By the sea and by the lake at Dolphin Point NSW

Dolphin Point Caravan Park NSW

Superb - magnificent - incredible - these adjectives are just the start of describing the 180 degree outlook we had from the Possum House at the Dolphin Point Tourist Park. Situated just south of Ulladulla on the New South Wales south coast, this is just a magic spot. With only four rows for camping, we were delighted to have a waterfront site with our own dozen or so pelicans and hundreds of seagulls on the sand bank only metres from the Possum House. There is a large mesh fence with star pickets bordering the beachfront but there are steps down to the beach every four sites or so. All this with the 180 degrees what more could we ask??

The daily Pelican Parade at the launching ramp

The ferry does enchanting tours and dinners!

Our reception was very friendly and informative as Peni simultaneously handled phone calls and our enquiry very professionally juggling an ever ringing phone without leaving us feeling unattended - not an easy job. Telephone boxes up the street and over the road at the local shops were pointed out, in case our mobiles didn't work, but we found Telstra CDMA and GSM both kind of work - Vodaphone comes in perfectly, receptionist Peni advised on arrival.

Locals at Happy Hour!

The excellent washing up facilities

Amenities are quite good with two separate blocks which more than caters for the number of sites. One block has just been refurbished - very attractive tiled entries. Benches are provided in each shower. There is a special unit for the disabled. The normal amenities are not generally locked, but the disabled one requires the key provided at book in. Laundry costs 2 x $1 coins for washing - four washing machine and four dryers. There are three stainless steel sinks with hot water, two fixed ironing boards with free power and the special touch - an easy chair to sit and watch your washing being done, so bring your book - a great excuse to sit and read! The Hills Hoists provided twirl around drying your washing very quickly in the sea breezes. We did a load of towels and sheets and all were dry within an hour or two.

The view from the back window of the RV

The sunrises are different every day

With the TV, there was a choice of five channels 2, 7, 9, 10 and SBS, ranging from very good to slightly snowy. The camp kitchen known locally as "The Gazebo" has a soft drink machine - reasonable at $1.40 per can. There is a huge tree trunk set in the centre and obviously it was decided to keep the tree when the kitchen was built. Beautiful healthy staghorns grow on the trunk. Locals have set up a dart board, stereo system, fridge, BBQ, excellent long tables and bench seats. Canvas drop sides can be utilised in case of inclement or windy weather or left up for an airy spacious outdoors feeling during the summer.

Taken when the bushfires were on

Fishing in the channel leading into the lake

There are four sites on the front row for visitors with the rest being cabins or caravans available for rental. There are some annuals, but who can blame them for wanting to live here in paradise for most of the year. Besides what some have done with their lots is really nice.

Flies were considerably fewer than we had encountered in Victoria. There were no signs of recent bushfires - even though the nearby headlands are very heavily treed. Fortunately, the fires had been restricted to the bushland and national parks further to the west. We did get a bit of smoke in some of the piccies though!

High tide in the early morning

This is true waterfront folks!

Two really good bonuses - the milko, with his moooo car horn, drives around giving old fashioned daily deliveries and the baker also calls with a choice of breads, rolls and cakes. Now that is really hard to take!!

And yet another bonus - there is an absolutely excellent fish shop within a reasonable walk over the bridge- simply called "The Fish Shop", it is just down the road, turn right, across the bridge and there you are - look for the blue building with the sign on top. You have a huge choice of fresh seafood to take home or buy cooked and eat nearby in the park around the corner. Local oysters, crabs and prawns are on display to make your taste buds salivate. We found the cost of fish dearer in both New South Wales and Victoria than we pay at home in Queensland, but the quality is absolutely excellent and well worth the extra $2 dollars which it seemed to average. Whilst waiting you might like to take a peek at the glass blowing studio right next door.

Outside hot and cold showers - great!

Lovely gardens at the entrance

On the southern side of the bridge is a group of shops including a newsagents, post office, hair dresser, an extensive convenience store and a milk bar. So within easy walking distance you can get virtually anything you need and never have to drive out of your little spot on the lake. In fact we did not drive or seven days!

The park entrance

Part of the camp kitchen

Between the park and the shops is Rotary Park - an excellent family picnic area with BBQ's, sheds, tables and chairs, even seats to sit and watch the world go by. It is easy to run out of adjectives when trying to describe this whole area - like the old fig tree which acts as a huge canopy over several tables and benches - what a picnic spot. Where blue timber seats are provided, on the well mown grassland, to sit and daydream or meditate, native trees have been planted nearby so there will be shade in a few year's time. The playground set for children is sure to take care of all that hyperactivity which little people can generate. A credit to the local community - especially with off road parking inside the park. Whether fishing or walking or just relaxing, you have it all within the boundaries of this park - fishing off the sandy edges of the lake - walking on the paths or across the grass (there are lots of tracks and they criss cross through the shrubbery and across two cute little wooden bridges) - or just sitting doing nothing - it is just too tough to take this lifestyle. From the park you can see the other two parks nearby, one on the southern side of the bridge and the other on the northern side. Both appeared very well maintained, but they don't take pets. The one on the northern side does rent out canoes and the lake is just perfect for this physical activity. You could paddle down to the surf beach or back inland for several hours and be in total safety - just throw in a sandwich, cold drink and sunscreen, you could have lunch and a swim as well. Take the camera if you have a waterproof bag, as there are many birds to snap, not to mention the reflections caused by such placid waters.

