Hawks Nest by caravan: Beach 4WDing, dolphins and a sunset climb

Hawks Nest is a pair of sleepy fishing villages – it and its twin, Tea Gardens – sitting either side of the Myall River where it meets the northern end of Port Stephens, with Myall Lakes National Park at the back door and a wild island just offshore. This is Worimi Country, and it's about as unspoilt as the NSW coast gets. I reckon it makes a cracking caravanning base: you can camp within earshot of the surf, drive the 4WD straight onto the sand, and reach a headland, a hidden beach or a fishing spot within minutes – and because it sits off the main tourist trail, it never feels crowded.

The names tell the story: Hawks Nest, after a huge hawk's nest that once sat in a riverside tree and was used to steer boats home; and Tea Gardens, after settlers who tried to grow tea here in the 1800s. The two are stitched together by the Singing Bridge, named for the way its rails hum in the wind like a harp. I spent my time here chasing dolphins up a beach, climbing a headland for sunset, and eating my way through the local bakery. Here's the rundown.

The big drawcard here is getting the four-wheel drive onto the sand. Mungo Beach is one of the longest in New South Wales – around 17 kilometres of unbroken coast – and it's the front edge of Myall Lakes National Park, the biggest coastal lake system in the state and a wetland so important it's protected under international treaty. Drive it and you'll likely have the whole thing to yourself; I did, until a pod of dolphins turned up to work the shoreline and a school of Australian salmon rolled through. Hawks Nest is a fishing village at heart, and the pick of it is coming down onto the beach, rod in hand, toes in the water. To do it yourself, you'll need a National Parks beach-driving permit, a proper 4WD, and – the golden rule – your tyres let down. The main way on is off the Lemon Tree track.

If you're not confident on the sand, there are plenty of other access points where you can grab the view and turn around. My favourite is Sandy Point, which leads you almost to the doorstep of Broughton Island. Nearby, Dark Point Lookout – a tip-off from the bakery – offers another cracking vantage. Broughton itself is a little over a square kilometre of granite, empty beaches and hidden coves, and one of the wildest corners of the national park. It's only 2 kilometres offshore but 16 nautical miles from the nearest boat ramp, which is what keeps it so elusive. Captain Cook sailed past in 1770 and mistook it for a headland; long before that, the Worimi knew it as the home of the mutton bird. Today it's a stronghold for wedge-tailed shearwaters and Australia's rarest seabird, the Gould's petrel – plus world-class snapper, tuna and cobia fishing.

Jimmys Beach is the surprise of Hawks Nest. Instead of facing the open ocean, it turns inward into the harbour, so the water sits glassy, shallow and still – a beautiful, safe swimming spot and the gateway to the Yacaaba walk. But this calm little beach hides a secret: it's one of the most fought-over stretches of sand in the state, and one of NSW's worst erosion hotspots. Every winter the storms strip the sand away, and for the best part of 30 years the locals have battled to reclaim it, dredging sand from the Myall River and pumping it back on. So the beach you're looking at is half nature, half three decades of hard work.

From the end of Jimmys Beach, a walking track climbs Yacaaba Headland – and it's the spot the locals send you for sunset. It eases you in through tall open forest before it bears its teeth: a steep, rough scramble to the top. But the payoff is huge – the whole of Port Stephens on one side, the Myall Lakes on the other, and Broughton Island out to sea. Yacaaba means 'big brother', and it stares straight across the harbour entrance at little brother, Mount Tomaree. Pack proper shoes, because the barefoot beach walk turns into a genuine bushwalk fast. I could have driven closer with a permit, but I'm glad I earned it on foot.

It's not all fishing and four-wheel driving. Hawks Nest and Tea Gardens are two thriving little communities full of cafes, restaurants and old fishing-fleet character. The bakery is famous – I'm told there are around 50 pie options (I went the chunky beef and have no regrets). Grab a lunchtime crab burger, a morning coffee, or just wander the waterfront. And take the locals' advice: the best tip-offs of my whole trip came from the people behind the coffee machine.

With me on this trip, as on all my unhitched adventures, was the Gator X from JB Caravans. This little weapon is my home away from home – small enough at 17 foot to tow comfortably, but big enough that I never feel like I'm roughing it. It's a blend of adventure and comfort, and this was my fourth trip in it, so I've got the set-up down to under 30 minutes. That matters when there's a list of things to do.

Staying right on the coast is the whole attraction: I could hear the waves in the van at night, that white noise sending me off to sleep and there to greet me in the morning. You find places like this when you venture beyond the map. It takes a bit of effort – but a caravan helps, and the effort is always rewarded.

Hawks Nest is proof that the best spots take a little effort – and a local tip or two. Wild beaches, a wilder island, a sunset climb and a town that runs on pies and good coffee. Put it on the list.

Getting there: About 40 minutes north of Newcastle and roughly 3 hours from Sydney, via the Pacific Motorway and the Singing Bridge.

Where to stay: Reflections Hawks Nest, within walking distance of the beach and the village.

Best time to go: Winter for whales and calm mornings; year-round for the beaches and fishing.

Don't miss: 4WDing Mungo Beach, the Broughton Island views from Sandy Point, Jimmys Beach and the Yacaaba sunset climb.