Crowdy Bay National Park

We have just returned home after five days away, camping at one of our favourite spots.

With the near completion of the dual carriageway on the Pacific Highway south of Coffs Harbour, our travel times have now greatly reduced. And so have our stress levels as we no longer drive on substandard and badly maintained roads. 

Crowdy Bay National Park lies roughly 44 km south of Port Macquarie and has been a favourite of ours since our first visit here in 2006. 

Leaving the highway at Kew its just 7 km until you pass through Laureiton, before turning south towards the national park boundary. To access Diamond Head where fees are paid involves 10 km of good quality dirt road with just minor corrugations. 

There are numerous campgrounds here but we prefer Kylies Beach campground. It has fewer facilities than some of the others with just a drop toilet, cold shower and non-potable water.

It's named after Australian author Kylie Tennant who lived in Laureiton and whose writing retreat hut still exists not far from the campground.

 Its a lovely campground without those dreaded bollards and has large open grassed areas to camp on. 

Being just 200 hundred metres back from the beach, it offers much-needed protection in case the weather turns nasty.

Each afternoon the kangaroos come out to feed and if you are lucky you may get to see the resident koalas in the gum trees that surround the camping area.

All available services are located just 13 km north at the town of  Laureiton.

We only ever camp here on weekdays as we find it's just far too busy on weekends and particularly during school holidays or over the Easter period.