Destination: South West Rocks
Thirty-odd years ago, I spent a week of my honeymoon at South West Rocks and had so much fun that I declared I would return yearly. Life has a way of diverting ambitions, and my hopes never eventuated. However, regular stopovers in this watery wonderland always enforced my love for the region. South West Rocks is worth rating in my top trailer boat destinations.
South West Rocks, commonly known as "The Rocks," is a short detour off the Pacific Highway halfway between Sydney and Brisbane. It's not the sleepy little hamlet of 30 years earlier, but it still retains a small-town attitude and has a host of regional centre facilities and opportunities.
Geographically, South West Rocks lies at the mouth of the mighty Macleay River, a huge system with an enormous drainage basin reaching the New England Range as far back as Waltham and Armidale in the Northern Tablelands. The river descends 460 metres over its 298-kilometre length and, after eventually joining 26 tributaries, is said to be the second fastest-flowing river in the world.
The mighty Macleay River is also said to host the second-longest road bridge in the country at Frederickton, and flows adjacent to the inland regional centre of Kempsey. Nowadays, the river mouth at South West Rocks is permanently reinforced by long break walls directing the flow; however, around the time of European settlement in the 1820s, its natural course flowed through the large flat coastal delta, often spilling to sea as far north as Grassy Head.
Convict Heritage
The hinterland and delta were overlooked mainly by early pioneers who didn't navigate far enough up the river to discover the stands of valuable Australian Red Cedar and the lush fertile lands beyond, however by the late 1820's the first gang of convicts from the Port Macquarie Penal Settlement were sent overland to begin felling operations. Settlement was initially established at the eastern headland of Trial Bay at Arakoon in 1866, but it took only a few years for the development of the township itself to be established to the west at a rocky outcrop and small headlands closer to the river mouth at South West Rocks.
The sea walls were completed in 1902, aiding the township's establishment. At the last census, South West Rocks had a permanent population of 5313 and was growing rapidly. Like most coastal communities, the town bulges at the seams during holiday periods.
Picture-Perfect Beaches at South West Rocks
South West Rocks lies at the end of a long stretch of beach running around 15km south from Grassy Head and slowly turning eastward before the Macleay River mouth to form one of the few north-facing bays on our east coast. The headland, with its small bays and rocky outcrops, forms picture-postcard coastal perfection.
The Horseshoe Bay Holiday Park is in a prime position on the headland right next to the small Back Creek waterway, with historic maritime buildings overlooking from the hilltops. The main beach is quite sheltered and particularly inviting, where swimmers and holidaymakers flock to frolic in the warm, temperate waters.
The gardens around the bay and Monument Point are full of giant figs and Norfolk Island pines, many of which would have been planted as replacement masts in those romantic days of tall ships. The parkland is dotted with unique, hand-carved nautical furniture, a kiosk, a surf lifesaving club, the Trial Bay Marine Rescue station and some ripper coastal boardwalks. Immediately opposite is the Seabreeze Beach Hotel and accommodation, where you must stop in for a quiet drink or meal overlooking the majestic scenery. The township unfolds behind the pub with a terrific range of services including restaurants and takeaways, boutiques, home wares and an ice creamery, all satisfying all your senses with some retail therapy to boot.
The wide sandy bay stretches eastward to the Arakoon National Park and Laggers Point with its stunning headland and Trial Bay Camp Ground on the protected foreshore. There are the remains of a Sydney Harbour showboat and two Newcastle car carriers that broke their moorings and landed on the beaches in 1972.
Take some time out to enjoy a fine meal at the Trial Bay Kiosk/Restaurant, which has elevated coastal views from the large deck. Nearby, the historic Trial Bay Gaol is perched high on the headland, serving as a monument to our convict heritage. The gaol was built between 1877 and 1886 to house "good conduct" prisoners sent to help construct the 1.6 km Macleay River breakwater and safe harbour access. Progress was slow, with only 300 metres of wall constructed by 1903 when it closed temporarily. The gaol was reopened to German internes living in Australia during the First World War, but reports say it was a little more of a holiday camp than a gaol. The buildings are in surprisingly good condition and are open for inspection daily.
Stunning Views at Smoky Cape Lighthouse
Further south, around the headland past the beautiful Little Bay and Gap Beach on the northern boundary of the Hat Head National Park, is the iconic Smoky Cape Lighthouse, a true monument to our nautical history. The magnificent coastal structure was first noted by James Cook when he named the headland as "Smoky Cape" due to the plumes of smoke generated by large bushfires as he passed. One can't help but wonder if their cause was natural or lit by the local Dunghutti (Thaingutti) nation. South West Rocks' Monument Point was a place of gathering and ceremony for the Dunghutti, Gumbaynggir and Biripi nations.
