trees Archives - Destination's Journey

7 October 2024

Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Garden

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

Banksia in bloom Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Garden — Banksia in bloom

Purple Coral-pea (Hardenbergia violacea)

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

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).

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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3 October 20245 October 2024

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 — Lush ferns and palms on the 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.

2 October 20245 October 2024

Depot Beach Rainforest Walk

Depot Beach Rainforest Walk

The Depot Beach Rainforest Walk is a short easy track that runs through littoral rainforest and down to a beautiful sandy beach. As part of Murramarang National Park, it is maintained by NSW National Parks and Wildlife and was in excellent condition during our visit. Almost the entire track has boardwalk, or is paved, so it very easy to walk. The recommended time is 15 to 45 minutes, and we easily made the lower and of the range. Remember, because this is a national park, no dogs are allowed.

Getting There

Car parking is available at a dedicated spot about 250m from Depot Beach and also has a toilet and information board. Alternately, parking at the beach allows you to start and finish there and not need to move your car if you intend to spend time on the sand. Whichever you choose, the track is a loop, so you will end up back where you started.

The Track

The 400m track runs through spotted gum rainforest with a lush undergrowth consisting of cabbage tree palms, cycads and bracken. Information boards along the track describe the different vegetation and animal life.

When we reached the beach, there were kangaroos sleeping in the shade near the carpark. We had lunch at the beach, we had almost to ourselves, with only two other people there.

A fun easy walk, with a great beach to enjoy as well. From here we went to the Burrawang Walking Track which was only a 2-minute drive away.