We left Toowoon Bay seven days ago and travelled north to Diamond Head Campground in Crowdy Bay National Park, just south of Port Macquarie.

I should add here, that unlike Victoria, there are fees for entering NSW National Parks. Around $7 a day per vehicle, regardless of if you are just picnicking for an hour or camping for a week. We bought an annual pass for $45 and it paid for itself in the first week, it’s worth considering if you are thinking of travelling to NSW.

We saw some BIG THINGS on our way. A big Mosquito at Hexham, A big Oyster at Taree (that looks more like a clam witha big grin and even bigger teeth), A big Axe at Kew (it was replaced recently as termites ate the last one), and A big bowling ball at Lake Cathie.

Of all the places we have stayed, Diamond Head is by far the best. It is paradise. The atmosphere in the camp ground is so much more relaxed and friendly than anywhere else we have stayed. Laurieton is the nearest town 14k away, the last 7k is dirt road, but wide and in good condition. The resident park ranger is friendly and very helpful. There is no power, not even in the amenities block,  and no drinking water so you need to bring your own.  It has a fairly new amenities block with flush toilets and showers (cold water only), outdoor showers on the path from the beach, free gas BBQs and picnic shelters. Goannas out number kangaroos and kookaburras two to one, but they just wander past and didn’t seem half as fussed about me as I was about them.

This is the camp area.

Fifty metres from our van is the most fabulous beach ever, Dunbogan Beach. At one end is Camden Head, at the other Diamond Head, and in between is beautiful soft sand and surf. There was a spectacular moon on our first night.

To get a better perspective, this is Dunbogan Beach from the opposite end, looking from Camden Heads. If you follow the sand all the way to the other end, that’s Diamond Head where we stayed.

We had such a fantastic time here; hired boogie boards, $10 a day but we got to keep them for three days. I (Helen) had surfing lessons, such great fun; rode our bikes as far as the sand would hold us; swam 2 or 3 times every day in the warmest, clearest blue water yet.

Places we visited.

North Brother Mountain Lookouts. Looking east to Camden Heads and Camden River. Looking south from the Don Johnston Lookout toward the mountains, lakes and Crowdy Heads National Park, in the far distance on the coast is Diamond Heads.

Dunbogan Boat Shed which hires out a variety of boats and kayaks. They feed fish off their jetty, hundreds of bream. But they wont let you fish from there. They also sell coffee, fishing tackle and chocolates made by someone local. We did some fishing further along the river, sitting under a tree, very civilized really. Caught bream, whiting and sole, all babies that we threw back.

North Haven Surf Life Saving Club Little Nippers Carnival

Port Macquarie. Shepparton may have a herd of 90 painted cows thanks to their Moooving Art Project, but Port Macquarie has … Fifty large scale koala sculptures, manufactured in fibreglass and individually designed and hand painted, dot the landscape from the mountains to the sea to create an official Hello Koalas Public Sculpture Trail. Open from September 2014 to December 2015.   http://hellokoalas.com 

Perpendicular Point. It was sunny when we left the car and sunny when we got to the look out and hour later, but one mischievous black cloud soaked us to the skin midway.

When we got to Perpendicular Point look out we saw the most amazing sight, a pod of a dozen or more dolphins circling and catching fish, and birds circling over the top swooping into the water to join the feast. We were captivated. Hope these pics portray how wonderful it was to witness.

And so we leave a truely magical place. We will definitely be back to Diamond Head. For now we head north to Trial Bay Campground, at Arakoon National Park.

Thanks again for reading our blog, hope you are enjoying it. Helen and Tim