The fully functional, but now automated, lighthouse was built in 1891, standing 17.4 metres high and 128 metres above sea level. It has a visible range of 26 nautical miles (43 km) and certainly presents as an impressive and romantic reminder of our nautical past and present. It also provides a great vantage point for whale watching between May and November. The views are spectacular, as are the buildings and manicured grounds. There are public barbeques on the pinnacle for a spectacular gathering, but be warned, the track is quite steep, so don't carry too many heavy beverages up, and remember that going down is often more treacherous! For an unusual and perhaps intimate stay, it is possible to book the well-preserved Head Lighthouse Keepers Cottage (built in 1891) and two Assistant Lighthouse Keepers Cottages.
The lighthouse lookout looks over South Smoky Beach, a long, wide, and very inviting stretch of glistening white sands reaching all the way to Hat Head, a destination worthy of its own trailer trip. Take a 4WD and beach rod to find a gutter full of whiting, bream, tailor, and the occasional mulloway!
Fishing the Mighty Macleay and Its Tributaries
On my last visit, I arrived after enormous rainfall, and hence the mighty Macleay and all of its tributaries were flowing upside down with the mud on top. I honestly thought we had no chance of catching a fish in this brown stained mess; however, I stopped and talked to a fella at the Back Creek boat ramp who was cleaning a lovely brace of large bream. He was a regular visitor who travelled from his Singleton home yearly and declared that fishing in the murky waters was returning some of his best results. It seems that the fresh, mud-stained water flows on top of the salt below and that by weighting your baits to the depths, you will still find some hungry piscatorial residents.
We enlisted Matthew and Teddy from South West Rocks Estuary Charters in blustery conditions with a strong ebb tide and flood waters, and still enjoyed pleasing results on the bream. It seems that South West Rocks is a melting pot between northern and southern species with estuary targets including the bream, whiting, mulloway, mangrove jacks, flathead and there's even tales of cobia and kingfish all the way upstream to Kempsey where it becomes bass waters. Don't forget the mud and blue swimmer crabs either!
The Macleay River has miles of navigable waterways heading to the often treacherous bar crossing. Take some time to seek local advice before venturing outside. Don't forget to log in and out with the friendly volunteers at Trial Bay Marine Rescue, and wear your PFDS, especially on the bar.
There's a very good dual lane boat ramp at Riverside, and another upstream at pretty Jerseyville, where you will also find the commercial fishing fleet and co-op. It's always a great idea to hire a fishing charter when new to an area, and we found Jason Bettles from Wildside Sportfishing, Andrew Trappel from The Rocks Fishing Charters and of course Matt and Teddy exceptionally helpful, friendly and professional, all offering a great range of differing fishing adventures. Jason is an absolute gun "new age" fisho who specialises in small group bookings and will use all methods to suit the available species. He loves advanced lure technology from his hi-tech sportsfishing weapon, a fast and superbly fitted 24' Contender centre console.
We were particularly thankful to find the Riverside Hotel just up from the boat ramp. It has an inviting balcony overlooking the river and a great array of refreshments and meals in a very friendly atmosphere. There's even a courtesy bus to help you wash the salt water out of your gills after a day at sea, and they were happy to pick us up all the way from Arakoon.
The smaller Back Creek flows through town directly under the Maritime buildings and the Horseshoe Bay Holiday Park; however, whilst it has a boat ramp, it's a shallow run down to a short and very tricky bar entrance, and very tidal. It is really only suitable for small boats, probably tinnies, and I still remember having a close call on this entrance years ago in my 5-metre Quintrex. There is another alternative at nearby Laggers Point, although whilst mostly protected, there are no floating landings, it is often covered with sand and gets swell directly from the ocean.
Reeling in Big Fish from the Rocks
All the beaches, rock walls and platforms around South West Rocks provide excellent land-based opportunities. To quote Mitchell from the Outdoor Adventure store, who gave us great local advice, "Land-based fishing has a strong history here, particularly off Hat Head, where Ron Calcutt pioneered spinning for Spanish Mackerel of the rocks back in the 70s. From January to May every year, big fish come within casting distance of the rocks when the warm currents peak. Black marlin, longtail tuna, Spanish mackerel, and cobia are the prize fish, and many anglers travel for hours to get their chance. During the cooler months, large numbers of tailor, kingfish, drummer, bream and blackfish come in with cooler water. It's safe to say that no matter what time of year, there are quality fish on offer for shore-based anglers who don't have the luxury of a boat."
