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| Surfing at Hawks Nest
with Yacaaba Head in the background
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Hawks Nest
Quiet and sleepy holiday destination on the northern
shore of Port Stephens
The tranquil and rather beautiful township of Hawks Nest,
with both ocean and river frontage, is located at the
northern head of Port Stephens 222 km north of Sydney via
the Pacific Highway, 79 km north-east of Newcastle, 12 km
off the Pacific Highway and 16 m above sea-level. With a
population of 1100 people it is separated from its sister
town, Tea Gardens, by the mouth of the Myall River, which
runs from the Myall Lakes down to Port Stephens, and joined
to it by the 'Singing Bridge', named for its tendency to act
like a wind harp in a strong south-westerly breeze. The
eastern rim of Hawks Nest faces the ocean, its beaches
spanning northwards into the forests and lagoons of nearby
Myall Lakes National Park.
The local economy has traditionally revolved around
seafood and timber. While there is still a fishing co-op,
and woodchip mills still work the forests, BHP's sandmining
operations are probably the principal source of local income
if not the predominant employer. Tourism no doubt plays a
role of some importance too.
Hawks Nest was named after a large tree which was a
favourite nesting place of hawks, situated near the old
hotel and used as a navigational marker in the early days.
The area was occupied by the Worimi Aborigines prior to
white settlement. The first Europeans to work in the area
were timbergetters who took an interest in the forests
(mostly red cedar) along the Myall River early in the 19th
century. The timber was hauled by bullock train to mills,
then carted by punt down river to Hawks Nest and the Winda
Woppa peninsula. Ships bound for Newcastle and Sydney picked
up the timber, unloading the stone they carried for ballast
on the banks of the river, much of it being used in the
construction of the rock walls which can still be seen
today. A timber mill was built at Winda Woppa in 1920 and
shipped out 13 million square feet of wood in 1922.
The Australian Agricultural Company set up in the area in
1826 (see entry on
Port Stephens). Another early industry was boat
building. One pioneer was Frank Motum who arrived from
England in 1877 and, with his family, established a hauling
business shipping fish to the Newcastle and Sydney markets.
The mouth of the Myall was traversed by punt until a ferry
service was established in 1928, replaced by the bridge in
1974.
Things to see:
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| Fishing at Hawks Nest
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A range of activities in the area.
Visitors can pursue a range of activities, mostly relating
to the proximity of water and the national park: boating,
swimming, surfing, wind surfing, waterskiing, diving,
fishing, canoeing, bushwalking, bird watching, camping and
pursuing the 4WD tracks both north and south of town. There
are two caravan parks while, in Tea Gardens, boats and
houseboats are available for hire, a passenger ferry departs
regularly for Nelson Bay on the other side of Port Stephens,
and there are river, lake, fishing, deep-sea fishing and
dolphin-watch cruises on offer.
The Visitors Centre
The Visitors' Centre in Myall St, Tea Gardens, which is a
large building to your right, 200 m before you reach the
bridge, offers a comprehensive account of attractions,
activities, tours, cruises, accommodation and bookings,
tourist maps, tide charts and fishing guides (see entry on
Tea Gardens for more information).
Seeing Koalas
Cross the bridge and head east along Kingfisher Ave. To your
left is a reserve noted for its koala colony. There have
been further sightings along Mungo Brush Rd and in the
National Park.
Hawks Nest Jetty
At the T-intersection a left turn will take you into Myall
Lakes National Park (via Mungo Brush Rd) and a right will
take you into Tuloa Ave. The first left is Sanderling Ave
and the next right is Mermaid Ave where a signpost directs
you to the light boat ramp on the riverbank off the middle
of Moira Pde adjacent the jetty and south-east of the
bridge; a rather lovely spot.
Hawks Nest Beach
Hawks Nest beach is very long and very beautiful. Cabbage
Tree Island (26 ha) looms just offshore. It was named after
the cabbage tree palms in the two gullies on the island's
western side, the only known nesting site of Gould's petrel.
The one island in southern Australia to include rainforest
habitat it was also the first gazetted flora and fauna
reserve in NSW.
