Woody Head Camping Ground Bundjalung National Park {Review}

Woody Head - a great place for exploring the rock pools - only metres away from your pitch.

Woody Head Camping Ground is in the Bundjalung National Park, not far from the small town of Iluka in Northern NSW.  This place is magnificent!  

Those that know this park will happily testify that it is one of their favourites in Australia. We happily agree. This is a place where you can camp right near the water, with stunning water views and also be away from the crowds (well at least during the week), a special piece of paradise.

Ocean views from many of the sites

Our pitch

We were lucky enough to see a school of stingrays on a walk around the craggy rocks, apparantly washed in from a tide but unable to get back out. The day we were leaving was the rescue attempt by the NSW Park and Wildlife.

We also went on a walk through the World Heritage National Park Rainforest walk, hoping to see a rare bird - the Noisy Pitta.  We didnt see it, but it was a good way to see other local wildlife, birds, kangaroos, skinks and the coastal emu - of which only a hundred or so survive.

All sites here are unpowered, but the park does have hot showers (20 cent charge, so bring change!) and flush toilets. The park is generally quiet during the week, but gets busy on the weekends and school holidays.  You can pre book online and even reserve a site though, so do your homework, pick a date and hop online and book. 

View from the beach to G1 - the best site at Woody Head in our opinion

Woody Head camping sites

I looked around the grounds and G1 was my pick of the sites as it is unobstructed views to the water. If you want some privacy and being on the water isn't a must then G9 is tucked away nicely, and has their own fire pit, as well as being reasonably close to the amenities block.

Each site has a levelled, shade-cloth covered pitch area, which makes pitching a breeze.  

This is a fantastic place for families as the water is shallow, lots of exploring the rock pools for kids, and fires at night to toast marshmallows.   Kangaroos feed late in the afternoon, and Plovers build their nests near sites, sitting patiently on their eggs.  You can also spot Goannas here too. 

We will be back here again soon.  This is one of the most magnificent places we have stayed to date.  Leave the window and door flaps open at night, and fall asleep star gazing! 

Woody Head is only a 2 minute drive from Iluka which has a new supermarket, a petrol station, and several shops. It is a nice village on the water with many holiday cottages. It is pleasant just ambling around the shops and taking in all the sea views. A short ferry ride will take you across to the more upmarket Yamba, which is  lively with tourists.  There is a good fisherman's co-op which sells fresh Yamba Prawns and seafood ( try the cooked whiting). 

The Iluka Sunset

We prefer  sleepy Iluka, which hasn't changed at all in 20 years. For a great sunset view, head to the Iluka Hotel on the Waterfront, take a table outside, a drink,  and relax and take in the views.  For dinner we chose the Chinese restaurant at the local Bowls Club - the prawns were fantastic! 

Happy Camping!