The excellent local shop - very friendly

Kids paradise!

The sandy beach of the lake in front of the park is bordered by a large sandbar which forms the actual beach. There are several channels and sandbars in the lake area all of which make for ideal safe swimming for both adults and children alike.

Rex gave this a 4 1/2 star award - he loved the beach and swimming and the fact he could run on the beach - Peni advised there were no rules that said you couldn't take doggies on the beach, but asked that Rex be kept on his lead within the park. Interestingly there was a "no cats" sign in the office window - as there is such a variety of sea birds, they don't encourage cats, Peni explained.

Glass blowing near the fish shop

Peni manages reception

Fishing is another absolute plus - as you will see from the photos many families take advantage of the serene conditions. Children can wander out waist deep to fish quite safely, or you can take the laid-back approach and sit on the river bank in your comfy chair.

Fishing is great!

Fishing from you campsite!

When the tide is low, there is a huge sandy bank in the centre of the lake - you could even play a full sized game of cricket there using the water as the boundary - sort of misshapen, but otherwise a real possibility. Boogie boarding is very popular for the children across the waist deep channel from the beach and over to the sand bank. We waded across to the sandbank, where we played ball with Rex, before swimming across to the surf. The tide was going out and the current was stronger than Rex could swim, so we walked around the headland, across the bridge and back through Rotary park. This only took an hour and a half at a leisurely pace - fantastically simply exercise. The temperature of the water at low tide, in the mid afternoon, is almost luke warm with the occasional cool spot.

Helping a couple of camp guides from USA

Fantastically white sand

It is possible to walk all the way around to either point at low tide. You can walk north at any tide, but only at low tide to the south. Do watch out when walking around the rocks in bare feet as one nearby camper cut his feet very badly not exercising due care when it was not completely low tide - some form of shoe covering is definitely recommended unless you are vigilant. This takes you to Dolphin Point itself. A popular family day visit spot, car parking is limited to about 20 spaces, but there is access from the main road down to the lakefront. A walk around the flat rocks is a must, even if just to watch the waves splash over and cascade down the rock face. You can site above the actual shoreline for quite a while just watching the force of nature and marvelling at how many thousand years it would have taken to make these rocky outcrops into flat table faces. Marvellous for coffee tables if you could ever take one home! Some rock fishing is done in this area, but only experienced fishermen would attempt it as the swirls and currents looked quite menacing. Spikes would be a necessity and never turn your back on the waves as every so often, up comes a huge dumper, full of sand. The coast is totally exposed to the Pacific Ocean and with the king tides, we were in awe of the beauty, yet ferocity of the surf.

Who could ignore this little guy?

High tide in front of the park

Sunrise over the ocean was different each day of our stay - the first two days were red and heady due to the smoke from bushfires, the next day was cloudy and the following one rainy. We didn't have any problems with the showery day, hoping it would assist the fire fighters and besides it gave the perfect excuse for catching up with all these computer based activities of writing stories and processing photos etc. Then again reading didn't seem too bad, or a bit of sewing - what hard decisions - why don't we just do some of it all - and take in the calm lake vista at the same time. Some hardy souls were swimming - guess the water temperature would have been equal to the land temperature - but not many fishing. Surprisingly enough that vicious guard dog Rex didn't mind at all spending the day sleeping inside the Possum House, provided he got in flight service for breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea. A quick dash out for calls of nature when he stood at the door alerting us, and he was back in sound asleep. Maybe his dreams were of that big bad current yesterday - there was certainly a lot of murmuring going on!

Another very interesting sunrise

The front office team in action!

Then, of course, there were the sunsets on the opposite side of the park - the first few days were very cloudy, with lots of smoke haze, but one afternoon was just a big golden red globe and once again the photos of that time say it all.

Wonderful walks all around the park

Sunset from behind the fish shop

Around the headland and over the bridge there are numerous smoko spots. Serenity plus - it is really hard not to give this park and the surrounding area too high a mark - for us it will the benchmark by which we judge all other parks on the beachfront - it is really that good. There is a mix of tourist and annual sites (you can only live here for 40 odd weeks of the year and most are here in summer, not as many in winter according to our next door neighbour Connie who spends part of her life on the outskirts of Sydney and the majority of the time here). No internet presence just yet. Snail mail to Dolphin Point Tourist Park, Dolphin Point Road, Burrill Lake, NSW, 2539. Phone is (02) 4455 1606. If you want a peaceful holiday in an extremely well run park which welcomes your well mannered doggie friend, then don't hesitate to book into Dolphin Point Tourist Park. It won't disappoint you but make sure you book early - being a small park, it is sure to fill quickly. Now maybe I've jumped all over the place in this story, but there is so much to tell you - all these snippets keep jumping into this small brain - so please excuse and enjoy the magnificent photos that will tell the story even more!

Chrissy Eustace

Click on the compass for a map of the area