
We drove past the Hat Head Bowling and Recreation Park and into Hat Head Beach Reserve. There was a lovely caravan park that was set in the bush, right by a little inlet complete with a busy little boat ramp. There were plenty of people on their inflatables floating down the little stream and out to the beach. I really wanted to jump in! This looked to be the pick of the camping spots for our next family trip away.
Also under the Southwest Rocks banner came the Trial Bay Gaol, a curious place that I’ve wanted to explore for years. I’ve heard ghost stories that have put me off wanting to camp around the gaol itself, but adventuring was never out of the question!
As we drove through the grounds, we could see some people had camped right up hard against the gaol walls. Eeek! It gave me shudders just thinking about nightfall. People seemed to be camped wherever they felt like it; right beside the gaol, in the camp grounds, along the road and on the water’s edge.
The story behind the gaol was intriguing as I found out as I wandered through and read the signs that were dotted around. A couple of large signs warned campers to ‘please do not feed the wildlife’ and it was quite obvious to see why. There was some almighty large kangaroos (that at first looked like statues) that seemed quite at home by the front gates!
Never content to stick to the standard roads, we carefully edged our very lifted Hilux down a tiny dirt road that was covered with overhanging trees. I’m pretty sure we collected a branch or two with the rooftops!
It wasn’t long before the green trees parted in front of us, giving way to a brilliant blue sky and sparkling ocean. When we couldn’t go any further, we pulled up and got out. To the right of us was a tiny beach and huge rock break wall that we could hear the waves thundering up against, and to the left was a calm little beach, dotted with holiday makers.
This was another place I reeeeally wanted to spend more time; just a few hours sunbaking and laying on my floating bed, soaking up the autumn sunshine. But alas, the lighthouse was calling our name! So, we reversed out of paradise, headed out of Arakoon and towards Hat Head National Park.
One would expect spectacular views from a lighthouse, and this one did not disappoint. Standing high on a narrow headland, Smoky Cape Lighthouse is surrounded by the stunning coastal scenery of Hat Head National Park. However, the best views were from our drone.
Chris sent the drone up and I made the ‘long trek’ to the top. I think Chris got the better deal (although I got to close the rings on my Apple Watch! ???)
The lighthouse itself is as beautiful as the views – with its winding staircase and octagonal tower. And while the views from the top were lovely, you could get equally stunning views from further down the path, and in my opinion, the viewing platform doesn’t go out far enough to see around the trees and bush in front. Of course, factoring Easter Sunday into the equation, there wasn’t much room to move with everyone trying to get ‘that shot’.
Thankfully I knew Chris would get the best pics with the drone and boy did he deliver!
As we drove back to the caravan park, I began the long process of transferring the photos and videos from the drone and GoPro across, trying to pick the ‘stand out’s’ as I went. Who was I kidding? Almost every photo from the day taken on the GoPro, the drone or either of our iPhone X’s was spectacular!
It was a whirlwind day, scoping out the dazzling NSW coast for future caravanning adventures.
We arrived back to an almost empty caravan park, with most holiday makers having headed back home, ready to start back at work the following day. We took an extra day off which allowed us some down time, and a much less hectic drive home.
With enough time left in the afternoon, Chris took me on a quick tour through Coffs Harbour. I found it to be quite a bizarre place – rather industrial, with an almost ‘unfinished’ feel about it. A bit like it was going to be an amazing holiday destination, and then attention was diverted elsewhere, and Coffs was left to fend for itself.
We went to Park Beach, McCauleys and the Breakwater … all unique locations and quite photographic as the sun was casting its last glowing light of the day across the water.
I’m not sure I would like to go back to Coffs anytime soon, but maybe there is something about the place that only the locals know about. Who knows? I did read about what appeared to be a lovely walk – the ‘Solitary Islands Coastal Walk’. That might have been nice if we’d had more time.
Maybe one day I’ll find out if there are any hidden secrets that Coffs is holding back on. Until then, I’m happy with my hour or so spent having a quick look around.
Our last night in Sawtell was relaxing, and our morning was a lazy tidy up. There wasn’t much traffic heading home, so we took a few breaks along the way, stopping in at Little Italy for lunch. I had a bit of a wander through the gift shop and museum before we headed home to Brisbane.
It was a lovely end to a fabulous Easter holiday and we now have some great NSW locations earmarked for some of our upcoming family adventures.
Our next group adventure has already been decided and was locked in on night 2 at Sawtell! We’ve all booked in for a few nights at Kingscliffe to celebrate Chris’s birthday in May. Well, it’s our ‘next, next’ adventure, as Cotton Tree is already booked for late April!
Aah .. the caravanning life. From one adventure to the next 🙂
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