Myall Lakes, NSW

NRMA Myall Shores

Bombah Point, in the middle of Myall Lakes National Park, reached by the ferry across the broadwater. Easter 2024 — and the first trip with the rooftop tent up on the trailer.

Where: Bombah Point, Myall Lakes NP, NSW
Stayed: 29 March – 1 April 2024
In: Tent, and the rooftop tent
Getting there: Ferry across the broadwater

The record

Easter 2024

Bombah Point, in the middle of the Myall Lakes, reached by the ferry across the broadwater. This is the first trip where the rooftop tent is up on the trailer — three months earlier at Jindabyne it was not there at all.

A box trailer with a red-and-tan rooftop tent opened out on a rack above it, ladder down, two bikes carried on a rack at the front — The rooftop tent, up on the trailer *— 31 March 2024, 12:05*

The same rig from a little further back, showing the ladder, the spare wheel and the car parked behind — The whole rig *— 12:05*

The rooftop tent open on its rack among tall trees, its red rainfly extended over the window — Open, from the side

The inside of the rooftop tent looking out through its mesh windows, bedding laid out across the floor — Inside it *— 12:06*

The canvas tent and a shade shelter set up side by side on a shaded site, a bike leaning in front — Tent and shelter, down at ground level

The canvas tent from the front with a bike parked against it and other camps visible through the trees — The tent, and the usual bike

A child playing at a giant wall-mounted Connect Four board on a timber deck in the park's games corner — Giant Connect Four, in the games corner *— 31 March, 10:31*

A pool table mid-game in the park's open-sided games room, balls scattered across the felt — Mid-game

A child running down the sand into the shallow lake water, low hills across the broadwater and big cloud above — Straight in

A pair of shoes propped on the sand at the water's edge, clear shallow water and a wooded shore beyond — Not moving for a while

A sandy lake beach with people swimming in the shallows and a jet ski moored offshore, forested shoreline running away on the far side — The lake beach at the park *— 30 March 2024, 15:15*

Our visitors leaving on the ferry, after an afternoon at the site — 30 March 2024, 16:59

A very shallow clear bay with swimmers standing in knee-deep water, and a run of rounded hills across the water with a mast on the highest of them — Jimmys Beach, Hawks Nest, looking across Port Stephens *— 31 March, 13:24*

More to come. The ferry across to Bombah Point, what it costs and which sites are on the water go in the written guide.

Getting there

How far it is, and how to get there without a car

One map, and one question: how far south, north or inland is this actually? Then, if you are not driving, what runs — and what does not.

246 km by road · about 3 hours driving — the line is straight-line distance, not the route

As far as Bulahdelah

Train from Sydney Central to Newcastle Interchange, about two and three quarter hours, then Busways route 150 or 151 to Bulahdelah — two or three services a day. Greyhound also stops at Bulahdelah, but at 21:30 and midnight.

The Bombah Point ferry

The vehicle ferry across the Myall River runs 8am to 6pm daily, cash only: $2.50 on foot, $6.50 for a car and trailer. It can close in strong wind — ring the park office before you set out. It is not a Transport for NSW ferry and is not part of any public transport network.

The last leg. You need a car. This is the least car-free park on the site.

Bulahdelah to Bombah Point is about 10 km with no bus, no shuttle and no scheduled service of any kind, and the last few kilometres are unsealed — NRMA’s own page says about 3 km of dirt.

The ferry takes foot passengers, but there is no bus at either end of it, so it connects nothing to nothing if you are on foot.

We found no taxi operator in Bulahdelah.

Anyone arriving on the Greyhound would be left at a service station near midnight, 10 km short.

Checked September 2026 Check before you book.

Every service above was checked against the operator’s own timetable rather than a travel site, but timetables change and some operators publish no frequency at all — where that is so, we have said so instead of guessing.

Confirm on transportnsw.info or with the operator before you rely on a connection.

If something here is wrong, tell us and we will fix it.

Worth the drive

What there is to do

Staying at Bombah Point means committing to somewhere with no town attached.

There is no shop beyond the park’s own kiosk and cafe, no fuel anywhere in the national park, and the nearest of either is Bulahdelah, about twenty minutes out on an unsealed road — so arrive with a full tank, and bring firewood, because National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) asks visitors not to collect it.

The ferry is the thing to plan around: half hourly, 8 to 6 only, cash only with no EFTPOS on board, and it can shut in strong winds, which means an unplanned detour around by Bulahdelah.

Two fees apply and people routinely miss the second: the ferry fare, and $8 a vehicle a day for the national park, payable at Mungo Brush on the far side of the water or through the Park’nPay app — worth sorting before you arrive.

And the reception: NPWS says coverage in the park is limited and NRMA warns it is mostly confined to reception and the cafe. Download your maps before you leave the highway.

