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Goolawah National Park

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Overview

For beach camping near Kempsey and Crescent Head, head to Goolawah National Park. You can go surfing, fishing, birdwatching and even whale watching from the headlands.

Read more about Goolawah National Park

Come and be captivated by the uncrowded beaches and pristine headlands of Goolawah National Park, near Kempsey on the NSW North Coast. Roaming through these coastal surroundings, you can’t help feeling you’ve landed in a place untouched by time.

Comprising a narrow strip of mostly beachfront land, the park runs south from the outskirts of Crescent Head village to Racecourse Headland, where it links with Goolawah Regional Park.

Here, biological diversity combines with significant Aboriginal heritage. The beaches are secluded and pure, bounded by exquisite native plant life rather than carparks or cafes. A left-hand point break beckons to surfers, while spectacular rocky shores, reefs and a lagoon provide the ideal setting for snorkelling or swimming. Go birdwatching or whale watching, spot dolphins and turtles, or scan the bush for koalas or dingoes.

To really connect with nature, nothing compares with a night or two in the great outdoors. Head to Racecourse campground, or nearby Delicate campground in Goolawah Regional Park, for that low-key beach camping experience, followed by a beach walk, a spot of fishing, or an unforgettable moment spent watching the sun rise over this tranquil place of beauty.

Highlights in this park

  • A group of surfers and their instructor pose with a surfboard on the beach. Photo credit: Annemieke Yperlaan © Waves Campground

    Surf and stay at Crescent Head

    Stay across from a beautiful surf beach at Waves Campground and spend your days learning to surf, near the popular surf town of Crescent Head.

  • Camper with his fishing rod and bucket heading to the nearby beach, Goolawah National Park. Photo: John Spencer/OEH

    Racecourse campground

    Fishing, birdwatching, surfing and whale watching are just some of the things to do at Racecourse campground, a great beach camping site near Crescent...

 

Whale watching top spots

NSW national parks have the best vantage points to see whales during their annual migration, which takes place from May to November. Plan your next coastal adventure.

A humpback whale breaches the water off the NSW coast, near Sydney. Photo credit: Wayne Reynolds &copy Wayne Reynolds

 

Saving Our Species program

Australia is home to more than 500,000 animal and plant species, many of which are found nowhere else in the world. Saving our Species is a statewide conservation program that addresses the growing number of Australian animals and Australian native plants facing extinction.

Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) in a tree. Photo: Courtesy of Taronga Zoo/OEH

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