A Weekend Escape In New South Wales

Living on the New South Wales north coast means summery days almost all year long, even in late autumn and early winter. Sunny days, warm weather and days off are the perfect combo to organize a little escape. A couple of weeks ago when we decided to discover the area around South West Rocks. The main attraction is, without any doubt, the Arakoon National Park. Between the lighthouse and the crystal water of a natural pool, it’s easy to see why this was the best part of our trip.

The View From Smoke Cape Beach Lighthouse

The Mermaid pool is a little hidden paradise, only reachable after a 10-minute walk in the middle of nature. Once we arrived, we were mesmerized by the colors and clear water between several rocks, creating a breathtaking pool. We were also pretty shocked because we needed to hop down all the rocks in the hot sun to reach the pool. Though tiring, it was worth the trek to swim in that refreshing water.

Mermaid Pool's Crystal Water

After spending the morning swimming and enjoying the sun on the rocks, we were starving and wandering around we found the perfect stop to set up our picnic: The Smoky Cape Lighthouse. Up there, the view was breathtaking and we enjoyed our veggie wraps on the grass looking at the wild Smoky Cape beach. Smoky Cape is a little bay where swimming is not recommended because of the massive number of the Blue Bottles jellyfish. But, it is worth traversing the path that leads here to take a couple of pictures, enjoy the perfect landscape and even spot a few dolphins!

The Lighthouse

If you just want to lay down on the beach, the main in town the perfect place for you. Not far from South West Rocks, we found another interesting destination to explore: Nambucca Head. If you’ve heard about the Whitsunday Islands in Queensland but haven’t had the opportunity to see them, you can have a very similar view from the rotary point lookout of Nambucca. Nambucca Head is famous for its beaches with the paradisiac ocean water. But, if you love surfing this won’t be the best beach for you since the water is always flat. Leaving the surfing sessions for another day, why don't we enjoy the sunset on the beach with a glass of wine?

Rotary Point Lookout

Sunset From Nambucca Heads