A Cool Place For A Holiday

WHEN I typed up this article it was on one of those blistering hot days on Brisbane’s south side. The thermometer in my pergola was sitting at a touch under 40 degrees. A stinker of a day…

I had visited Minnie Water several months before, and decided to check on how the weather was. I called Minnie Water Caravan Park manager Wayne Lawson to ask him the temperature, and his reply made me quite envious. "It's not bad, Wayne. 29, in fact." Not surprising though, given the amount of tall trees in the area. Plus the fact that the beach is just next door!

Yes, that's Minnie Water. This location is a five-hour drive south of Brisbane, making for a cooler climate in summer. And the Pacific Ocean is just a stone's throw away, which makes a cooling breeze almost a certainty.

GETTING THERE

Minnie Water is almost due east of the city of Grafton in northern New South Wales. (If you can’t find Grafton on a map, my suggestion is to give up driving and rely on public transport from this day forward!) The turn off to Minnie Water is 14km south of Grafton where signs indicate both Pillar Vale (on the way) plus Minnie Water and Wooli at a road junction. Both Wooli and Minnie Water are within the very pretty Yurigar National Park.

Now look - if you are trying to find a holiday destination with five sports clubs, a public swimming pool, vet, Kmart, and hospital then Minnie Water is not for you. (You can find all of these things at Grafton, which is only around a half hour's drive away.) One the other hand, if you want some seclusion, great rock and beach fishing, some offshore fishing, as well as beach and bush walks in the National Park, this great little place is for you. You can also have a swim in the pool at the caravan park, or on the beach.

CAMPING

The general store at Minnie Water is right opposite Nip Walsh Park (there's no mistake here, that's the name) which features barbecues, picnic tables, and shelter sheds to sit and enjoy a meal in comfort. A host of very friendly seagulls will share your lunch with you if you don’t guard it closely! They just love hot chips from the local shop. You’ll find a good range of takeaway food there, including huge burgers. There’s also fuel, tackle, bait, groceries, newspapers, and LP gas. You can even hire a video if you wish.

If you’ve booked a place at the caravan park and want to have a look around before setting up, have a look at the excellent view from the headland area off nearby Waratah Crescent. There’s a clean picnic area there as well.

The caravan park at Minnie Water is located in Sandon Road on the south side of the town. Proprietors Wayne and Paula Lawson will make you very welcome and Wayne, an angler, can give you some hints on the fishing in the area. There are over forty camp sites, six cabins, and eighteen van sites available in the caravan park which offers a lot of nice shady trees to make visitors comfortable. And while this might not be largest caravan park on the northern New South Wales coast it most certainly is very comfortable, just the same. There is a store set up at the office which sells some food, bait, plus a bit of tackle as well.

Besides the friendly atmosphere there is a pool, tennis court and a children's play ground plus a dedicated and specially set up boat washing area there as well, a sure indication that boaties are welcome and expected to visit, given the quality of the off shore fishing available in the area.

THE FISHING

At Nip Walsh Park on full tide, it’s no problem to set up a beach rod in a holder and wait for a passing bream, whiting, or dart to grab a worm bait while you’re having a meal. It's a very clean and 'fishy' looking beach.

As well as the beach angling, there is also great fishing for luderick, drummer, tailor, jew, and groper. As with rock fishing anywhere, the success or failure of a day's fishing will depend on the weather and sea conditions, but on the right day the fishing here is very good. There are mainly low rock formations in this area so it's wise to fish only in small seas.

Boaties wanting to fish offshore are the real winners here. Although there is no official launching ramp, boat owners with a four-wheel-drive can launch at what is referred to as ‘The Bay.' This consists of an entirely sheltered, naturally formed bay sheltered on the eastern side by a rock ledge. The beach has sufficient slope to make launching fairly easy, and from there it's a simple matter to cruise offshore and look for some reef formations. These are certainly not far out.

As an aside, there is a decent looking hole where beach and rock fishing can combine on the inside of the 'The Bay' at low tide. It's another one of those really 'fishy' looking places.

Summer time is mackerel time at Minnie Water, and the much sought after spotted mackerel and other surface-feeding fish are to be had by trolling or using live baits or cut pillies in a berley trail. If the macks aren't on the bite, the normal reef species can be taken on the bottom.

Minnie Water is a popular holiday location, so you need to pre-book at the caravan park well in advance if you want to stay during peak holiday periods. Call Wayne or Paula on (02) 6649 7693.