Laid-back Camping at Corindi Beach

THERE are quite a few really good areas for anglers to enjoy along the northern New South Wales coast, and Corindi Beach is just such a place. There is plenty of fishing, very relaxed camping, and a patrolled beach. There's also the sheer enjoyment of waking early each morning to watch the sun rise above the ocean without having to leave your tent or van.

GETTING THERE

The tucked-away Corindi Beach Caravan Park is set above the coastal dunes and headlands just off the Pacific Highway, south of Grafton. Around 46km south of Grafton you’ll see the road sign proclaiming Corindi Beach (this sign is only small, in keeping with the area’s very laid back atmosphere). When you turn off the Pacific Highway you’ll be surveying the Pacific Ocean within a couple of minutes.

There’s no infrastructure in this location, apart from a general store, post office, and the nearby Amble Inn with it's award-winning restaurant. If the kiosk and store can’t meet your requirements, just make the half-hour drive to Grafton or go 10 minutes down the road to Woolgoolga.

CAMPING

Corindi Beach has enormous charm as a stopover point. There are magnificent beaches to the north and south as far as the eye can see, and tantalising gutters and holes within easy walking distance. This small locality is the sort of place that families can enjoy just as much as retired folk.

The Corindi Beach Caravan Park is part of the area's charm. It's a no-nonsense, no pretences sort of place that welcomes all comers, and camping there is an enjoyable experience.

The camp grounds are perched right on the hill overlooking the beach, so the sea breezes hardly stop at this place. And the camping is easy thanks to the number of well-grassed and shady sites on hand for both powered and non-powered sites. The main features are clean amenities, a children's playground, a number of shelter sheds, and wood barbecues. You can bring your dog provided that you keep him on a leash.

For more information or to make a booking, contact Noel and Shirley Burke at the Corindi Beach Caravan Park on (02) 6649 2803.

THE FISHING

Fishing here is for those folk who like to feel the waves around their legs and the sand between their toes. No beach access for vehicles is allowed, but this is no barrier to successful fishing.

I noticed some really encouraging beach formations in the area right away. Right below the main area of the campgrounds there was a very well-formed hole with obviously deep water towards the back of it. When I first saw it I thought it looked like a great spot to nail tailor and dart at daylight, and it turned out that I was right. And throughout the day, depending upon the state of the tide, it also yielded whiting and bream. A fair number of rocky outcrops in the hole virtually guarantees that it will always be there, season after season - such is the way of wave action and sand.

Come dusk I'd be laying my surf rod down somewhere on the grass and swapping the spools on my trusty Alvey reel from a 6kg to a 16kg. Then I'd connect up a pair of linked 6/0 hooks to the business end and put out a big slab of tailor flesh to tempt a jewie, a shovelnose shark, or a big stubborn ray (these days a jew angler has a far greater chance of catching shovelnose sharks and rays than his intended quarry).

There is a great deal of peace and solitude to be had while fishing a beach at night for any species of fish. And with the caravan park so handy it would be a simple matter to fish until you were satisfied with the effort and then simply walk up and call it a night.

During my January stay I found a fair gutter just north of the caravan park that was dynamite for quality whiting at dusk. A few fish were always present throughout the day, but on dusk with a making tide the gutter seemed to hold nothing but better quality fish. I used worm bait on a half-metre long trace with a rig sweetened up with some red plastic tubing against the hook. Again, it was an easy matter to walk to and from the fishing.

All in all, Corindi Beach is a great place for beach anglers - especially those who can pull their own worms for bait. True, there is no vehicular beach access and your boat will only gather dust on the trailer. But if you’re passing through and want to spend some time at a very laid-back and informal sort of caravan park, this one is for you.