LAID-BACK AND LEISURELY AT BROOM’S HEAD
Wayne Kampe.

THE northern section of coastal New South Wales is blessed with many tucked away sorts of camping and angling destinations. Broom's Head is one of them.

This month's holiday destination is absolutely smack bang on the coast. In fact, if it were any more so it would be in the water. As such, there is fishing laid on, naturally, but there is more to Broom's Head than just fishing, which I will explain in more detail later.

First things first, though. At this point the directions to our little holiday venue may need some clarification. Broom's Head is accessed via the town of Maclean, which is approximately fifty kilometres north-east of Grafton. To visit Broom's Head, it's necessary to enter Maclean and take the well-signed turn-off just as one approaches from the south. A pleasant twenty-four kilometre drive on a well-formed bitumen road will see the small village of Broom's Head loom into view. The town, if one can rightly refer to it as such, is situated on the eastern outskirts of the adjoining national park.

Amenities include a bowl's club, service station and bottle shop as well as a general store cum post office and snack bar. This little destination is one of those rare places we seldom find today where over development just seems to be unheard of. Laid-back and leisurely is how I'd describe life at Broom's Head.

The Broom's Head caravan park is a beauty. It's level, spacious, well grassed and to an extent protected from weather in certain areas. The park is actually in two adjoining bits. Designated as northern and southern sections, with a road in-between, both offer ready beach access for those who desire it. As a bonus, the southern area has a high set section which caravan owners and camper trailer users seem to favour. Powered and un-powered sites are at hand and there are also cabins available for hire. A departure from similar venues, I noted that a number of permanent sites are also established.

The southern section of the caravan park is virtually right on the waterfront and offers easy access to the interesting salt-water lagoon, just a short walk out from the beach. Campers in this section are able to avail themselves of the shade - offered by large pine trees along the front, use the picnic facilities on hand and enjoy an excellent sea breeze during summer. A wind-break during winter would be the go if a south-easterly was on the weather map as the area is, as I mentioned, quite open to the east. On the other hand, there is ample shelter from a westerly.

In all, there are over two hundred and fifty camp sites available at Broom's Head, and the amenities associated with them appeared in every way adequate and very clean. Sure, it's a small place with no bright lights or shopping malls, but a lot of folk prefer it just that way if bookings are any indication of its popularity. Christmas holiday bookings are essential; phone (02) 6646 7144.

Anglers would have to be pretty hard to please if not satisfied with this locality. True, the quite open eastern aspect may make life a bit hard at times, but there is a lot of adjacent beach where sheltered fishing can be had. During the quieter times, small craft may be launched off the boat ramp to access the offshore reefs. A four-wheel-drive is desirable. And, of course, during the prevailing winter westerly breezes the shore-based angler can have a ball. The mere flick of a rod tip will send out an unweighted pilchard into tailor or bream territory with ease. The rock angling I sampled during my stay there left me thirsting for more. Bream, tailor, and trevally were bagged and some top quality flathead around the more easily accessed rock outcrops were par for the course.

Smart luderick and drummer enthusiasts would also do well, provided they looked for the right sort of washes, white water and conditions to fool these picky fish. The small creek noted just as one enters town is one of those places where a good gutter will often form just as it enters the surf and, as such, is a very likely summer whiting possie. The good gutter right in against the rocks of the lagoon, on the northern side, looked like a terrific place to soak a bait for a big jewie on full tide after dark.

In common with several other such locations in the area, Broom's Head is adjacent to a national park, the Yuraygir National Park. The park extends from just south of Angourie (a short drive from Yamba) to Red Rock, near the town of Woolgoolga. Tracks offering access are fairly well marked, and a drive that is very popular is the short journey to the Sandon River and the well set up rest area. Sheltered camping with some amenities is available at this site. In common with other New South Wales national parks, there are strict bans on pets, firearms and any removal of plants or animals.

Other popular areas to visit within the Yuraygir National Park are situated north of Broom's Head, and a short drive to the Red Cliff rest area will see the adjacent Lake Arragan rest area. Again, some camping is permitted. Note that camping within this park requires that firewood should not be collected; the idea is to use the wood that is provided. The walks, wild life and interesting flora make it well worthwhile visiting either section of the park while at Broom's Head.

Broom's Head is a quiet, tranquil sort of locality. The adjoining national park ensures that it will remain that way for the present. As such, it fulfils a lot of requirements for a bit of R and R. With the town of Maclean only a fifteen to twenty minute run to the west, any items not available in the small camping village can be picked up in Maclean, which seems to have it all with shops, banks, tackle and other stores as well as a complete residential infrastructure on hand.