4WD: Pebbly Beach (Yuraygir)

Day or overnight from Coffs / Red Rock · Best for: High-clearance 4WD parties with a tide plan

Guide updated 13 Sept 2026 · verify NSW National Parks the morning you go

Southern 4WD camp — unsealed road, dune, beach driving, Saltwater Creek at low tide only. This is not Murramarang’s Pebbly Beach.

Pebbly Beach in Yuraygir National Park near Barcoongere, southern access zone — Pebbly Beach (Yuraygir)
Ben Blanche · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

If you do not have high-clearance 4WD and recovery sense, book Station Creek or stay in Red Rock. Official campground name includes “Yuraygir National Park” for a reason — search results mix two Pebbly Beaches.

Access: high-clearance 4WD, low tide, Bacoongerie Road (campground spelling) / Barcoongere Way. Water crossings change quickly with rain. Check-in 2pm / check-out 10am. Official tide link is Red Rock, not Yamba.

Park-wide visitor-info does not list Pebbly drinking water; the campground page does. Pack a full backup. Official alerts (13 Sep 2026): McPhillips Rd closed 14–25 September 2026 — use Barcoongere Way. Logging trucks remain listed when McPhillips is open.

[VERIFY] live access on the official Pebbly Beach campground page and alerts the morning you go. This itinerary is not a recovery manual.

Track status, weather and closures change — verify on NSW National Parks before you leave, then use the timeline below as a planning skeleton only.

Timeline

Night before
Tide + alerts + booking
Low-tide window on the Red Rock tide chart. Book the official site if staying (2pm / 10am). Tell someone your plan. Pack all drinking water. Recheck alerts: McPhillips Rd closed 14–25 Sep 2026 (use Barcoongere Way) plus the campground page. If the creek is closed, believe it.
Morning
McPhillips / Barcoongere access
Coffs Harbour north on the Pacific Highway ~49 km. Official alerts (13 Sep 2026): McPhillips Rd closed 14–25 September 2026 — reach Station Creek and Pebbly via Barcoongere Way. When McPhillips is open, drive for oncoming logging trucks. Station Creek is the 2WD-typical neighbour (~12 km from the highway). Pebbly is the 4WD + tide problem. Not suitable for large caravans.
Low-tide window
Creek, beach, camp or turn around
Cross only in your planned low-tide window. Obey beach speed and no-go / vehicle-free zones (little terns at Station Creek). If the crossing looks wrong, Station Creek or Red Rock village is the plan — not “it looked dry on Instagram.”
If you stay
Optional Freshwater track
Official 2 km return, Grade 4, from the northern end of Pebbly campground. Only if you already solved access. Station Creek canoe launch / viewing platform is removed until replaced. Corkwood & Scribbly Gum is a 2.3 km loop from Station Creek if you abort to the 2WD camp.
Exit
Leave inside the next safe tide
Do not night-exit on a tide you have not charted. Pedestrians share some beaches — drive as if a child is over the next rise. Never block dune crests or emergency access.

Packing

All drinking water
Recovery / comms
Tyre pressure / recovery basics
Printed Red Rock tide window
PLB / sat messenger (sensible here)
Sun / SPF — unpatrolled beach

Kit searches live on the gear hub — not as a merch wall on the itinerary.

Parking & access tips

Never block dune crests or emergency access.
Pedestrians share some beaches — drive as if a child is over the next rise.
Small vans/trailers only if towed by high-clearance 4WD.
Station Creek is the abort camp if the creek is wrong.

Skip if short on time / energy

Sedan “we will be fine”
Night arrival on a falling-then-rising tide you have not charted
The Murramarang Pebbly Beach (wrong park)
A Wilsons Headland add-on “because it’s the same park”

Extra tips

Who this plan is for

High-clearance 4WD parties with recovery sense
People who will read the official Yuraygir Pebbly page
Campers who pack water even when a campground page lists taps
Not a 2WD day trip and not Murramarang

Decision gates (say them out loud)

If the official page or alerts say closed: Station Creek or Red Rock
If the creek looks wrong: turn around
If you do not have a Red Rock tide window written down: do not leave sealed road
If anyone booked the other Pebbly: stop now

What success looks like

In and out inside planned tides
No rescue in soft sand
Little tern zones respected
Notes for next time: Station Creek instead, or a coastal-walk finish via Wooli

Related trail guides

Wooli to Red Rock walking trackOfficial hardest coastal-walk block: 15.5 km one-way, Grade 5, 5 hrs 30 min–6 hrs 30 min. Wooli boat, Station Creek wade, Pebbly country, and no commercial boat at Corindi / Red Rock.
Freshwater trackOfficial southern walk: 2 km return, Grade 4, 45 min–1 hr 15 min from the northern end of Pebbly Beach campground to Freshwater Beach. The walk is easy to underestimate — getting to the start is the 4WD problem.
Corkwood and Scribbly Gum walking trackOfficial loop: 2.3 km, Grade 2, 45 min–1 hr 15 min from Station Creek campground upstream along the estuary through corkwood and scribbly gum forest.

Official links to verify

Stays, tours & gear for this plan

Optional next steps once your timeline is set — park fees and official NPWS bookings are never affiliated.

Nearby stays

Yamba (primary) · Wooli · Coffs Harbour

Hotels & stays in YambaNorthern gateway — Angourie and Lake Arragan day trips
WooliCentral village on the coastal walk
Coffs HarbourSouthern services hub for Station Creek / Pebbly

All Booking.com links open in a new tab and may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Official NPWS camping and cottage bookings are never affiliated.

Guided tours

Optional — useful if you want a local operator instead of self-driving

A tour does not replace checking NSW National Parks alerts, weather, or cliff safety yourself.

What to bring

Practical kit for beaches, heath, boats and changeable coastal weather

2–3 L water capacityDrinking water is only listed at some official campgrounds — carry between sites
Sun hat + SPF50Open beaches and heath have little shade; summer has recorded 42.5°C
Grip trail shoesBeaches, rock platforms and sandy tracks are hard on ordinary sneakers
Dry bag for river crossingsBoat and wade crossings on the coastal walk soak packs if you are careless
Light rain / wind shellMarch can dump huge rain; headlands stay windy even on “fine” days
Day pack 20–30 LWater, extra food for tide delays, first-aid and a dry layer
First-aid + tick/snake awarenessCoastal heath and forest — pack for snake and tick awareness, not as an afterthought
Tide chart / offline mapsRock platforms only at low tide; reception is limited — screenshot Yamba tides
PLB or sat messenger (optional)Worth considering for the multi-day walk or Pebbly / Shelley Head — not a legal requirement
HeadlampShort winter days and village-to-camp finishes after dusk
Power bankPayphones exist in villages and at Sandon; do not rely on charging in camp
Spare socksBeach walking and creek wades — dry feet keep a long day civil

Some stay, tour and gear links may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Park fees, official NSW National Parks camping bookings and fishing licences are never affiliated. Affiliate disclosure · Privacy