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| The view of Yacaaba Head,
Hawks Nest, from Nelson Bay |
Yacaaba Head
It is well worthwhile to walk the two or three kilometres
along the spit which separates Hawks Nest from Yacaaba Head,
the enormous headland which stands at the northeastern tip
of Port Stephens. When you reach the base of the promontory
a sign stands adjacent a well-developed path declaring the
Yacaaba Head Walk. The path leads around the base of Yacaaba
to its pebbly southern side where you can look out across
the mouth of the bay to the southern peninsula of Port
Stephens. Dolphins frequent an area just offshore from here
on a daily basis to socialise and rub their bodies on the
smooth pebbles. It is known as Dolphin Hole.
The walk to Yacaaba Head. The sign describes the walk as
"difficult". This is an understatement. There are, in
essence, three stages. The first is gradual and progresses
through some beautiful bush. It reaches a mid-level
viewpoint which looks north-west providing excellent views
of Hawks Nest and Tea Gardens. From here the walk becomes
extremely steep. This part of the walk at first seems to
lead to the end of the trail: an alarming thought as the
views are terrible. But, if you look to your left you will
see the first of a series of white arrows painted on rocks
which will faithfully lead you, less arduously, to the apex
where the views are breathtaking and all that hard work
seems truly worthwhile. Parts of Hawks Nest are obscured by
trees but the view to the west over the hinterland across to
the mountain range and south along the coast is splendid.
Millions of years ago this was low-lying and relatively
flat country until a massive volcanic disturbance thrust the
land upwards. Lava, subsidence and millions of years of
erosion produced a dramatically undulating landscape of
hills and valleys. The headlands and offshore islands
represent some of the ancient volcanic peaks from this
topography and the rocky outcrops are the product of lava
flow. The walk takes about two hours return from the end of
Beach Rd and back to your car.
Myall Lakes National Park
Hawks Nest is also one of the main access points for the
outstanding Myall Lakes National Park, a 31 562-ha reserve
which combines such coastline features as fresh and
salt-water lakes, swamps, high dunes, rugged headlands and
40 km of beaches stretching from Hawks Nest north to Seal
Rocks . Cross the bridge, follow Kingfisher Ave to its end
then turn left. The road is sealed. There are also five
signposted beach access tracks for 4WD vehicles which depart
from Mungo Brush Rd (they are only permitted south of The
Big Gibber).
The park starts 4.3 km north of Kingfisher Ave and there
is an information board at this point to help you orient
yourself. You can, if you choose, walk the 21-km Mungo Track
to Mungo Brush, a popular camping and picnic spot on the
southern shore of The Broadwater, the southernmost of the
three Myall Lakes where the bird life is prolific. It starts
from a signposted spot 750 m along the road from the
information board. 8 km from the information board is the
start of the Dark Point walk to the right and the Wallflower
Walk to the left (directly opposite). The former leads over
a series of vast, denuded and impressive sand dunes, past an
ancient Aboriginal midden to an absolutely beautiful and
unspoiled bit of coastline looking out over Broughton
Island. Both Broughton Island and the waters off Little
Gibber are noted diving spots. The former is a good spot for
fishing, bushwalking and relaxing. Camping is permitted and
there is a toilet, an emergency radio and some drinking
water. However, access from Tea Gardens is only in the peak
period and then is not guaranteed. Nelson Bay are a more
certain bet but only in summer. Otherwise you must make your
own way. Little Broughton Island is an important breeding
location for a number of birds. The Wildflower Walk, and the
park in general, are best between August and October.
The Mungo Brush Rainforest Walk is a shorter 30-minute
trek from the picnic site at Mungo Brush campsite (14.1 km
from the information board). For more information on Mungo
Brush and the park in general see the entry on Myall Lakes.
Experienced guides can be hired for all local walks, tel:
(02) 4997 0872, or phone the visitors' centre.
Fishing
Fishing is, of course, very popular around the jetties and
stone walls, the bridge and Yacaaba Head. Boat-fishing
yields whiting, flathead and flounder in Pindimar Bay, to
the west, and the ocean beaches are good for surfing and
surf fishermen. Crabs can be found in the river and its
mouth in season and, for those more interested in the eating
than the catching, there is fresh seafood aplenty (the area
is well-known for its oysters).
Special Events at Hawks Nest
The Myall Prawn Festival is held at Tea Gardens-Hawks Nest
in March. It includes the World Prawn Eating Championship
(the record is 1 kg in 5 minutes), a raft race down the
Myall, the Mungo Cup Boat Races, rowing events, a fun run,
sand modelling, a tug of war, an art exhibition and sale, a
mardi gras, stalls and plenty of food.
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Email:
enquiries@broadwalkbusinessbrokers.com.au
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Hawks Nest
