Nambucca Heads

Next time you’re careening up or down the Pacific Highway in NSW’s mid-north coast, wrench the steering wheel towards the Nambucca Heads sign. Very soon you’ll find yourself in a town that could well become one of your regular favourites. Nambucca doesn’t have a Big Something-Or-Other, or must-see museums, or tree-top canopy walks, or any of the usual fancy-pants attractions of other places; it just offers wonderful, blissful beachside relaxation.

Actually, maybe it does have all of those other things, but I’ve never felt the need to find out...

Nambucca Heads sits on the shores of the Nambucca River, whose source is the top of the New England National Park. Islands and sand bars divide the river at its mouth before it enters the ocean. Either side of the river mouth is a whopping great long beach, running north and south respectively.

To me, this simple geography is laid out like a chess board; you may only have an 8x8 grid and six different pieces, but you can spend a lifetime playing and never get bored.

The river provides many opportunities for fishing and boating (there’s a boat ramp at the end of Wellington Drive). Sadly I missed out this trip, but when my grandfather was alive he would take us out on his boat and we’d explore the islands and snorkel in the shallows amongst the fish. I recall on one such expedition my grandfather stopped the boat in waist-high water, and I swear to this day he told me to get out. So I did. My grandfather looked at me incredulously as my siblings rolled around laughing. “What on earth are you doing?” he asked.

One of the islands in the river that’s well worth investigating is the one with the golf course on it – Stuart Island. If you’ve got a mean slice (I certainly do, dammit) or hook you could be in trouble, as some of the fairways run right along the riverbank. If you don’t play golf, but do either eat or drink, then the golf club may be as far as you need to go.

One of the highlights of Nambucca that’s certainly enjoyed prolifically by the locals is the riverside walk, which incorporates the John Davies Rainforest Walk. Start at the car park on the corner of Nelson and Riverside Drive and follow the boardwalk. This will take you over the water and the melaleucas, callistemons and figs of the wetlands. The track will rise at the end, taking you past ferns and rainforest species, then eucalypts and brush box at the summit. It’s an easy climb for all abilities. I’ve spent many an evening strolling along the riverside and have never tired of it.

If you continue your walk and head towards the ocean, you’ll come across Nambucca’s open-air art gallery. The blocks of the breakwater, which extends some 400m, have been decorated and painted over the years to form a living, growing artwork.

Nambucca enjoys an abundance of a resource that we RVers hunger for daily – holiday parks. I counted f ve, but there may even be more. What is particularly alluring is their proximity to the water, as some even have absolute waterfronts.

Nambucca’s geographic blessings don’t end with the river and the beaches. Just a few kilometres north is the Waterfall Way, a road not renowned for its sand dunes. You can follow it all the way to its conclusion in Armidale – there are plenty of places to camp along the way – or you can make a day trip of it and drive up to Dorrigo, via Bellingen.

The Waterfall Way begins a few kilometres north of Urunga, where the Bellinger River meets the ocean. The road winds along the river’s edge, providing a beautiful backdrop to touring past farms and pastures of radiant green. The road then starts to climb the escarpment in Dorrigo National Park, and it becomes enveloped in lush rainforest through which spectacular views can be glimpsed. Some rigs may struggle up the climb, but it should be within the capabilities of most. The rainforest is World Heritage listed, and from this you can rightly conclude that it is of outstanding beauty and diversity.

Take the turnoff to the Dorrigo Rainforest Centre. There you can stroll out over the Skywalk, a boardwalk that thrusts over the rainforest canopy for yet more dazzling views. The centre itself will keep you occupied for quite some time as you browse through the excellent displays and discover the secrets of the rainforests and their citizens. If you want to immerse yourself further in the rainforest experience, there are walks that range from strolls to hikes.

If you wish to explore further afield you can head north from Dorrigo to the Moonpar Forest Drive or Nymboi Binderay National Park. Both offer exceptional natural scenery. If you head west, instead, you’ll come across Point Lookout in New England NP, which is capable of delivering some stunning vistas.

