About South West Rocks
South West Rocks is a coastal town which attracts both holidaymakers and retirees. Like all the North Coast towns that are not on the Pacific Highway, it is most commonly bypassed by holidaymakers. This has resulted in a town removed from excessive, modern development. It is a haven for people looking for quietness and coastal relaxation. For many years it was a popular hideaway for television personalities eager for a little privacy. Today the township is primarily a tourist destination. It has plenty of accommodation, beautiful foreshores, pleasant beaches, and particularly beautiful stands of Norfolk pines (sourced from the Aussie Towns website – click for more)
South West Rocks Caravan Park
Moving northwards from North Narrabeen we headed 454kms to South West Rocks to catch up with some Bailey caravan friends. We booked into Ingenia Holidays Caravan Park for 7 nights (maplink).
On our 2nd night we got out the fire-pits for happy hour down by the creek. It’s a lovely location and the sunset viewed up the creek was glorious.
Trial Bay Gaol
Today started with a group breakfast at Trial Bay Kiosk then a walk up to the German Cemetery.
Trial Bay Gaol is full of history. The gaol opened in 1886, after 13 years of construction. It must have been a strange feeling building a prison in such a beautiful setting. The prison labourers were there to construct a breakwater to make Trial Bay a safe harbour between Sydney and Brisbane. Unfortunately the scheme failed, however the remains of the breakwater can still be seen from the guard tower lookout.
During World War I the gaol became an internment camp for people of German descent who were feared to be enemy sympathisers. We walked to a cemetery which was built for those who died during the internment.
You can find out more about Trial Bay Gaol and internment camp on Wikipedia.
Smoky Cape Lighthouse
A short drive from South West Rocks to Smoky Cape Lighthouse (this is a great website!) found us in the Hat Head National Park (maplink).
Fantastic views over the coastline and we even got to spot some whales moving north, even though they were a fair way offshore. We also spotted a beautiful diamond python slithering through the scrub right below the viewing platform at the lighthouse.
Accommodation is available at the Smoky Cape Lighthouse, in the old lighthouse keepers quarters, which is pretty cool.
One of our friends, Keri, told us that their uncle, Mr Harry Handicott, retired from active service in 1985 and was the last lighthouse keeper to manage the light. We found a little bit of history about him plus a photo in the museum and the poem below…
The man stood at the pearly gates looking all tired and old.
He meekly asked the man of fate for admission to the fold.
‘What have you done,’ Saint Peter asked, ‘to gain admission here?’ ‘I was in the Lighthouse Service and got leave once a year.’
The gate swung open widely as Saint Peter tolled the bell.
‘Come in,’ he said, ‘and take a harp. You’ve had enough of hell.’
Summing up…
- Accommodation – Ingenia Holidays Caravan Park is well set-out with plenty of room around our site
- Cost per night – $35.43 (@ 28-Jun-2020 – Bailey group booking deal)
- Facilities – a bit dated but very clean – 7/10
- CP Location – walk into town for pubs, restaurants and beach – 8/10 (maplink)
- Our rating/score – 7/10
- Was it a nice town to visit? – yes – a small town with lots to offer
- Activities & places of interest –Trial Bay Gaol and Smoky Cape
- Tourist info centre? – #1 Boatmans Cottage, Ocean Dr, South West Rocks (website)
- Would we return? – Definitely
- Overall Score – 8/10
- Summary – We were a bit uncertain about this caravan park but we loved our stay (in the end). Our friends were camped on the “creek frontage sites” and we were 2 rows back. They froze as there was no sun during the daytime which we had (LOL).