Travel Feature: Brunswick Heads, NSW

NORTH COAST WANDERING

Words and pics: Tony and Denyse Allsop

Relatively undiscovered, Brunswick Heads in northern NSW remains unchanged by tourism.

Denyse and I were looking for somewhere quiet to spend a few days and check out the local area, including Byron Bay, hinterland villages and national parks.

We booked into the Terrace Reserve Holiday Park, a Top Tourist Park. It is on the bank of Simpsons Creek, which flows into the Brunswick River. Jody Keen, the resident manager, showed us to our riverside site. The park has a long river frontage, but it's only a short walk over the nearby footbridge to the surf beach. This beach is patrolled on weekends during the holiday period.

We could not have chosen a better site. The first night, we had rain and a strong wind warning. Our site was sheltered by a huge cottonwood tree, but was not under any hanging branches. The park is protected from saltwater spray, something I appreciated, while still being just a few minutes' walk to the surf.

SURF AND OYSTERS
The four-star park boasts waterfront cabins, waterfront powered sites and a large, sheltered, shady area for campers. Some of these camping sites have water frontage, some have power and there are plenty of water taps. A new amenities block has been constructed in the camping area, as has a barbecue and camp kitchen.

The other amenities blocks are older, but clean, and the showers have plenty of hot water, a shelf for your shower bag and two hooks. The showers are positioned such that clingy shower curtains are not required. Disabled facilities are available and a laundry is attached to each block. That the park has a dump point is a plus.

Power, town water and sullage are conveniently placed at the front of most sites.

Expect to receive three bars of CDMA phone reception – great for our wireless mobile Internet access - and TV reception is good.

Several free, undercover gas barbecues are scattered around the park, and the waterfront one was particularly popular. Also popular were the tables for cleaning fish, some of which had running water. The office supplies gas, ice and bait, as well as many tourist brochures.

After settling in and exploring the park, I checked at the office regarding the oysters located right behind our caravan. We were told they were fine to eat, so Denyse and I picked a feed each day at low tide.

At high tide, the fishing was reasonable. We saw flathead, bream and whiting caught from the waterway behind our van but, being a lazy fisherman, I didn't start to fish until we were almost due to leave!

Other good fishing spots are the breakwater and small marina where large bream were being caught. Fishing boats come and go every day, and the catch is available from the market at the jetty, which is just a 10-minute walk from the caravan park.

As an old surfie, I was keen to check out the surf beach. There was a good break on the incoming tide, so out I went. I really enjoy body surfing, although Denyse worries about me. Still, for those travellers who enjoy surf, this beach is not bad.

There is an expanse of beach on which to walk to Byron Bay, but get someone to collect you from there: it will seem a much longer walk back!
Brunswick Heads has a small supermarket, fuel, hardware, clothing shops, a well-stocked fruit and vegetable shop, many restaurants, a very good hotel with top meals and an amazing shop called "Whatever". A bowls club is close by.

All restaurants and fish and chip shops are within close walking distance to the caravan park.

BREAK TO BYRON
Byron Bay is about 16km or a 10-minute drive south from Brunswick Heads. Make sure you visit the lighthouse, the most easterly point of Australia. The view from there is fantastic; we saw dolphins and turtles. It is a great place from which to whale-watch in the season.

Byron Bay is popular with younger people, and this is reflected in the shops, tourist outlets and places to eat. It is pretty busy, but we enjoyed our two trips there.

You could, on a day trip, visit the hinterland towns of Mullumbimby and Billinudgel, as well as the nearby national parks and Minyon Falls, which is a particularly worthwhile destination if there has been some rain.

The markets operate on a rotating roster for the small villages around this area, and some of the craftwork is unique and of superb quality. Even if you are not interested in craft, it is worth timing your visit to coincide with a market day, if for no other reason than to sit and enjoy a coffee while watching the colourful and fascinating parade of passing people.

The hinterland area is known as the Rainbow Region. We did experience a few misty showers and the resulting brilliant rainbows during our visit.

The largest town in the area is Ballina, about 50km south of Brunswick Heads. All required services and amenities are available here, including excellent shopping facilities and restaurants. We decided to spend a few days in Ballina rather than just visiting for the day, and booked into Ballina Headlands Leisure Park (another Top Tourist Park). We enjoyed the heated pool, spa and excellent TV reception via the coaxial cable supplied to the site.

From a vantage point on the coast opposite the park, you can see three headlands to the north, as far as Byron Bay.

Just inland from Ballina is Alstonville, for which the wonderful, large shrub with the brilliant purple flowers is named. Alstonville is also well known for its antique and craft shops.

We fell in love with Terrace Reserve Holiday Park and Brunswick Heads. It is not as crowded as other nearby coastal towns, yet has the beach, river, fishing, shops and hinterland to explore. Most people in the park had travelled from Brisbane and the Gold Coast and had been visiting for years. Hopefully, this will remain a quiet area, suitable for families and grey nomads. And for the record, Denyse and I extended our stay!

Terrace Reserve Holiday Park Fast Facts:

Terrace Reserve Holiday Park
Four stars
Fingal Street
Brunswick Heads, NSW 2483
Phone (02) 6685 1233
Fax (02) 6685 0071.

Brunswick Heads is about 70km south of the Qld/NSW border. For more information about the town, visit http://www.brunswickheads.com.au/