There are metropolitan as well as natural delights around Dorrigo. The town has a number of historical buildings, including its impressive hotel. There is a sweetshop, health food stores, art galleries and cafes. Be sure to take a look at the impressive wall mural next to the visitor information centre.

To get to Dorrigo and the national parks, you must first pass through Bellingen, and you will stop there either on the way through or on the way back.

The impressive period architecture and bustling cosmopolitan vibe will ensure you do. Since the ’70s, the Bellinger Valley region has been a popular mecca for artists and today there is a rich diversity of art to be enjoyed and collected.

There is a saying that you can’t throw a brick in Bellingen without hitting an artist. In the past, one of those artists could have been Peter Carey, David Helfgott or George Negus.

The historic Old Butter Factory hosts a number of galleries and regular exhibitions, as does the Bellingen Gallery. The Butter Factory has a café and lovely gardens to enjoy as well. One of the shops crafts all manner of leather goods. Keep your eyes open for horizontal lines drawn on some of the walls – these mark the height of recent floodwaters. Some of them are waist high.

Bellingen’s rich artistic heritage is refl ected in the shopping on offer. Most of the stores are independent and offer an eclectic mix of high-quality products.

You could splurge on designer shoes at the Commercial Emporium, or go up the road instead and buy a pair of Australia’s only sweat-shop free sneakers. Pottery, opals, jewellery, glass blowing, home wares, organic produce, silk painting: they’re all there to enjoy.

There are plenty of pubs and eateries in Bellingen, and you are spoiled for choice. No.2 Oak Street is worth a special mention as one of the state’s most highly awarded restaurants, taking out a Chef’s Hat in ’05, ’06, ’07, ’08 and ’09.

Just north of Bellingen, along Gleniffer Rd, is the Never Never Creek and a place known as The Promised Land. Crystal clear waters and granite boulders tempt your senses, and mountain tops peer over a riparian canopy.

Well, it’s been a busy day or two. Tomorrow will be best spent hanging your feet in the Nambucca River and listening to the birds...

GETTING THERE

Nambucca Heads is located about 50km south of Coffs Harbour, just off the Pacific Hwy.

CHEAP TREATS

BELLINGEN’S HORSE-DRAWN TOWN EXPLORER
$5–$55. Depart Church St, opposite cafés
0423 671 581

REPTON RIVERSIDE TOURIST PARK & BOAT HIRE
96 Mylestom Drv, Repton NSW 2454
(02) 6655 4755

BELLINGEN CANOE ADVENTURES
$15-$55
(02) 6655 9955
www.canoeadventures.com.au

THE OLD BUTTER FACTORY CAFÉ
1 Doepel St, Bellingen
(02) 6655 2150
Open seven days 9am to 5pm

WHERE TO STAY

FORESHORE CARAVAN PARK
Absolute water frontage
25 Riverside Drive, Nambucca Heads, 2448 NSW
(02) 6568 8962
E: [email protected]
www.foreshorecaravanpark.com.au

BELLINGER RIVER TOURIST PARK
96 Mylestom Drive, Repton 2454 NSW
(02) 6655 4755
E: [email protected]

FREE ACTIVITIES

THE WATERFALLS
Go to the tourist information centre to find out how to get to Crystal Shower Falls, Dangar Falls, Ebor Falls, Tristania Falls, Casuarina Falls, Red Cedar Falls and Coachwood Falls. All are within easy driving distance.

GLADE PICNIC AREA
A short drive from the Dorrigo Rainforest Centre, with wheelchair accessible walks.

NEVER NEVER PICNIC AREA
10km along unsealed roads from the Dorrigo Rainforest Centre, this spot provides secluded beauty and a range of walking tracks with access to waterfalls.

JOHN DAVIES RAINFOREST WALK
Take a stroll along the boardwalks over Nambucca’s river.

TOURIST INFORMATION

NAMBUCCA VALLEY VISITOR INFORMATION CENTRE
Corner of the southern exit of the Pacific
Highway to Nambucca Heads.
(02) 6568 6954
E: [email protected]