The tiny town of Brooms Head in northern New South Wales is not much more than a headland, a row of Norfolk Island pines and a sprawling caravan park separating the main road from the beach. It’s the kind of place with one shop, where the bestsellers are bait, mixed lollies and icy poles.
On a day trip there from nearby Angourie, our family lay sprawled on the beach, eating Cornettos in the sun, when four men walked past wearing packs – big, proper ones, adorned with damp swimmers. I gave chase.
“Excuse me,” I asked one. “Where are you going?”
“To Red Rock,” he replied, pointing at a headland just visible on the southern horizon. This was their second day on the four-day, 65km Yuraygir coastal walk, staying in campsites along the way.
It was 2020 and an idea was born. One day my kids (then 5, 8 and 11) would surely, finally, be big enough for proper adventures. And when they were, this would be the place to start.
Which is how my twin sister Laura, our five kids – aged 9 to 15 – and I came to be setting off into a raging headwind from Angourie Point in July 2024. Massive waves were rolling into the famous surf break but we turned south, leaving the wetsuit crowd behind.
It was the winter school holidays, but over the next four days we saw only four other walkers.
We soon settled into a steady rhythm of talking and walking over varied terrain. There were kilometres along wide, deserted beaches made moody by swollen clouds, the sand hard-packed by days of rain. Then sections through the coastal heath behind, where pandanus palms shed leaves in shiny strips among tunnels of tea tree. Headlands gave views along sweeping sand and inland to the triangular Clarence Peak, while cosy clearings hid basic campsites dotted with big kangaroos.
After 13km we reached Lake Arragan campground, a smattering of tents and cars accessible by road. In summer the tea tree-stained lake is busy with kids, canoes and fishing, but the only person braving the wind was a kitesurfer on the beach.
Five kilometres of sand later, we reached Brooms Head general store, our freshly renovated three-bedroom flat perched above. Keys, wine and…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Travel | The Guardian…