Waterside camping near Iluka with fishing

Iluka means “near the sea” in the Yaegl language, and this village certainly is—right at the mouth of the Clarence River, the largest of NSW’s east coast rivers. But it’s what’s on land that makes Iluka so special. Iluka Bluff is the best whale watching spot, while the Iluka Nature Reserve, part of the Gondwana Rainforest of Australia, is the largest remaining littoral rainforest in New South Wales. It’s easily explored on foot, as the trail starts where the ferry from Yamba docks on the other side of the Clarence River. When it comes to camping getaways, caravan parks dot the area and the neighbouring Bundjalung National Park has several great beachfront camping areas.

The NSW north coast gets very busy during summer school holidays, but February and March are pretty crowd-free with many accommodation options. Even in winter—when you’ve got a good chance of seeing migrating whales from the many headland vantage points—the weather is usually very kind. Swimming is best from October to May, while autumn is ideal for beach fishing.  

• Road rules are the same on beaches as they are on bitumen roads, except that the maximum speed limit allowed on beaches is 40 kilometres per hour. Also keep an eye out for nesting seabirds…and sunbathers.
• Iluka tour operators offer kayak tours, snorkelling, bikes, standup paddle boarding, and kayak hires.
• Recreational fishing licenses are mandatory in New South Wales. Find them online or at most fishing bait-and-tackle shops.