Things to do near Nabiac on the Barrington Coast

Drive times below are from the cottage gate and are what it actually takes, not what the map app promises. Most of the coast is inside half an hour.

Beaches and water

The coast is close enough for a morning swim and back for lunch.

Nine Mile Beach, Tuncurry
25 min
Long, open surf beach. You can drive on part of it with a permit.
Forster Main Beach and Bennetts Head
30 min
Patrolled in season, with the ocean baths and a good coastal walk from the breakwall.
Wallis Lake
20 min
Flat water for kayaking and the source of the oysters you'll see on every menu around here.
Seven Mile Beach, Old Bar
35 min
Quieter than Forster. Good for a long walk with the dog-free stretch to yourself.
Elizabeth Beach and Booti Booti
45 min
Sheltered swimming bay backed by the national park. One of the prettiest on this coast.

Rainforest, waterfalls and high country, all within a day trip.

Booti Booti National Park
45 min
Cape Hawke lookout climbs to a tower with views up and down the coast. Steep but short.
Wallingat National Park
40 min
Whoota Whoota lookout over Wallis Lake. Gravel road in, fine in a normal car in dry weather.
Barrington Tops National Park (Gloucester side)
1 hr 15 min
Antarctic beech forest, cold streams and snow gums. Take a jumper even in summer.
Copeland Tops and Gloucester Falls
1 hr 20 min
Short rainforest walks and old gold-mining tracks near Gloucester.
Crowdy Bay National Park
1 hr 10 min
Diamond Head loop walk, headlands, and kangaroos on the campground grass.

Small producers rather than big cellar doors.

Nabiac village cafes and bakery
10 min
Coffee, pies and a pub meal without leaving the district.
Wallis Lake oyster sheds, Forster
30 min
Buy them by the dozen straight off the lease. Shucked on the spot if you ask.
Great Lakes and Manning Valley producers
30–50 min
Cheese, macadamias, beef and honey. Most sell at the gate or through the local markets.
Hunter Valley wine country
1 hr 45 min
A long day trip, but doable if you want cellar doors.

Country towns with a bit going on.

Nabiac
10 min
Antique shops, the National Motorcycle Museum, and markets on the second Sunday of the month.
Forster–Tuncurry
25–30 min
The biggest centre nearby. Supermarkets, restaurants, the breakwall and dolphin watching.
Taree
30 min
Manning River town with the riverside walk, cinema and full services.
Gloucester
1 hr
Gateway to the Tops, with the Bucketts Range behind it and a good main street.
Bulahdelah and the Myall Lakes
40 min
Boats, houseboats and the Grandis, the tallest tree in New South Wales.

Dates, nightly rates and reviews all live on Airbnb. Booking takes a couple of minutes.