Fishing at Laurieton

Laurieton
Pleasant holiday destination on the Mid-North Coast.
Located 380 km north of Sydney via the Pacific Highway, Laurieton is now part of the holiday/urban development along the coast to the south of Port Macquarie. This inevitable coastal development, which spreads through Lake Cathie, Bonny Hills and North Haven, means that it is quite difficult to determine the actual limits of Laurieton. This is explained by the fact that Laurieton is one of the seven towns and villages which form the Camden Haven. The others are North Haven, Dunbogan, Bonny Hills, Kew, Kendall and Comboyne. Each of these towns and villages lies adjacent to the Camden Haven River.

The town is scenically located at the base of North Brother Mountain at the mouth of the Camden Haven River. The result is a setting which combines lagoons and waterways with bushland and some unique views of the Mid-North Coast.

The region had been settled by the Gadang Aborigines for tens of thousands of years before Captain James Cook sailed up the coast in 1770. Impressed by the three mountains he could see from his ship, Cook named them 'The Brothers'. The most impressive, rising to 490 metres, is North Brother.

The first European into the area was the explorer John Oxley who named the inlet Camden Haven in 1818. He also named Watson Taylor Lake after a British MP who had been influential supporting the pastoralist and landowner John Macarthur.

Today the area is a peaceful, attractive and under-developed holiday destination.

Things to see:  

The view from the Camden Haven Lookout looking down on Camden Haven and Laurieton

North Brother Lookout
Don't miss it. It is 5km up on the Captain Cook Bicentenary Road which is unsuitable for caravans. It is unsuitable for caravans. The summit of North Brother Mountain (490 metres) offers a superb view over the coastline, the lakes and the mouth of the Camden Haven River. It is one of Australia's most impressive coastal panoramas. The area is characterised by large stands of rainforest which is rich in native fauna and flora. Head west along Kew Rd then take the signposted turnoff on the left and follow the winding road to the summit.

Queens Lake and Camden Haven River
Laurieton is really about water activities and the lake and river provide plenty of opportunity for fishing, boating and walking along the foreshores.

Crowdy Bay National Park
Take the road from Laurieton heading south and you will enter the northern section of Crowdy Bay National Park. The entrance from the south is via Moorland which is north of Coopernook. Both roads are unsealed.

This area of parkland was first sighted by Captain Cook in 1770. He saw Aborigines standing on what is now known as Diamond Head and named the promontory Indian Head.

In more recent times a man named Ernie Metcalf lived on the headland. He was the subject of 'The Man on the Headland' written by Kylie Tennant. He built a hut for Tennant who subsequently gifted it to the park. It was restored in 1980 and is now one of the park's attractions.

Diamond Head itself is quite striking. It rises 113 metres and is edged by the wetlands and heathlands of the coastal plain. The park is ideal for bushwalking, birdwatching, fishing (from the rock platforms you can catch groper, bream, tailor and drummer) and swimming.

There are three popular walks:

1. The Cliff Base Walk - a walk around the base of Diamond Head on the rock platform with its myriad sea life.

2. Diamond Head Loop Track - 4.8 km long and comfortably achieved in 2 1/2 hours this track offers spectacular views and passes through a wide range of flora from littoral rainforest to casaurina woodland and heathlands. Look out for the small and carnivorous droseras or sundews.

3. Kylie's Hut - this is the shorter loop walk to the hut built for Kylie Tennant.

N.B. There is no reliable fresh water in the park.

Kattang Nature Reserve
This is a small, 58 hectare reserve located 3 km east of Laurieton which is the direct result of the local community's 'Save the Heathland' campaign. It has been listed on the National Estate and is an ideal place for bushwalking, birdwatching and fishing. There are a number of walking tracks (the NPWS provides a brochure with a good map) from Bergalia (at the end of Camden Haven Road) and Hamey (at the end of the Charles Harney Lookout Road) carparks.

There is (a) the Camden Head Lookout walk (b) the 'Flower Bowl' walk which lies among elevated sand dunes and offers marvellous displays of wildflowers in spring (c) the Perpendicular Point Walk which provides excellent views back on the Camden Haven estuary and (d) the short side walks down to Fishermans Bluff and Pebbly Beach.

The area, although small, is noted for its flora and fauna. Over 100 species of bird have been recorded in the park and there are small areas of rainforest and pockets of flannel flowers and everlasting daisies.

