Two and a Tent

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Coolendel - Moving inland

We left Honeymoon Bay in the direction of Coolendel without any real expectations.  We wanted to top up supplies in Nowra, refill water and be somewhere with plenty of space for the remainder of our trip.

Around 25 minutes from Nowra we hit some picturesque green country side along the Shoalhaven River.

Not long after this came a dirt road followed by a sign saying that Coolendel was just a short 11km drive (or bounce) further.  The road wound through the hills at times having a steep drop to the side.  Scared of heights, this would have been Ming’s least favourite part of the trip.

After finally arriving we checked in at the office which also served as a kiosk selling basic supplies, ice and firewood.  We were advised that this 52 hectare property had around 16 different camping areas to suit most needs.  After two laps of the park we settled on a place near ‘The Shelter’ which was separate from the main camp and close enough to the river. 

Coolendel is touted as an eco-friendly bush camping experience.  Its close proximity to Sydney and Canberra as well as facilities and maintenance allows them to charge a premium price.  Our site cost us $44 per night and although steep, was fine as we haven’t been getting away to do this sort of thing nearly enough. 

Garbage and recycling bins were emptied every day and the two toilet / shower blocks were in tip-top shape whenever visited.

After setting up we figured we deserved a drink and after indulging went to look around.

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Honeymoon Bay

After our two nights we packed up are camp and got ready to hit the road.  I had heard of a site at the Northern end of Jervis Bay called Honeymoon Bay.  Honeymoon bay is situated on the Beecroft Weapons Range and it is open for camping Friday and Saturday evenings (Full-time during school holidays).  We decided to try and see if we could get a spot and push our Coolendel visit back a day.

On arrival we checked in at the office and were told the site was around half full.  Honeymoon bay doesn’t accept bookings and they anticipated it would reach capacity by the late afternoon.  There is no access to fresh water at this site, fires are not permitted although there are porter loos that are in good clean working order.  We paid for our site ($15 for the two of us) and followed the 4km bumpy road in. 

We set up a basic setup for the night and wandered down to check out the bay we had heard about.

Stunning huh?

We spent the afternoon by the water fishing and were lucky to be visitied by these guys.

Don’t worry that’s a dolphin.

Fishing success was fairly minimal although this rock cod gave Ming a bit of a run for her money on very light gear.

We took turns of showering under the billy and cooked on the butane stove.  There were a few kangeroos around and an evening visit from a friendly bandicoot.  Most visitors were waiting to get a sunset shot of the bay.  We were a little late for anything spectacular but here is our effort.

Bonus points for the school of fish feeding in the shallows.

Honeymoon Bay was a great stop and we plan on spending two nights there next time we get away down South.

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Depot Beach - A day in the sun

After making our morning cup of coffee (a task I find thoroughly enjoyable while  camping) we spent the day at the beach.  

We spent the morning fishing near a small point to the Northern end of the beach.  The fish were biting although there were no particularly amazing catches.

The live bait storage tank.

Ming caught some small tailor, flathead, crabs and had a lot of fun through the morning.  I landed one tailor and had several others attacked by a 3 foot reef shark as I brought them in.  This made for a great show along with an enormous stingray that made its way back and forth looking for scraps of bait. 

Deceptively this ray was at least 1m in diameter.  It eventually took my gear for a run leaving me short some tackle. 

After the beach we took a short drive into a nearby coastal town called Durras.  We didn’t see any shops but there were houses, a caravan park and plenty of kangaroos.

The standoff!

Ming makes friends with the locals.

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Arriving at Depot Beach

Depot beach was under a ten-minute drive from Pebbly Beach on a far better road. It was also the most built up of the three areas with a couple of dozen cottages on the point.  The campground was across the road from the beach and back by a beautiful forest.  

The office at the entrance of the campsite was closed and with no mobile reception I used a payphone to pay for the site.  Due to our lack of organisation the site (and all others in the park) were fully booked from Friday night.  This meant we were only able to stay in the Murramarang for two nights.  

At knowing we would have to move and had nowhere to go Ming felt homeless.  I told her to enjoy the time here and we could head inland to Coolendel (I had heard of it but never been) on Friday.  I called Coolendel to ensure there was room and we were both relieved after this.

Depot Beach campsite had ice and firewood available from the ranger in the morning. The bathrooms were clean and showers could be turned hot for a fee ($1 per 4 minutes).  

After setting up camp we went for an explore and cast at the South Eastern corner of the beach.

South Eastern end of Depot Beach

Lucky we brought our dinner.

The campsites were spacious and there were very few people here mid week.  Another great feature of this site was the hotplate at each of the fires.  These features enabled the most unequipped camper to cook on the open fire. 

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Murramarang National Park

Many of the National Parks in NSW have a vehicle fee of around $8 per day.  Before this trip we decided to get an annual pass for $65.  This grants access for the year to all payed National Parks in the state excluding Kosciuszko.  The same pass including Kosciuszko National park would have cost $190 for the same time.

Only a few minutes from Kioloa is Pretty Beach.  Pretty Beach is gorgeous and only a short stroll from the campsite.  Fires are permitted in designated fire pits, amenities were clean and the site fee is around $24 per night for two people.  

Ming had her heart set on being right next to the beach (or able to see it) so we thought we’d inspect the other sites before making our decision.  

I lost my phone reception as soon as I got into the national park (thanks Vodafone). We took a dirt road that headed South with expectations it should short cut us to Pebbly Beach.  The alternative to this would have been going around the park via the Princes Highway.  

The road turned rough quickly and we wound along the bush track for around 40 minutes.  By the time we arrived at Pebbly Beach our suspension was well awake.

Pebbly Beach campsite was also set slightly back from the beach (more so for tent campers).  Facilities were similar to the previous site although free firewood was provided.  This helps to stop people foraging timber from the park itself.  The camping area was a bit shady and we thought we would head to Depot Beach for third time lucky.

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Five nights and a tent

With our leave approved we had 5 nights to get away, we better make them count! The forecast was clear so we decided to head South Coast check out some of the beautiful National Parks.  The Murramarang National Park was what we decided on which houses Pretty, Pebbly and Depot Beach (from North to South).  

When we had camped in past, we never stayed in the one place two long.  This time we decided to find somewhere nice and stay put for the whole five nights.

After around 3 hours of leaving home we got to Nowra.  The drive between Sydney and Nowra has to be one of my favourites. The rolling green meadows that don’t end until they hit the sea.  In Nowra, we stocked up on supplies like food, ice and fire wood.

We hit the road again for an hour and a half drive that brought us to Kioloa on the Northern tip of the Murramarang National Park.

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Before we begin

Among many things my wife Ming and I share a love of camping, fishing and the outdoors.  Often caught up in the daily grind of work and life we seldomly make the time to get away.

We spent several years running are own business which afforded us little time for holidays.  Now both employed, we have made it a resolution to take several short breaks through the year.

These are great for me to show Ming some beautiful spots in her adopted home (Australia) while reminding me to stop and appreciate how lucky we are every now and then.

We hope that writing this blog will encourage us to travel more and allow us to share some beautiful spots for you to plan your own trips.