Reef Fishing Adventures
Mitchell told us of the reef fishing opportunities that include the melting pot of northern and southern targets such as "snapper, pearl perch, Venus tusk fish, bar cod, pigfish, jewfish, morwong, just to name a few. Pearl Perch are one of the most highly prized table fish and can be caught year-round, commonly in deeper water from 50-100m in the warmer months, but then move in to join the snapper in the shallow reefs of Grassy and Scott's Head during winter.
Pelagic Fishing Offshore
We found offshore fishing difficult due to the amount of fresh water souring both inshore and offshore, with a vast muddy plume "The Rocks" generally provides an exceptional pelagic fishery in the summer. We found over 28 degrees water temperature in late February, and with it comes dolphinfish, wahoo, spottie (locally snook), Spanish mackerel, cobia, yellowfin and mack tuna and a host of other pelagics, including the famous run of small black marlin often to be found in close right under the gaol. There is, of course, all the usual toothy predators chasing the abundance of bait fish, including massive tiger sharks if you are game, plus the Continental Shelf is only around 12 nautical miles out, bringing all manner of pelagics on the fast-flowing East Australian Current.
Diving at South West Rocks
There are two professional diving charter outfits in the town; however, the South West Rocks Dive Centre provided us with professional and friendly information and spectacular images. The Dive Centre is owned and has been operated by the Hitchins family for the past 40 years. Every day, the centre runs dives to the world-famous Fish Rock Cave. Expert dive leaders guide All dives in small groups, and all levels of experience are catered for.
Fish Rock Cave is Australia's longest ocean cave dive, running 125 metres right through Fish Rock, which lies two kilometres southeast of Smoky Cape. Fish Rock is home to a unique ecosystem and the largest aggregation site for the endangered Grey Nurse Sharks on the East Coast of Australia year-round. Divers regularly encounter 20 – 30 Grey Nurse sharks and an abundant variety of other species, including wobbegong sharks, turtles, rays and masses of temperate and tropical fish.
In recent years, a major drawcard for divers has been the chance to see schooling scalloped hammerhead sharks. Between the months of October and January, there are regular sightings of more than one hundred hammerheads. South West Rocks Dive Centre operates three efficient, purpose-built dive vessels, a fully stocked retail centre, and on-site accommodation offering both dorm-style and private rooms.
Where to Stay in South West Rocks
You'll find many accommodation options to suit all tastes and budgets, from beachside campgrounds and holiday parks to a lovingly renovated guest house, Airbnb's, holiday houses and units, hotels and motels. There are campgrounds where you can pitch a tent or park your camper trailer, caravan or boat in Arakoon and Hat Head National Park. We rented a lovely three-bedroom holiday house at Arakoon for a very reasonable weekly rate through the local real estate agents.
Other popular activities include the many walks, including The Smoky Cape Walking Track in Hat Head National Park that begins at Captain Cook's lookout and winds through one of Australia's largest remnant littoral rainforests, home to swamp wallabies, swallow-tailed butterflies and epiphyte orchids which grow on trees. Other enchanting walks include the Rainforest and Jack Perkins walking tracks at Hat Head, the Powder Magazine and Arakoon Bridle trails near Trial Bay Gaol and the many beaches, boardwalks and mangrove tracks around the town.
The South West Rocks Country Club has an 18-hole golf course, tennis, and a mini six-lane bowling alley. Go for a snorkel in Back Creek or Hat Head, maybe a swim on the beaches, go for a surf or hire a stand-up paddle board if you don't own one yourself - young Mitchell once hooked a marlin from his! The options are limited only to your watercraft, from kayaks to serious offshore assault weapons.
Why didn't I make South West Rocks my home all those years ago? I don't know—I deserve a slap for my stupidity. Be warned: one visit, and you, too, will be hooked!
Ready to Set Sail?
Are you daydreaming of a boating holiday at South West Rocks? We can help you discover your dream boat online at Only Boats! Not only will you find great deals on boats for sale, including used boats and new boats, but we can help with our used boat buying guide and plenty of tips for both new and seasoned boaties..
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Smooth sailing starts with the right boat, and a terrific destination like South West Rocks. We're here to help you find it!
This article features photos by John "Bear" Willis and others supplied by Eamon Porter - Coastal Graphics, Kempsey Shire Council, Wildside Sportsfishing, South West Rocks Dive Centre, The Rocks Fishing Charters, Outdoor Adventures.
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