The stretch of coast between Batemans Bay and Ulladulla on The NSW South Coast is mostly within The Murramarang National Park, has lots of bays, coves and islands to explore and is within a half a days drive of Sydney. So Mark Schroeder, Mark Anderson, Terry Walsh and me went down for a bit of a look.
Reasonably calm conditions opened up lots of landing possibilities
Looking out from Oakey Beach
From dawn till dusk Terry didn't stop smiling the whole time
Slight seas didn't necessarily mean adrenalin free launches
Dark Beach is the southern most point of Sydney Basin Sandstone - the difference can be seen between the northern and the southern halves
The bush is mainly spotted gums with an understory of Burrawangs and is surprisingly open
This unnamed cove didn't look to be that good a camping spot until . . .
We went bush a bit and found a perfect hidden spot
complete with ocean views
packing the boats
Calm conditions with a following sea made for easy paddling
but things picked up a bit in the afternoon
On the inside of Crampton Island we found a bit of paradise and had a long lunch
We then headed off in search of a camp. After not finding anything suitable we headed to Ulladulla. Mark Schroeder and I went in to a break zone for a final ride. Mark Anderson and Terry then came in behind us and suddenly found themselves on a breaking wave. A collision and capsize seemed imminent but Terry braced hard and Mark maneuvered down the face and both made it through unscathed. The trip ended at Ulladulla where we set up camp in a park.
White Faced Herons
Now I know why so many paddlers go on about The South Coast - Its a great place to paddle
