Crescent Head
Crescent Head is one of the best kept secrets on the northern New South Wales coast. It is a bit of a Mecca for surfers and Kempsey offers Aboriginal cultural experiences and owns the factory that makes Akubra hats. It is a well-respected surfing destination which offers good fishing both from the beach and the rocks. The tiny township is well-protected environmentally with the Goolawah Reserve and Limeburners Creek Nature Reserve edging it to the north and the south. The peacefulness of the town is largely a result of its unusual location. Travellers have to make a conscious decision at Kempsey to depart from the main Pacific Highway and head in a southerly direction. As most travellers are heading north they are unwilling to go backwards down the coast. This circumstance seems designed to ensure that Crescent Head will never be inundated by large numbers of tourists.
Major Attractions at Crescent Head:
Goolawah Reserve : Australian bushland (lots of melaleucas and banksias), ideal for bushwalking, surfing and holidaying. There are two camping grounds – Delicate and Racecourse – where it is possible to set up a tent or park a caravan.
Limeburners Creek Nature Reserve and Point Plomer
The area between Big Hill and Point Plomer with historical significance to the local Aborigines. The area is ideal for birdwatching, swimming, surfing, canoeing, bushwalking and fishing. There is a camping area with showers and toilets at Point Plomer which is little more than a few fibro houses, a general store and a service station.
Related Travel Information
Green Head
Green Head was first gazetted on 7th January 1966. In 1969, the first freehold lots in the Green Head Townsite were auctioned at the Coorow Shire Hall.
While there is no conclusive evidence of aboriginal activity in the Green Head area, it is known that in the 1600's the first known white men to visit the Green Head coast were Dutch sailors sailing to Indonesia for trade. Several Dutch ships were wrecked on the West Australian reefs, among them the ‘Gilt Dragon’. Abraham Leeman and crew from the ‘Waeckende Boey’, while searching in the ships small boat for
Grafton
Grafton is a picturesque town with solid 1800s architecture, cruises on the Clarence, as well as white water rafting and canoeing.
It gets pretty packed (and just plain pretty) late October and early November for the Jacaranda Festival. Fishing, prawning and surfing are popular at Yamba and Evans Head. Inland on the Richmond River, Casino is a typical country town with wide streets and verandahed hotels, and nearby Lismore is the regional centre. Ballina is a fishing town with good family beaches and river cruises. Lennox Head is a charming, seaside village with Seven Mile Beach and a freshwater
Bega
A town famous for its cheese which has been made here as far back as the late 19th century. The town was first established on the banks of the river back in the 1830s but moved to higher ground after being washed out by flood waters. The Bega Co-Operative Creamery Company was officially formed in 1899 by the farmers of the Bega Valley who wanted to control their own industry and the original butter factory began production in early 1900, in 1944 it changed its name to become The Bega Co-Operative Society Limited and over the years expanded into milk
Ben Priors Park, Coolgardie
Ben Prior's Park is an open air display of old mining equipment, including mining jigs, drills, antiquated boilers and head frames. For those of you with an interest in vintage mining equipment a short visit might well be of some interest. Entry to Ben Prior Park is free and the display is located on Bayley Street - Coolgardie's main thoroughfare.
Luxury 4 Wheel Drive tours
These tours head off the beaten track into the wilderness, taking you through towering escarpments, damp rainforests, extensive pine and eucalypt forest and much more. Frequent stops are made for photos and to enjoy the scenery, you are soon able to feel the freedom of its timeless magnificence. All tours commence and finish at your hotel/resort in Sydney or the Blue Mountains. A real highlight to your tour will be the lavish morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea provided on the full day tour. It is a 5 star adventure in comfort and style.
