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Category: Bushwalking

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Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Garden

Kangaroo sculptures

Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Garden

Nestled in the Mogo State Forest adjacent to the Deep Creek Dam, the Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Garden covers a 42-hectare site. Established in 1988 when Forests NSW provided the site to the local council, it has a visitor centre, display gardens and walking tracks. The display gardens cover 10ha of land cleared to provide material for the dam wall, effectively repurposing a bare landscape. The remaining 32ha has walking tracks that provide access to the local bushland.

Bushfires in 1994 and 2019/20 caused significant damage some of which is still visible as fire damaged trees.

Getting There

Located only 5 minutes’ drive from the NSW coastal town of Batemans Bay and just of the Princes Highway, it’s easy to find with plenty of car parking space. Entry is free which is a great bonus.

The Gardens

The display gardens exhibit plants from the surrounding area, with sea-level to sub-alpine plant species on display. This area is well paved, generally flat and its 2km are wheelchair friendly. The plants were flowering when we visited adding colour to the gardens. There are also several ponds here and if you are lucky you will see some native species. We only saw some purple swamp hens and ducks, but there are others that call the area home.

Kangaroo sculptures Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Garden
Kangaroo sculptures
Walking path through banksias
Walking path through banksias
Banksia in bloom Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Garden
Banksia in bloom
Purple Coral-pea (Hardenbergia violacea)
Purple Coral-pea (Hardenbergia violacea)
Sculpture using the trunk of a coastal grey box that was killed during the 2019/20 fires
Sculpture using the trunk of a coastal grey box that was killed during the 2019/20 fires
Pond near the eucalypt lawn Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Garden
Pond near the eucalypt lawn
Eucalyptus trees Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Garden
Eucalyptus trees
Purple swamp hen
Purple swamp hen

Forest Track

After walking through the display gardens, we headed to the Forest Track which took us through the native bushland of the area. This track is well defined but rough with several steep sections. However, it’s only 2km long with plenty of places to stop and enjoy the local bush. This track passes the dam, where a viewing platform lets you see over the dam wall and over Deep Creek Dam. With no trees on the wall or near the water, it looked very bare and no birdlife was present. This may change in the future, but we found it uninteresting (2024).

The trail through the Forest Track Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Garden
The trail through the Forest Track

What Did We Think

We loved the walk through the display gardens and native bush areas. The visitor centre has a cafe where you can relax after your walk with a coffee and snacks.

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

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Horsehead Rock Wallaga Lake

Horsehead Rock

Horsehead Rock Wallaga Lake New South Wales Australia

As one of Australia’s most distinctive coastal rock formations, Horsehead Rock at Wallaga Lake is a must see if in the area. As a bonus, there are several other interesting rock formations on the same stretch of the coast.

Getting There

Located 240 km from Canberra on the New South Wales south coast, Horsehead Rock can be accessed from the Camel Rock carpark. We left out car here and walked the short distance to the beach.

Safety

There are two ways to view Horsehead Rock, either from the beach or the cliff top. It is important to only walk to Horsehead Rock from the beach at low tide, otherwise you may get stranded on the far side. Check the tide times be here.

When taking the cliff top track, be aware that it is not fenced. With soft edges and steep cliffs make it important to stay back while keeping any children well supervised.

Camel Rock and Haywards Beach

One track from the carpark takes you down to Haywards Beach. This is a beautiful sandy beach, where several people were surfing during our visit. As you step onto the beach, there is a large rock formation to your left. This is Camel Rock. We walked around it and then a little further around the headland where there are some other interesting formations. Horsehead rock can be accessed from here, but only at low tide. Unfortunately the tide was coming in, so we couldn’t get to it.

Haywards Beach
Haywards Beach
Camel Rock
Camel Rock
Haywards Beach viewed from the carpark
Haywards Beach viewed from the carpark

Cliff Top Track

Walking back from the beach to the carpark, we took the cliff top track. Several spots along the track provide great views over the beach. From here you can see why it’s called Horsehead Rock because it looks like one that is drinking with its head in the water.

Also from the cliff top, if you look left there is another formation. Called Dragon Tail rock, it looks like the tail of a huge mythical monster.

Cliff top trail
Cliff top trail
Horsehead rock from the rear and Pebbly Beach
Looking at Horsehead rock from the rear towards Pebbly Beach
Horsehead Rock
Horsehead Rock
Horsehead Rock
Horsehead Rock
Dragons Tail Rock
Dragons Tail Rock

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To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

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Durras Lake Discovery Trail

Spotted gum forest on the Duras Lake Discovery Trail

Durras Lake Discovery Trail

Although the Durras Lake Discovery trail is only 1.5 km long, it’s a fun walk, taking around 45 minutes, depending on your pace. Located in the Murramarang National Park it’s only a 30 minute drive from Batemans Bay. It is a good idea to check the weather before going, as the road can become very boggy in wet weather.

The Walk

Although graded at level 3 by NSW National Parks and Wildlife, it is steep in places and rough in others. We hiked here after a storm. A large gum tree had fallen over the track and shattered, completely burying the trail. This added some fun to the walk as we picked our way over the smashed timber. Another tree that must have fallen years ago also crosses the trail, but has a gap under it, or a path around.

The vegetation was very dense because rainfall had been heavy in the previous months. Everything was nice and green.

Not long after starting the walk, there is a bridge over a creek, followed by a sign post. This is the point you would take to the Durras Lake Walking Track (8km and 2-4 hours) or stay on the loop track. You will also found a rough wooden gate near the start of the track and another near the end.

Information boards are placed along the trail, describing the plant and animal life.

At the high point of the climb is a bench seat where we stopped and had a snack before descending from there down into the valley and back to the carpark.

This was a great walk and one of our favorites in the Murramarang National Park. Remember that there are park entry fees (we bought the year long pass which works out cheaper if you visit a lot of parks). As it’s a national park, dogs are not allowed.

Ferns and palms Duras Lake Discovery Trail
Lush ferns and palms on the trail
Large tree fallen over the track Duras Lake Discovery Trail
Large tree fallen over the track
Information board
Information board
Bridge over a creek
Bridge over a creek
Bench seat Duras Lake Discovery Trail
Bench seat
Fallen and broken tree Duras Lake Discovery Trail
Fallen and broken tree blocking the trail
Rough wooden gate
Rough wooden gate
Spotted gum forest on the Duras Lake Discovery Trail
Spotted gum forest on the Duras Lake Discovery Trail

Our photos are available for purchase on

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.