The Bombah Point ferryNot a sightseeing trip — one of only two ways in and out, and the way in from the Sydney side.Every half hour, 8 to 6, seven days, first run at 8. Outside those hours you are committed to the unsealed road via Bulahdelah.Cash only.Caravans and boat trailers are catered for at the same rate as a car.It can close in strong winds, which is the single fact most likely to disrupt a trip.Car $6.50 · caravan or trailer $6.50 · motorbike $5.50 · pedestrian $2.50
The Broadwater, at the park itselfThe park is on the water with a jetty and a boat ramp, and the Broadwater is shallow and sheltered.Realistically this is where young children will spend most of their time, because everything else is a drive plus a ferry.There is also a pool, a playground, a camp kitchen and school-holiday activities.Bring your own kayaks — nothing on the operator’s own pages confirms they hire any out.Free to guests
Mungo Rainforest walkA 1.5 km loop through swamp forest and littoral rainforest from Mungo Brush campground, fifteen to forty-five minutes, easy.Walk it anticlockwise: the first 700 m is step-free and flat, which is the practical route with a pram, and the rest has short steep pinches and occasional steps.Wet and swampy after rain.From Bombah Point it is the ferry plus about five kilometres, so twenty minutes all up.Covered by the $8 park entry, plus the ferry
Dark Point Aboriginal PlaceA headland and shifting dune system significant to the Worimi people, with middens and views out to Broughton Island.Two kilometres return from the Dark Point car park on Mungo Brush Road, allow three quarters of an hour to an hour and a quarter.The dunes are the draw for children; the catch is that the beach is unpatrolled with strong rips, so treat it as a walk and a look rather than a swim.No toilets — the nearest are at Mungo Brush.Covered by the $8 park entry, plus the ferry
Hole in the Wall picnic areaPicnic tables and beach access on Mungo Brush Road, about fifteen kilometres north of Hawks Nest, easily combined with Dark Point on the same run out from the ferry.Sealed access and a car park; toilets are at Mungo Brush or Stewart and Lloyds, not here.Same unpatrolled-beach caveat.Covered by the $8 park entry, plus the ferry
The GrandisA 76-metre flooded gum, the tallest tree in NSW, reached by a flat boardwalk with handrails straight off the picnic area — one of the few things here that works for a three-year-old and a grandparent at once.About forty minutes from Bombah Point, ten kilometres north of Bulahdelah then along Stoney Creek Road.The access road is unsealed but fine for a 2WD in any weather.Facilities are minimal: four gravel parking spaces, two concrete tables, one accessible non-flush toilet.Covered by the $8 park entry
Hawks Nest and Tea GardensThe nearest thing to a proper day out with shops attached — about thirty kilometres from the ferry landing, so three quarters of an hour to an hour once you add the crossing and any wait.Jimmys Beach is the one for small children: a five-kilometre arc from the river mouth to Yacaaba Headland, sheltered from the ocean, very little surf, clear water — though not patrolled.The Singing Bridge between the two towns is named for the noise the wind makes through its railings.Free
BulahdelahAbout twenty minutes out along Bombah Point Road, and where you resupply.A staffed visitor centre on Crawford Street, Monday to Friday 9 to 4 and Saturday 9 to 1, closed Sunday.Mountain Park on Meade Street is a free playground with a skate park, barbecues, tables, toilets and interpretive signage.Assume a small town, assume it shuts early, and do not count on Sunday — we could not verify current supermarket or service-station hours from any primary source.Free
Seal Rocks and Sugarloaf Point LighthouseThe full day trip, and you cannot get there through the park — out via Bulahdelah, north on The Lakes Way, then Seal Rocks Road from Bungwahl, roughly seventy kilometres and about an hour and a quarter each way.NPWS describes the roads as unsealed but fine for a 2WD in all weather.The car park is 700 m from the lighthouse and the walk up suits neither prams nor wheelchairs.No source addresses whether there is a shop or fuel at Seal Rocks, so plan on none.Covered by the $8 park entry

Checked September 2026 Check before you go.

Fees, opening hours and seasonal closures change, and we have not been to all of these.

Distances are approximate — put the name in your maps app rather than trusting our figure.

If something here is wrong, tell us and we will fix it.

Local, for us

Groceries, mandirs and where to eat

Bombah Point is remote in a way that catches Indian families out.

There is no Indian grocer, no Indian restaurant and no mandir or gurudwara within an hour of the campsite — the nearest atta, dal and pooja supplies are in Newcastle, about an hour and a half away, so shop before you arrive rather than after.

Bulahdelah, Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest have nothing between them.

And watch the ferry above all else: it runs 8 to 6 and takes cash only, so a dinner in Tea Gardens that finishes after six leaves you driving the long way round — up to the highway, north to Bulahdelah, then the unsealed road in the dark.

If you are eating out, eat north or west, never south.

