One day: Angourie & Lake Arragan

Full day from Yamba / Maclean · Best for: First visit without a multi-day commitment

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

Northern-zone day: Angourie Surfing Reserve, a short signed walk or lookout, Lake Arragan / Red Cliff from a safe setback, then back to Yamba without starting a 17 km beach walk you cannot finish.

Angourie Back Beach looking along undeveloped Yuraygir National Park coastline — Angourie Back Beach
Paul Gierszewski · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

This is the “we are in Yamba and want Yuraygir without boats or 4WD” plan. Success is one coastal scene plus one honest stop at the lagoon — not half the 65 km coastal walk.

Vehicle entry is $8 per vehicle per day [VERIFY]. Pedestrians and cyclists are free. Camping is a different product — you do not need it for this day plan. Annual passes do not cover camping.

Cliffs at Lake Arragan and Red Cliff are officially unstable: stay well back, do not stand or sit on the rock, supervise children. The Angourie Backbeach spray window to 11 September 2026 is no longer on the official alerts page (checked 13 Sep 2026). Check live alerts the morning you leave.

Always check Yuraygir local alerts and a Yamba tide chart the morning you leave. This itinerary is planning guidance only — not live track status.

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
Alerts, tides, reverse clock
Read official local alerts on home Wi-Fi. Screenshot a Yamba tide chart if you will touch rock platforms. Pack 2 L water, hat, SPF, a wind layer and shoes that can handle sand. Agree out loud: no cliff-edge photos. Write a “leave the cliffs by” time so you are not inventing Brooms Head at 3pm.
Morning
Yamba → Angourie Surfing Reserve
Drive signed streets to the reserve. Pay vehicle entry. Toilets at Mara Creek / Angourie Bay picnic. Walk the reserve and Back Beach. If spray signs close the track, the day-use area is still the plan — do not improvise a Back Beach shortcut.
Late morning (optional)
Angourie walking track — only with a turnaround
Official: 10 km return, Grade 3, 3 hrs 30 min–4 hrs 30 min, Mara Creek to Shelley Headland. Write a clock-time turnaround before you leave the picnic area. Do not continue toward Brooms Head without a booked finish or a second car.
Midday
Lake Arragan / Red Cliff — from a safe setback
Brooms Head Road through Gulmarrad; after about 19 km turn left for the official Lake Arragan and Red Cliff campgrounds (Grey Cliff is part of this complex, not a separate booking). Picnic at a signed table. Lagoon time is the point. Stay well back from unstable cliffs.
Afternoon
Village reset and the drive home
Coffee or swim decision in Yamba / Angourie. Park beaches are unpatrolled — check Beachsafe for flagged beaches outside the park. Leave with buffer. Do not “just start Day 1 of the coastal walk.”

Packing

Water 2 L per person
Sun hat + SPF50
Grip shoes (sand and rock)
Wind / light shell — headlands stay cooler than Yamba
Snacks that survive a warm bag
Phone offline map / alerts screenshot
Simple first aid + tick awareness

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

Parking & access tips

Use signed reserve and campground parks only.
Do not leave bags visible.
Unsealed access to some campgrounds — after rain, turn around early.
If spray signs close the Angourie track, stay on day-use — do not invent a cliff shortcut.
Have Plan B named: reserve + village if the lagoon road is messy.

Skip if short on time / energy

Any coastal-walk day segment (18 km class)
Shelley Head walk-in camp
Pebbly Beach (different road system + 4WD)
Brooms Head “we’ll see how we go” without a booked finish

Extra tips

Who this plan is for

Yamba weekenders with a real day, not a half-hour lookout stop
Families who want beach + lagoon without boats
People scouting the coastal-walk start for a later trip
Groups who will stay off unstable red cliffs

Decision gates (say them out loud)

If alerts show spray or track closures: stay on day-use, do not improvise
If anyone wants a cliff-edge photo: the day is over until they step back
If energy is gone after Angourie: skip the 10 km return — platforms and lagoon still count
If you are tempted to start toward Brooms Head without a booked finish: no

What success looks like

Everyone back in Yamba with energy for the evening
One northern scene completed well — not three half-done zones
No invented multi-day start
Notes for next time: earlier start, booked camp, or Wilsons Headland day

Related trail guides

Angourie walking trackOfficial northern day walk: Mara Creek picnic area to Shelley Headland, 10 km return, Grade 3. Check live alerts — the Angourie Backbeach spray window to 11 Sep 2026 is no longer on the official page (checked 13 Sep 2026).
Yuraygir coastal walkThe park’s flagship: a signposted 65 km one-way track from Angourie Surfing Reserve to Red Rock, following coastal-emu footprint markers across beaches, rock platforms, heath and villages. Best walked north to south. Self-sufficiency required.

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