Kangaroos on the beach near Murramarang National Park

Durras North, Durras Lake and Durras South
Sleepy holiday resort on the edges of Murramurrang National Park famous for the large population of beach-loving kangaroos.
Durras North, Durras Lake and Durras South are three sleepy settlements approximately 280 km south of Sydney and 17 km north of Batemans Bay. In recent times they have become popular holiday resorts for people from both Canberra and Sydney. They are also easily accessible from Victoria via the Princes Highway.

The main appeal of the area is that it has little or no tourist development (with the notable exception of the suitably discreet Murramurrang Resort) and the beaches and coastline are ideal for people wanting to enjoy the natural beauty of the region. This is an area for bushwalking, relaxing, swimming and fishing. It is an area of great natural beauty which has been largely undisturbed, unlike the beaches which lie to the south of Batemans Bay.

The coastline is characterised by quiet beaches, cliffs and rocky outcrops.

Things to see:  

A kangaroo on the beach at Murramarang Resort

Murramarang National Park
Murramarang National Park covers about 27 km of beautiful coastline and forest scenery in three separate sections stretching from Kioloa south to Batemans Bay. No more than 2 km across at its widest point it features a variety of landforms, including sandy and shingle beaches, rugged headlands, tombolos, cliffs, rock stacks, wave-cut platforms, fossil-bearing rocks and four offshore islands.

The wildlife is fairly typical of the coast: eastern grey kangaroos, swamp wallabies, red-necked wallabies and other mammals. The birdlife is various, including parrots, finches, honeyeaters, eagles, hawks, terns, thrushes, parrots, oystercatchers, wrens, muttonbirds, albatrosses and fantails. It is common to see kangaroos feeding near the beaches.

There are pockets of rainforest in sheltered gullies, especially around Durras Mountain, but the habitat is mostly wet eucalypt forest of spotted gums with an understorey of burrawangs leading to banksia, she-oaks and heath on the beaches and headlands. The Aborigines derived a starchy food from the otherwise poisonous burrawangs.

In terms of recreation the park offers swimming, surfing, fishing, picnicking, beachwalking, bushwalking and nature study.

The walk to Durras Mtn (283 m) in the north of the park is popular. It offers spectacular views of the coastline and the ranges inland.

Wasp Head
The approach to the southern section of the park is via the Durras Road. North Head Road branches off to the southernmost sections of the park while the main road leads into South Durras. The rocks, cliffs and bays of Wasp Head lie just to the south of the township. To get there continue through to the eastern end of the village and turn right following the roads closest to the shore until you reach Murramarang Resort. Keep left at the fork just past the resort then take the right at the next fork. The tracks at Wasp Head lead to fossils, interesting sandstone formations, an abundance of shells and rock pools and a one-metre fault line running right up the coast. A little further north is Mill Point where a timber mill once stood. Its rusted old boiler still lies in the grass.

Beaches in Murramarang National Park
If you return to the fork that appears just past the caravan park and and follow the other branch south along the coast road it will take you through Emily Miller, Dark, Myrtle, Richmond, Oaky and Honeysuckle Beaches to North Head. Dark Beach, five minutes walk from the car park, receives its name from the many small black shingles which are divided from a white, sandy beach by a clump of rocks. The views along the coast are excellent from Flat Rock Island. Honeysuckle Bay is full of strange spotted gums with stunted trunks and horizontal branches, the result of deficient nutrients. Down at North Head are very large rock pools, located at the northern end of the head, in which people like to snorkel. From there you can head north along the coast road and turn left into North Head Road which will take you through the Benandarah State Forest and back to the highway.

Pebbly and Depot Beaches
Both noted Australian historian, Manning Clarke and poet R.F. Brissenden lived here. The latter wrote a number of poems inspired by the location, including 'Depot Beach' and 'Rock Crabs, Pebbly Beach'. Fellow poet David Campbell was also inspired on those occasions when he visited Brissenden.

To access the middle section, containing Pebbly and Depot Beach, leave the highway a few kilometres north of Benanderah at East Lynne heading east along Mt Agony Road (local enquiries can be made at the East Lynne Store on the Princes Highway (02 4478 6050). This leads to Pebbly Beach, though North Durras Road branches off to the south to Depot Beach and Durras North. Livingstone Creek Road and Pebbly Beach Road also depart the highway further north and lead to Pebbly Beach.

Pebbly Beach is renowned for its safe, sheltered aspect and the many wallabies which frequent the beach. Ideal for families it is located in a pretty little bay, enclosed on three sides by hills and well-established eucalypts. Early in the twentieth century the surrounding forest was logged and the timber carted by bullocks to a sawmill near the beach. The sawn timber was then transported along a tram line to the northern section of the beach where it was deposited on the rocks. A ship was then moored nearby and the timber winched aboard.

Aboriginal Sites in Murramarang
1. Durras North
The Durras North Area contains an Aboriginal site which has contributed to the comprehension of recent Aboriginal culture on the south coast of NSW. A midden was discovered in 1964 in a sea cave at the bottom of a low sandstone cliff. Fossilised food scraps and tools developed from raw materials indicate that the indigenous peoples fashioned their culture almost entirely around the materials of sea and shore. This area was occupied until after European settlement.

