Join Julie as she takes you through the best of The Havens in New South Wales, including the picturesque waterways and walks, the incredible places to eat and much more.
On any given morning, if you walk along the breakwall towards North Haven Beach, you’ll be greeted cheerily by fellow walkers and cyclists enjoying the great outdoors. North Haven — and the surrounding ‘havens’ of Camden Haven, West Haven, Dunbogan and Laurieton — is a friendly place. Blessed with natural beauty, cafes, parkland and surrounding mountains, it’s really no wonder the people here are in a good mood.
Just 30 minutes south of Port Macquarie, ‘The Havens’ are dominated by the Camden Haven River and its tributaries, which interlace the small towns and hamlets. Standing sentinel over the region is North Brother Mountain, which has one of NSW’s best coastal lookouts. With beautiful beaches and waterways, forest walks, good fishing, national parks and plentiful cafes, it has the nostalgic charm of an old-school Aussie beach holiday and many love the local area so much that they retire here.
The area made headlines for all the wrong reasons back in March 2021 during the floods on the mid north coast of NSW. Happily, the area has now recovered and is back to welcoming visitors. With plenty of holiday parks and accommodation options with water frontage, whether you want a few days respite from the road or if you want to stay and explore the region for a while, The Havens has it covered.
Waterways
Camden Haven delivers a big blue dose of serenity with its beaches, lakes, inlets and tributaries, so there’s much to do on water.
Start your exploration at North Haven Beach, where the river meets the sea. This is a postcard-perfect stretch of sand with a surf lifesaving club and popular cafe. If you’re after calmer waters, drive to Pilot Beach on the other side of the breakwater. It’s the perfect place for splashing around or relaxing with a book.
Around the corner from Pilot Beach, you can kayak on Camden Haven Inlet, with kayak and stand-up paddle board hire available at Dunbogan. And never fear, if you prefer something more motorised, you can hire a tinny or barbecue boat.
A stone’s throw from North Haven’s cafe strip, Queens Lake is a great spot to take stock and enjoy the good life, whether for you that means picnicking, fishing, walking or photography. You might see glossy black cockatoos and swift parrots or if you’re lucky, you might spy a koala.
A short drive north of Laurieton is Lake Cathie (pronounced lake cat-eye), a large saltwater lake. The warm shallow waters are ideal for swimming and it’s definitely worth doing the short forest walk from the picnic area, which leads to a viewing platform with great lake and ocean views.
Walks
Not just a watery paradise, there’s plenty to do on land. There’s a good variety of walks from easy strolls to full-day hikes.
The best place to start is the Camden River Walk at North Haven. This 5.5km paved path runs from North Haven Surf Club to Apex Park in Laurieton alongside the Camden Haven Inlet. On the way, you’ll pass public art, an exercise station, cafes, picnic areas and gnarly mangroves. Sections of the walk are wheelchair and pram friendly. The beauty of this walk is you can walk as little or far as you want. On the weekend there’s a steady stream of walkers, cyclists and dogwalkers, particularly near the beach, but during the week it’s much quieter. Keep an eye out for dolphins while you walk!
Also starting at the surf club is the 7km return Grants Beach Walk, which passes through the sand dunes adjacent to Grants Beach. This is a flat walk through eucalypt, paperbark and banksia forest, but there are no facilities so you’ll need to bring water.
Nearby Queens Lake offers flat walking on a 4.4km one-way walk with views of the lake all the way. The walk starts at Henry Kendall Reserve, which has ample picnic grounds and barbecues, and there are a number of entry spots en route so you can pick and choose the section of the walk you’d like to tackle.
Some spectacular walking with not too much effort is to be had at Kattang Nature Reserve near Dunbogan. You can do the 2km Flower Bowl Circuit (best in late winter or spring for flannel flowers, orchids and boronia) or the slightly longer Perpendicular Walk. The name says it all — along the way you’ll have jaw-dropping views of vertiginous cliff faces and sweeping coastal views and keep an eye out for whales from May to November.
North Brother in Dooragan National Park, accessible by car, offers panoramic views of Camden Haven all the way to Yarrahapinni in the north and Crowdy Head in the south and is a launching pad for paragliders. It offers an easy 500m short walk looping through the rainforest — or the super fit can trek up the mountain on a 3km one-way thigh-burning slog.
For sea views, bird watching, native flora and the opportunity to go whale watching, check out the Bouddi coastal walk in Bouddi National Park. The entire one-way walk extends for 8km but it can be broken down into three shorter walks perfect for treks with younger kids.
What to do
Once you’ve had your fill of walking, water sports and lazy beach days, there are plenty of other activities.