	Motels
	Country Pines Motel 146 Ocean Dve Laurieton NSW 2443 Telephone: (02) 6559 4209 Facsimile: (02) 6559 4273 Rating: **
	Haven Waters Motel and Suites 9 The Parade North Haven Laurieton NSW 2443 Telephone: (02) 6559 9303 Facsimile: (02) 6559 9835 Rating: ****
	Mariner Motel 12 Kew Rd Laurieton NSW 2443 Telephone: (02) 6559 9398 Facsimile: (02) 6559 9398 Rating: ***1/2
	North Haven Motel 506 Ocean Dve North Haven Laurieton NSW 2443 Telephone: (02) 6559 9604 Facsimile: (02) 6559 9604 Rating: ***
	Woongarra Motel 5-7 The Parade North Haven Laurieton NSW 2443 Telephone: (02) 6559 9088 & 1800 652 586 Facsimile: (02) 6559 6426 Rating: ***1/2
	Hotels
	Laurieton Hotel/Motel Bold St Laurieton NSW 2443 Telephone: (02) 6559 9004
	Holiday Homes & Units
	Allinga Holiday Units 51 The Parade North Haven Laurieton NSW 2443 Telephone: (02) 6559 9137 Rating: ***
	Japana Holiday Units 33 Alma St North Haven Laurieton NSW 2443 Telephone: (02) 6559 9140
	Le-Joy Holiday Units 1 Mill St Laurieton NSW 2443 Telephone: (02) 6559 9082
	Pelican Waters Holiday Units 3 Bridge St North Haven Laurieton NSW 2443 Telephone: (02) 6559 9381
	Pioneer Holiday Units 3 Pioneer St North Haven Laurieton NSW 2443 Telephone: (02) 6559 6586 Rating: **
	Caravan Parks
	Beachfront Caravan Park The Parade North Haven Laurieton NSW 2443 Telephone: (02) 6559 9193 Facsimile: (02) 6559 9193 Rating: ***
	Brigadoon Holiday Park Eames Ave North Haven Laurieton NSW 2443 Telephone: (02) 6559 9172 Facsimile: (02) 6559 5402
	Diamond Waters Caravan Park Diamond Head Rd Laurieton NSW 2443 Telephone: (02) 6559 9334 Facsimile: (02) 6559 7333 Rating: ***1/2
	Dunbogan Caravan Park Bell St, Dunbogan via Laurieton NSW Telephone: (02) 6559 9375 Facsimile: (02) 6559 9375 Rating: ***1/2
	Jacaranda Caravan Park 227 The Parade North Haven Laurieton NSW 2443 Telephone: (02) 6559 9470 Facsimile: (02) 6559 8604 Rating: ****
	Christmas-Cove Caravan Park 229 Ocean Dve Laurieton NSW 2443 Telephone: (02) 6559 9086 Facsimile: (02) 6559 9086 Rating: ****
	Laurieton Gardens Holiday Resort 478 Ocean Dve Laurieton NSW 2443 Telephone: (02) 6559 9256 Rating: ***1/2
	Restaurants
	Chiang Mai Thai Restaurant 87 Bold St Laurieton NSW 2443 Telephone: (02) 6559 6574
	Dolphins Family Restaurant Seymour St Laurieton NSW 2443 Telephone: (02) 6559 9110
	Golden Inn Chinese Restaurant 62 Bold St Laurieton NSW 2443 Telephone: (02) 6559 9754
	Jade Garden Chinese Restaurant 69 Bold St Laurieton NSW 2443 Telephone: (02) 6559 8606
	Reflections on the Lake 66 Bold St Laurieton NSW 2443 Telephone: (02) 6559 9004
	Relish by the River 613 Ocean Dve North Haven Laurieton NSW 2443 Telephone: (02) 6559 8869
	Rivergum Restaurant, Kendall Services Club Graham St Kendall Laurieton NSW 2439 Telephone: (02) 6559 4728
	Royal Hotel Bistro Pacific Hwy Kew Laurieton NSW 2439 Telephone: (02) 6559 4099
	Sandbar Cafe Restaurant 621 Ocean Dve North Haven Laurieton NSW 2443 Telephone: (02) 6559 6945
	Seagulls Bistro 1 Woodford Rd North Haven Laurieton NSW 2443 Telephone: (02) 6559 9150
	Steaks on Kew Pacific Hwy Kew Laurieton NSW 2439 Telephone: (02) 6559 4385
	The Laurie Bold St Laurieton NSW 2443 Telephone: (02) 6559 6059