Indian grocery

Nothing within about an hour and a halfNo dedicated South Asian grocer in Bulahdelah, Tea Gardens, Hawks Nest or Forster–Tuncurry.Buy atta, dal, spices, frozen paratha and pooja items before you leave home, or detour through Newcastle on the drive up.
The Newcastle clusterThree shops sit within a few minutes of each other around Wallsend and Newcastle West, about an hour and forty minutes away via Bulahdelah and the Pacific Highway — no ferry involved.Kairali Asian Groceries on Nelson Street, Wallsend is the one we could verify trading, open seven days 9 to 8, with Indian, Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi lines and weekly fresh vegetable deliveries; Southern Supermarket is on the same street.One stop covers most of a list.

Mandirs and gurudwaras

International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) New Gokula Farm83 Lewis Road, Millfield, near Cessnock — about two hours via Bulahdelah and the Hunter Expressway, no ferry.Open to visitors seven days 7:30 to 7:30, with the temple closed 1 to 4 daily except Sundays, and they ask you to register online a day ahead.The daily programme runs from greeting the deities at 7:30 through to dinner at 7:30; the Sunday feast is lunch at 1:15.A full day out rather than an evening trip, but the only real pilgrimage from here. (02) 4998 1800.
Gurdwara Guru Maneyo Granth Sahib, Rutherford57 Spitfire Place, Rutherford, near Maitland — about an hour and a half, no ferry.Daily access 5 am to 8 pm; Saturday diwan 5 to 7:30; Sunday diwan 10 to 2, with vegetarian langar after diwans.Everyone is welcome; cover your head and remove your shoes, and head coverings are provided at the entrance. 0490 608 912.
A note on searching for this yourselfIf you look for a Hindu temple or gurudwara near “Newcastle”, most of what comes back is Newcastle upon Tyne in England. We lost a good deal of time to it.There is a long-standing Hindu temple somewhere in the Newcastle area run by Vedic Samiti, but its own domain no longer resolves and we could not establish an address, so we have not published one.

Pure vegetarian — any cuisine

The Bhakti Tree, Mayfield West410 Maitland Road — about an hour and a half, no ferry.Its own site describes it as the only pure vegetarian and vegan cafe in Newcastle, with no meat, poultry or fish served.Wednesday to Sunday, lunch 12 to 2:30 and dinner 6 to 8:30.No phone is published; book through their site.
Nothing closerNo pure vegetarian venue in Bulahdelah, Tea Gardens, Hawks Nest, Forster–Tuncurry or Nelson Bay.

Indian restaurants — vegetarian and non-vegetarian

Nothing in Bulahdelah, Tea Gardens or Hawks NestThe full Bulahdelah restaurant listing runs to seven venues — a pub, some cafes, a bakery and an Indonesian place — and no Indian restaurant.The closest Indian food to camp is over an hour away in every direction.
Deepka, Raymond TerraceShop 5/2 The Close — about an hour, and the nearest, via Bulahdelah and the Pacific Highway. No ferry.Pickup lunch weekdays 12 to 4; dinner seven days from about 4 to 8:30.Chicken, lamb, beef and seafood alongside vegetarian.
Two at Nelson BayAbout an hour and a half via Karuah, no ferry.Taj Tandoori, upstairs at 30 Donald Street, Monday to Thursday and Sunday 5 to 9 and Friday and Saturday 5 to 9:30, (02) 4981 5521.And The Only Place, halal certified, Shop 10, 17–19 Stockton Street next to the post office and down the ramp, buffet Wednesdays and Thursdays, twenty-five years in the Bay — they publish no hours at all, so ring (02) 4984 4414.
Royal Indian Cuisine, Tuncurry21 Manning Street — about an hour and a quarter north, no ferry.Seven days, evenings only, from about 4 to somewhere between 8:50 and 9:30 depending on which source you believe.Chicken, beef, lamb and seafood alongside vegetarian. (02) 6557 2001.

Checked September 2026 Please check before you drive.

These were verified online, not by us in person, and small businesses close, move and change names without updating their listings.

Distances and times are rough — put the address in your maps app rather than trusting our figure.

If something here is wrong or has closed, tell us and we will fix it.

Where next

Other places in the record

Distances are straight-line from this park to that one, which is enough to tell you whether two trips could be one.

60 kmChiltern Lodge, Old BarMid North Coast, NSWan hour or so away — an easy day out from either 150 kmNRMA Ocean BeachCentral Coast, NSWa couple of hours down the road 170 kmBIG4 Sydney Lakeside Holiday ParkNorthern Beaches, NSWa couple of hours down the road 190 kmCockatoo IslandSydney Harbour, NSWa couple of hours down the road

Something on this page wrong, or out of date? We would rather be told than be wrong — tell us about this page. And if there is something you wish this site covered and it does not, tell us that too.

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