Just out of town, the Plaza Theatre at Laurieton feels like going back to a time when going to the cinema was a big event. This cinema, dating from 1959, has been lovingly restored into a snazzy retro theatre with extravagant gold statues, vintage posters and a cute ticket office. It comes with its own film pedigree. Director Baz Luhrmann grew up in the area and first discovered his love of cinema here when his father worked as a projectionist. Today the cinema shows arthouse and latest release films.
Should you time your visit for December and January, head to the hills behind Laurieton to Brackenridge Berries for a spot of blueberry picking. After you’ve filled your bucket with juicy organic blueberries, make a beeline for Waitui Falls — a lovely waterfall and picnic spot and a favourite with photographers with a short loop trail.
For those with an arts bent, Crystalline Pottery Studio has a working studio, gallery and garden and it’s a great place to pick up that special gift. Long Point Winery, just north of Laurieton, has an ever-changing arts display. Pack a picnic to enjoy in their grounds on the bespoke wooden deck overlooking the sculpture garden. And while you are there it would be rude not to taste the wines ($10 a tasting). Their refreshing alcoholic ginger beer is highly recommended!
North Haven is only a 30-minute drive north to the ‘big smoke’ of Port Macquarie. There you can enjoy cafe life, walk the breakwall or see a show at the acclaimed Glasshouse Theatre, widely regarded as one of regional Australia’s best performing arts venues.
Where to eat
Starting at the beach, Beach Break Cafe at North Haven Beach does a great line in beachside treats — think quality burgers, wraps and toasties accompanied by sea views.
Of course, it wouldn’t be an Aussie beach holiday without fish and chips, and Laurieton Seafoods is the real deal. Here you can enjoy fish and chips with a side order of local oysters overlooking Camden Haven Inlet on their new wharf, replete with picnic tables, or you can buy local fish to cook up a storm back at camp.
There’s no shortage of cafes in the area, but the standouts are local favourite The Sandbar Cafe, which offers breakfast and lunch, and be sure to save room for their delectable range of homemade cakes (the key lime slice is quite sensational). A few doors down new kid on the block Moo and Bean Kitchen & Bar also runs all-day food with a slight Asian flavour (think pork belly with pickled ginger or crab rolls in miso mayo) and offers live music and oysters on Sundays in their big backyard festooned with fairy lights.
In the last few years, a range of eateries have sprung up in the main hub of Laurieton to suit all tastebuds — Vietnamese, Italian, Korean, burgers, as well as a large laid-back pub on the main street.
Originally built in the 1940s, Dunbogan Boatshed is a favourite with locals and tourists alike with its ever-so-cute wooden boatshed on the banks of the Camden Haven River with views of North Brother Mountain. It was badly damaged in the 2021 floods and at the moment is just doing coffees, so it’s a case of watch this space.
After a hiatus of a few years, the region’s premier food festival, Slice of Haven, is firmly back on the agenda. Held in May, it is a celebration of local food and drink with live music and festivities. Whether you are a foodie or just love a party, it’s definitely worth timing your visit for then.
Valley of villages
Just 20 minutes inland from Laurieton, you will find rolling green hills and charming hamlets.
The Royal Hotel at Kew, dating from 1891, was once the stopping-off point for horse-drawn coaches from Taree to Port Macquarie, but today is worth stopping for a refreshing beer in the recently renovated hotel, which has been bought by two local families. Next door to the pub is The Retro Room and Qi Coffee for coffee, cake and a unique vintage find as well as The Squeaky Gate Farm Shop. The shop is based on the ‘farm shop’ concept in the United Kingdom and sells quality local and regional produce, dairy, refrigerated and frozen products, as well as artisan food items, homewares and giftware.
Poetry lovers should visit Kendall where there is a statue of poet Henry Kendall, who lived in the area for five years and loved the forest and river landscape. Kendall is also home to Miss Nellie’s Cafe, a popular country-style bakehouse. It had considerable damage during the 2021 floods, and, at the time of writing, it is in the process of being rebuilt. In the meantime, there is a pop-up cake truck and cute garden serving Miss Nellie’s delectable baked treats like raspberry ripple muffins. Yum!
Caravan Parks in The Havens
Here are some great places to stay during your caravan holiday to The Havens.
Reflections North Haven – Holiday Park
In a prime position at North Haven Beach with cabins, powered and unpowered sites.
Jacaranda Holiday Park
Powered sites and a range of cabin types close to the beach.
Brigadoon Holiday Park
Situated in beautiful parkland with easy access to the waterfront.
Dunbogan Caravan Park
Powered sites and cabins by the Camden Haven River.
Laurieton Lakefront Caravan Park and Lifestyle Village
Cabins and powered and unpowered sites at Queens Lake.
Diamond Waters Caravan Park
Powered and unpowered sites and cabins with water frontage and native bushland. The nearby Crowdy Bay National Park is worth a visit.
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