2. Murramarang Aboriginal Area
Further north again, Dam Road and Bucks Road offer entry to the northern section of the park. Several smaller tracks head south off Dam Road, the first two to Pebbly Beach and the third to Durras Mountain.

Bucks Road and Dam Road form a closed loop west of the coast, at which point Dangerboard Road branches east and runs parallel to the coastline, leading either south for Pretty Beach and Merry Beach or north to Kioloa, a caravan park and on to the car park for the Murramarang Aboriginal Area.

This is an extensive site covered with a diversity of prehistoric cultural material, including shells and stone stools. It contains a midden and has provided considerable insight into the cultural complexity and duration of indigenous inhabitation. The rock platform was extensively used. The site is considered highly significant to Aborigines. It is both a definite link with the past and a place where ancestors are buried. The lagoon to the north of the headland is traditionally associated with beliefs about the creation of the land. There is a self-guided walking track with explanatory signs which commences at the car park. It is not permitted to remove anything from the area, nor to bring any pets. The National Parks and Wildlife Service pamphlet concerning the park is indispensible and available from any outlet. For further enquiries phone the district office at Nowra (02 4423 9800).

Bushwalks
1. Durras Discovery Trail
There are a number of bushwalking tracks in the vicinity. The Durras Discovery Trail runs along the northern perimeter of Durras Lake through tall eucalypt forest. There are essentially three types: wet spotted and blue gum, climbing into dry blackbutt forest and descending to a rainforest gully. The trail is a 1.5 km loop which takes about three-quarters of an hour. It is fairly easy going, especially in the second half. There is a viewing platform, bush seats, foot bridges and about 300 metres of ironbark boardwalks. To get there turn east off the highway km north of Batemans Bay at the North Durras/Depot Beach turnoff sign into Mt Agony Road. Follow it to North Durras and then turn right into gravel-laden Lake Road (clearly signposted) and continue down to the car park where the trail commences.

2. Durras Lake Walking Trail
The Durras Lake Walking Trail through the Durras Nature Reserve links with the Discovery Trail for a lengthier perambulation around the northern shores of Durras Lake. 6 km in length it offers great scenic views and good fishing spots. The trail commences from a signposted point on Mt Agony Road, two kilometres east of the highway.

3. Eucalypt Trail
Further north along the Princes Highway is the Eucalypt Trail, a 500-metre walk through tall, wet sclerophyll forest. It starts at the Kioloa Rest Area, which has picnic, barbeque and toilet facilities. The site is clearly signposted from the highway and the walk features wooden steps and signage with information on the various eucalypt species.

Fishing in the Region
To access the foreshore of Durras Lake, which is ideal for fishing and walking, drive through Lakesea Caravan Park then walk through the bush and dunes at the end of the road.

Durras Lake offers bream, whiting, flathead and, in season, prawns. There is a boat-launching ramp at the township of Durras Lake and one for ocean access at Beagle Bay in South Durras. To access both turn east off the highway into Durras Rd, 10 km north of Batemans Bay.

Camping in the area
There are a number of caravan parks in the vicinity and camping is available at Pebbly Beach (bookings are necessary for the period from December 26 - January 31; phone 02 4478 6006.

There is another camping site at nearby Depot Beach. There are further camp sites to the south at Durras North, Durras Lake and Durras South and, to the north, at Pretty Beach and Merry Beach. Bushcamping is only permitted 100 metres from any road, walking track or parking area and not on the beaches, sand dunes or their headlands due to their fragility. There are walking tracks along much of the coastal strip, especially from Pebbly Beach.

	Cottages & Cabins
	Joalah Holiday Park North Durras Durras NSW 2536 Telephone: (02) 4478 6012 Facsimile: (02) 4478 6012
	Caravan Parks
	BIG4 South Durras Holiday Park 9 Beagle Bay Rd South Durras Durras NSW 2535 Telephone: (02) 4478 6028 Facsimile: (02) 4478 6733 Rating: ****
	Bundilla Caravan Park Durras North Rd Duras Lake North Durras NSW 2535 Telephone: (02) 4478 6013 Rating: **
	Durras Lake North Caravan Park Durras North Rd Durras NSW 2535 Telephone: (02) 4478 6072 Facsimile: (02) 4478 6872 Rating: **
	Murramarang Resort Bayandah St Sth Durras Durras NSW 2535 Telephone: (02) 4478 6355 Facsimile: (02) 4478 6230 Rating: ****1/2
	Lakesea Park Durras Lake Rd Durras NSW 2536 Telephone: (02) 4478 6122 Facsimile: (02) 4478 6582 Rating: ***
	Restaurants
	Amy's Restaurant Sth Durras Rd Benandarah Durras NSW 2535 Telephone: (02) 4478 6161
	Chelluanna Restaurant Bayandah St Durras Sth Durras NSW 2535 Telephone: (02) 4478 6077